How Does War Influence Medieval Literature?

Medieval literature was influenced by many things and Literature was also influenced by many things. Religion, science, art, laws, food, and many other aspects of life have influenced the work of writers of the past. One cruel aspect of life that has always been in the lives of people since the beginning of time and has greatly influenced the history of the world, as well as the development of literature, is war. “War is the subject of literature because it has such a significant effect on humans” (Bergd 09). Throughout the medieval times, war was very common. The warlike Germanic tribes that dominated Europe before the Middle Ages heavily influenced the ideas of chivalry and glory from warfare. From their tales of battle and glory, much
The manuals written on war and the recounts of battles would allow generals to see what the mistakes of the past were and so they could create new literature of new war strategies to use in battle. For example, at the battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror’s troops consisted of mostly cavalry and archers, instead of the mostly infantry troops, as was customary. Duke William’s cavalry were using stirrups, which up until the battle of Hastings were never used in large scale combat in the medieval ages. William also used the strategy of sending his soldiers in the center of his line to flee, but then turn around, and then completely surround the enemy by sending the cavalry to the flanks of the English. The Normans were able to defeat the Anglo-Saxon King Harold II. From that battle, the advantages of using stirrups was recorded and then the Normans were able to use the same tactic to conqueror all of England. The tactics that the duke of Normandy used were similar to the strategy of Roman Generals (Peddie 12). Publius Cornelius Tacitus, a historian of the Roman Empire, wrote of battle strategies and Roman Emperors. From his written works of war, the tactic used in battle helped determine the outcome of the battle of Hastings. Without the knowledge that was passed down through written works of literature, like that of Tacitus, medieval warfare would have been different. Literature also allowed inventions that would affect war to be recorded, such as the mills that used water power. With the power of rivers, blacksmiths, granaries, and many other parts of the economy that war depends on could be more efficient because more could be produced for less, which allowed for wars to be bigger and armies larger, all because the invention was recorded in writing so that it could be made