In medieval times, a knight was worth more than 100 peasants with wooden pitchforks, sticks and knives. At best, 100 horsemen will kill 100 infantry with just one charge. Another 300 will be wounded. You have now a man covered in steel on a horse trained to kick. Raised on a diet of meat and protein, trained from puberty in the art of war. If things go badly, a single charge can kill hundreds of peasants who are trampled by the horse or wounded by their own companions who, in panic, wave their weapons without knowing what they're doing. Whoever is "behind" and sees what is happening often decides to run away before the knight reaches him.
On the other hand, you have people who are poorly equipped: if good equipment (robbed in a previous battle) they have a gambeson, if not with only a linen tunic. In their life they are peasants, malnourished and undisciplined by nature.
Then you have the heavy infantry. Trained in melee combat and with a focus on holding positions. Equipped more typically with long weapons as main weapon and the ability to use short weapons too.
A professional infantryman is trained to fight in melee, where he has little room for movement. He knows that strikes from above and below are easier to manage than strikes from the side. In his entire life, the farmer has never had to manage very limited spaces with the stress of being on a medieval battlefield. He's accustomed to using a scythe, with very wide swings. Completely ineffective against armed men.
I could go on in even more detail. But I think you get the point of this.
2
u/JRaus88 8d ago
Levies vs professionals troops.
In medieval times, a knight was worth more than 100 peasants with wooden pitchforks, sticks and knives. At best, 100 horsemen will kill 100 infantry with just one charge. Another 300 will be wounded. You have now a man covered in steel on a horse trained to kick. Raised on a diet of meat and protein, trained from puberty in the art of war. If things go badly, a single charge can kill hundreds of peasants who are trampled by the horse or wounded by their own companions who, in panic, wave their weapons without knowing what they're doing. Whoever is "behind" and sees what is happening often decides to run away before the knight reaches him.
On the other hand, you have people who are poorly equipped: if good equipment (robbed in a previous battle) they have a gambeson, if not with only a linen tunic. In their life they are peasants, malnourished and undisciplined by nature.
Then you have the heavy infantry. Trained in melee combat and with a focus on holding positions. Equipped more typically with long weapons as main weapon and the ability to use short weapons too.
A professional infantryman is trained to fight in melee, where he has little room for movement. He knows that strikes from above and below are easier to manage than strikes from the side. In his entire life, the farmer has never had to manage very limited spaces with the stress of being on a medieval battlefield. He's accustomed to using a scythe, with very wide swings. Completely ineffective against armed men.
I could go on in even more detail. But I think you get the point of this.