Oak Bucket War: 10 Ridiculous Medieval Wars Stories

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In war, all means are good - this phrase is especially relevant for battles in the Middle Ages, when any tricks were used. That there is only the English king Richard I the Lionheart, who fought on a stretcher during the crusade. Or William I the Conqueror, who had to prove that he was alive, because because of false rumors, the army began to scatter.

In real life, especially during the Crusades, there were worse stories than in Game of Thrones.

1. In order for the blinded king to participate in the battle, his horse was tied to the horses of the knights

Johann Luxemburg, aka John the Blind, lost his sight after the Northern Crusades. No one could help him, and the angry ruler even ordered the execution of the doctor.

However, the Hundred Years' War soon broke out, and the King of Bohemia, John, was determined to take part in the Battle of Crecy in 1346. The knights tied the reins of the monarch's horse to their horses, promising to lead the ruler onto the battlefield. Together they rode in the ranks of the French cavalry against the British and were defeated.

2. The severed head of the enemy killed the leader of the Vikings

The Norse Viking Sigurd Eysteinsson lived in the 9th century and bore the title of Jarl, that is, Earl, of the Orkney Islands. In one of the battles, he defeated the army of the Scots led by Tuatala mac Mael Brigte. Sigurd cut off the king's head and tied it to the saddle. During the jump, the head dangled a lot and scratched the leg of the Norwegian Viking with its teeth.

An infection got into the wound and just a couple of days later Sigurd Eysteinsson died due to the severed head of his enemy.

3. After the First Crusade, rivers of blood literally flowed through the streets of Jerusalem

The conquest of Jerusalem was extremely brutal. The Crusaders massacred all people in a row, including women, children and even babies. Even desperate pleas for mercy did not stop them. There was so much blood that it ran down the streets of the Holy Land, as the chronicles of those times testify.

French historian Guibert Nozhansky wrote that the knights who saw Jerusalem and the Tomb are capable of any crime.

4. The death of the emperor stopped the Germans one step from the Holy Land

In the 12th century, during the Third Crusade, the German army was heading towards Israel. The operation was led by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, who vowed to return Jerusalem to Christians. The Crusaders crossed Europe, simultaneously fighting off enemy attacks, and reached Asia Minor. On the way to Palestine, the army had to cross the Kalikadn River (now - Goksu, flowing in Turkey).

Barbarossa was a skilled warrior, but powerless against the elements. While crossing, he fell into the water in heavy armor, was caught up in a stormy current and drowned. Due to the death of the king, the army was never able to complete the crusade in triumph, and some of the people of Frederick I renounced Christianity and became pagans.

5. A sudden prayer in a hopeless situation brought victory to Clovis I

The Frankish king Clovis I did not believe in Christianity for a long time, although his wife Clotilde was baptized. However, everything changed during the war with the Alemanni (ancient Germanic tribes), when the ruler was on the verge of complete defeat. In desperation, he prayed to Jesus Christ and promised that he would accept Christianity if he won the victory.

The Alemanni king was immediately overthrown, his army fled, and Clovis had to keep his word and be baptized.

6. Richard the Lionheart fought on a stretcher

King Richard I of England also participated in the Third Crusade, but at the most inopportune moment he was struck down by scurvy. When the army reached the Israeli city of Akko, the ruler could not even mount a horse, but he did not want to miss the battle. Richard the Lionheart asked directly on a stretcher to bring him closer to the city walls and helped the army to defeat the enemy, firing a crossbow.

7. War over the oak bucket

It would seem that a serious reason is needed for war, but in 1325 Modena and Bologna had a conflict over a bucket. Yes, yes, an ordinary bucket that the soldiers of Modena stole from the city and put up in the town hall to make fun of the Bolognese.

Bologna did not tolerate this and invaded the enemy with an army. As a result, 2,000 people died due to an oak storage vessel.

8. Ice helped to win one of the largest battles in Russia

Yes, yes, we are talking about the famous Battle of the Ice, which took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi (border of Russia and Estonia). In the XIII century, the knights of the Teutonic Order invaded Pskov and Novgorod, weakened after the Mongol invasion. The Novgorodians asked for help and sent Alexander Nevsky, who had already become famous for his victory over the Swedes two years earlier, to help.

The two armies were separated only by Lake Peipsi, covered with an ice crust. The Teutonic knights boldly rode out onto the ice, and the Novgorod infantry came out to meet them. The battle lasted until late at night and ended with the victory of the troops of Nevsky. In total, about 25 thousand soldiers took part in the battle. The Teutons learned their lesson well and the next time they risked attacking the Pskov lands only 10 years later.

9. The first major naval battle in the Hundred Years War turned into a real defeat

At the Battle of Sluis in 1340, the French chose the following tactics. They lined up 19 ships, linking them together so that the English fleet could not break through the defenses. However, all plans went into collapse, as the British realized that the chained fleet would not be able to maneuver and would be easily defeated.

England dealt a crushing blow to France, sinking most of the ships, and with them the people. As a result, the British and their allies gained complete superiority at sea.

10. William the Conqueror had to prove that he was alive, as the soldiers began to retreat

This happened during the Battle of Hastings in 1066, where the army of the Anglo-Soxon king Harold Godwinson and the army of the Norman Duke William I the Conqueror fought. In the midst of the battle, the British spread a rumor that the Norman leader had died. A panic broke out in the army, which almost cost the Normans a defeat. Wilhelm had to take off his helmet in the middle of the battle and prove to the soldiers that he was alive.

The duke's act encouraged the army, and the Normans defeated the Anglo-Saxons, killing King Harold Godwinson. After this battle, William I was called the Conqueror.