09-14-2006, 06:40 AM
Of 5th c. Britannia and its military dispositions we know nothing.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.
All we can do is specualte.
We can (must) look at Late Roman cavalry to start with, then speculate how much (if anything) could have been continued after a decade or more. Then look at what we know of later insular sources, and possibly project that back in time. Another possibility is looking at (sparse) contemporary sources and speculate that what they describe could also be applied to 5th c. Britain.
From contemporary or near-contemporary sources (Constantius, Patrick, Gildas) we can only learn that soldiers existed, larger battles were fought (Riothamus) and that military concepts were known (Gildas e.g. speaks of 'wings' in battle formations, so he had at least minimal military knowledge).
No battle-lists exist. No army lists, no numbers are given for battles. The closest we get is when the first authors begin to write about that time during the 8th c. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bede, Nennius).
So, all we can do is speculate. I'm sorry, you're going to have to get used to that while discussing 5th c. Britain.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.
All we can do is specualte.
We can (must) look at Late Roman cavalry to start with, then speculate how much (if anything) could have been continued after a decade or more. Then look at what we know of later insular sources, and possibly project that back in time. Another possibility is looking at (sparse) contemporary sources and speculate that what they describe could also be applied to 5th c. Britain.
From contemporary or near-contemporary sources (Constantius, Patrick, Gildas) we can only learn that soldiers existed, larger battles were fought (Riothamus) and that military concepts were known (Gildas e.g. speaks of 'wings' in battle formations, so he had at least minimal military knowledge).
No battle-lists exist. No army lists, no numbers are given for battles. The closest we get is when the first authors begin to write about that time during the 8th c. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bede, Nennius).
So, all we can do is speculate. I'm sorry, you're going to have to get used to that while discussing 5th c. Britain.
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
