Gone Medieval – How to Win a Medieval Battle

Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)
Host: Matt Lewis
Guest: Dr. Eleanor Yanaga
Date: February 3, 2026

Overview

This episode of Gone Medieval plunges hosts Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Yanaga onto a (hypothetical) medieval battlefield and asks: "How do you actually win a medieval battle?" Through banter, historical examples, and expert insights, they explore why pitched battles were surprisingly rare, what mattered most in those that did happen, how social and technological changes shifted the nature of warfare, and what real leadership and innovation looked like amidst mud, blood, and chivalric ideals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rarity of Medieval Battles

• Despite popular imagination, pitched battles were rare in the medieval period.
• Most rulers and commanders actively avoided field battles because they were dangerous, wildly unpredictable, and expensive.
• Armies would often devastate the surrounding countryside, leading to major social and economic repercussions.
  • "Medieval battles are actually pretty rare, aren't they?" – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (03:49)
  • "They're dangerous and massively unpredictable. That's not a situation that anyone wants to get themselves into." – Matt Lewis (04:16)
• Famous rulers like Henry II or Charles IV were successful not because they fought, but because they avoided fighting.
  • "Henry II... did not fight a single battle in his life." – Matt Lewis (06:20)

2. Sieges vs. Battles

• Much of medieval warfare focused on sieges rather than pitched battles.
• Sieges were more predictable and less risky for commanders.
  • "A siege is not a battle... The reason why you have castles is so you can just get everyone inside and go sit outside and insult each other." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (07:51)
  • Sieges and ravaging the land were largely about pressuring the opposition into submission without direct conflict.

3. Consequences and Perceptions of Battle

• Battles, though rare, were extremely consequential and could change the course of history — e.g., Hastings, Agincourt.
• However, most confrontations ended in surrender or negotiation before open conflict began.

4. The Role of Strategy and the Influence of Vegetius

• Military treatises like De Re Militari by Vegetius heavily influenced medieval commanders.
• "Vegetius's main line... is this: 'Don't have battles.'" – Matt Lewis (10:31)
• The best military leaders used intimidation, sieges, and maneuvering to win without risking all in open combat.

5. What Actually Is a Medieval Battle?

• Formalized, pitched fights between two (or more) mixed forces, with something significant at stake, normally in an open field.
• Battles were typically pre-arranged and announced – not chaotic skirmishes:
  • "For me, I want a pitched battle... I want more than one type of combatant." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (15:15)
• Mix of infantry, cavalry, archers, and sometimes artillery (toward the period’s end) defined army composition.

6. Ideal Army Composition... and Mongol Mastery

• Early period favored heavy cavalry ("the tanks of the medieval period").
• Later, the prominence of archers — especially English longbowmen — rose.
  • "If we're listening to Vegetius... the best thing you can do is try to not have a battle." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (18:06)
• The Mongol innovation of mounted archers created an almost undefeatable force, difficult for Europe to counter due to rigid class and training divides.
  • "If there is a perfect medieval military unit, it might be the mounted archer." – Matt Lewis (21:23)

7. The Myth (and Reality) of Chivalry

• Chivalry was more a vibe than a code – often, ordinary people bore the brunt of violence.
• True chivalric conduct was rarely upheld on the battlefield:
  • "Chivalry... it's not a written down code, it's more of a vibe." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (14:42)

8. Objectives of Medieval Battles

• Battles might occur due to religious justifications (Crusades), tactical necessity, opportunities to catch the enemy off-guard, or to resolve dynastic claims.
  • "The outcome of battles is judged by God, you know, and this plays again into Vegetius's idea that they're so unpredictable..." – Matt Lewis (27:21)
• Propaganda, legitimacy, and the "judgment of God" played large roles in choosing to risk battle.

9. Maximizing Advantages: Terrain and Preparation

• Strategic terrain choices — controlling access to water, having the high ground, using forests — could overturn numerical disadvantages.
• Controlling the psychological angle was key: e.g., Saladin dragging Crusader foes into the desert (34:48–37:21).
  • "He lures them out into the desert... used essentially a psychological tactic here." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (34:48–36:10)

10. Winning as the Underdog

• Famous victories (Agincourt, Bannockburn) came from using terrain, forcing chokepoints, or innovative tactics (e.g., moving schiltrons, the Wagenburg).
  • Agincourt: "Henry is thinking, how can I fix this?... He absolutely leans into that, the hot gates of Thermopylae..." – Matt Lewis (38:42–40:28)
  • Bannockburn: surprise and innovative tactics by Robert the Bruce, including moving schiltrons (40:44–42:27).
• Flexibility and the ability to adapt or surprise were crucial.

11. The Importance of Leadership

• Leadership (good or bad) was the single greatest determinant of success or disaster on the battlefield.
  • "So much of it is going to depend on his... competence or lack thereof... a brilliant general can swing a battle in the same way that a terrible one can lose it." – Matt Lewis (47:20)
• Examples: Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, Henry V, Zizka (Hussites).
• Conversely, poor leaders (Edward II, King John) undermined morale and operational effectiveness.

The Genius of Jan Žižka and the Wagenburg

• The Hussite general won every battle from 1420–1424 using innovation (the war-wagon laager, or Wagenburg) and effectively mobilizing common soldiers.
  • "He wins every single battle that he commands between 1420 and 1424... comes up with this incredible tactic... the Wagenberg." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (49:54–53:43)

12. The End of the Medieval Battle: Gunpowder and Fortifications

• Introduction of gunpowder weapons and artillery rendered traditional siege and castle warfare obsolete.
  • "By the time we get to the end... we're really seeing a shift away from the siege warfare that has been dominant..." – Matt Lewis (61:03)
• Changes in fortification design (star forts) and the decline of classic castles.

13. The Grim Legacy: "Modernization" and Higher Casualties

• Gunpowder and pitched battling meant more deaths, brutality, and diminished chivalric ideals.
  • "A lot easier to kill someone from far away with a gun. You get a lot less moral injury than if you actually have to walk up to them and stab them." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (67:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Reality of Leadership
  • "As much as I hate defending Henry Tudor, Henry VII, ... that's the best thing he could do. If he'd been so bloody minded that he thought, 'I'm going to lead these men into battle', he would probably have lost both of those fights because it's not what he's good at." – Matt Lewis (59:08–60:12)
• On Medieval Battles and the Will to Avoid Them
  • "If there is one thing that you will take away from Vegetius... don't have battles." – Matt Lewis (10:31)
  • "Normally, a battle is a kind of a last resort." – Matt Lewis (13:41)
• The "Dudes Rock" Thread
  • "Dudes rock. This is... we're getting down into the doodliness of this..." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (09:31, 38:16)
• On the Myth of Chivalry
  • "Chivalry... it's not a written down code, it's more of a vibe." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (14:42)
• On Tactical Genius and the Mongols
  • "If there is a perfect medieval military unit, it might be the mounted archer..." – Matt Lewis (21:23)
• On Innovation
  • "Shout out to Jan Žižka, who came up with one of the coolest battle tactics ever." – Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (53:43)

Key Timestamps

• Pitched battles are rare, and why: 03:49–06:20
• Sieges vs. battles explained: 07:51–09:31
• Vegetius and advice to avoid battle: 10:31–11:47
• What is a medieval battle?: 15:00–16:27
• Ideal army composition and the Mongols: 17:16–22:04
• Chivalry and who really suffers: 14:42, 23:39
• Why fight at all? The motives: 26:07–28:47
• Using terrain and psychology: Saladin at Hattin: 29:16–37:21
• Winning as an underdog: Agincourt, Bannockburn: 38:42–42:27
• Leadership – Good vs. Bad: 47:20–60:12
• Jan Žižka & the Wagenburg: 49:54–53:43
• Gunpowder, castles, and the end of medieval warfare: 61:03–67:09

Final Takeaways (“How to Win a Medieval Battle” – Episode Summary)

• Avoid battle whenever possible.
• If battle is inevitable:
  • Maximize every possible advantage (terrain, surprise, morale, supply lines)
  • Adapt: Flexibility, innovation, and real-time tactical changes often win the day
  • Leadership is crucial – a great general can transform the odds, while a poor one endangers all
  • Balance your forces and, if possible, use game-changing tactics (like the Wagenburg or the English longbow)
  • Believe in your cause (sometimes literally: God’s judgment was seen as decisive)
  • Modernization through gunpowder changed the game—by the end of the Middle Ages, the nature of battlefield conflict was revolutionized, often making it more brutal and less predictable.

Closing Memorable Moment

• Which battle would you want to see?
  • Matt: Battle of Towton, to test the stories.
  • Eleanor: The Battle of Prague — “Original flavor,” to see the Hussites at their best (70:11)
• If actually facing a battle?
  "Probably my reaction to a medieval battle, if the truth be known."
  "Just run. Just run."
  – Matt Lewis & Dr. Eleanor Yanaga (70:40–70:44)

Check other Gone Medieval episodes for more meta-historical explorations and join the hosts “in the dungeon” (or on the battlefield) every week.