Trou de loup In the movie, Bruce and his men stood at the bottom of the sloped battlefield as the English cavalry galloped toward them. As the horses were almost upon them, Bruce signaled his men to move behind the hidden trenches filled with erected, wooden spikes. The warhorses and their knights had no time to react before falling and becoming impaled. Even the horses that did make the jump over the deadly trap unfortunately met the ends of long spears on the other side. This kind of trap is called a Trou de loup, French for "wolf hole." It was first developed as a number of concealed, shallow holes dug in a field, each containing an erected spear. Later in the medieval period, the holes were modified into a single long trench. In the actual battle of Loudoun Hill, Bruce's men did dig a trench, but there is no record or evidence it contained spikes. A hidden trench would still have been effective as the horses would have fallen in, throwing their riders, and likely breaking their legs or necks as they fell. Terrain As the battle continued, the knights tried to maneuver their horses around the trench and flank their enemy. But Bruce foresaw this, so he positioned his men to fight in a swamp. At the actual Loudoun Hill site, Bruce and his men were perched on an old Roman road, made out of super compacted gravel, which provided a bridge above the marshy ground. As the 1500lbs horses struggled and sunk into the mud, them and their riders were cut down. The marshy terrain became the most damaging element against the cavalry in this battle. Other anti-cavalry tactics have been used over the centuries in medieval Europe. The Cheval de frise, another French name meaning Frisian horses named after the area located in the Netherlands, was a log covered in long, protruding spikes that would impale the horses if they charged at or tried to jump over the barrier. Caltrops "crow's feet" was another weapon used since before the Romans and still used to this day. They are little metal pieces that look like jacks with sharp points or barbs. These could have easily been thrown and hidden on the ground, and would have made a foot soldier and certainly a horse who stepped on them become lame. In modern times, it's hard for us to think about how one would need to plan on killing horses in battle, but ultimately the strength of an army's cavalry determined its victory or defeat. Poor armies who could not match their enemy's cavalry had to become creative with their battle tactics to even the odds more in their favor. If you would like to read more about warhorses, check out my earlier posts: Game of Thrones Cavalry Charge and Knightfall Horse Armor.
4 Comments
Horses in Movies & TV
2/10/2019 07:55:32 am
Yes, horses deserve as much recognition for their service. I am glad during the WWI anniversary in Britain, the warhorses were acknowledged and remembered.
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2/10/2019 06:43:52 am
I quite enjoy history and minored in it in college. While it is difficult to watch films with horses in battle I do find the details intriguing so this was quite interesting! The first goal of any army was to remove the mounted fighters from their horses to better their chances of winning. Horses were, and are, so incredibly important to us.
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Amy--Horses in Movies & TV
2/10/2019 08:06:04 am
While researching this, I was surprised how little information there is about cavalries. Historians only mention numbers and some maneuver tactics, but there's very little knowledge about cavalry combat.
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AuthorI am Amy. I love movies, TV, and horses. I grew up with horses and taught kids how to ride during my summer breaks from school. Now I am a country girl living in a city hoping to someday move back into a rural area and own a horse again. Archives
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