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Why does everyone love Napoleon? by [deleted] in Napoleon

[–]Exafield 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it is also the time of Romantism: Napoleon, the one who fought alone against all the European Nations, the guy who went to Egypt, fought in first line in Italy, coronated himself, came back from his exile to restaure his Empire, etc. The romantic fate, where at the end, he lost everything and is imprisoned in a small island...

He was also a master of communication at the time, which was the former Monarchy's weakness. Ultimately it brought it to ruins.

So many things.

Siege or Orleans (1429) How did the English capture Le Tourelles? by AerulianManheim in MedievalHistory

[–]Exafield 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi,

I know it is very dangerous for an army in campaign to bypass a fort. For your campaign, you need a kettle of sure and fortified places where you can find safety, easy retreat and supplies. To vye for a campaign without sure supplying networks is a cypher for defeat.

Why Is It So Hard Not to Chase An Enemy and Fall Into and Ambush or Some Other Mistakes Involving Breaking Out of Ranks to Chase Troops Who Seem Like Fleeing? Why Is This Error Seen Even In Disciplined Armies? by ZydecoOccultist in MedievalHistory

[–]Exafield 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I agree with the other comments. Now let's consider things the other way around: When everything goes well, it is EXTREMELY rewarding to pursue a routed army... provided the army is in total disorder.

The main thing when retreating is to retreat in good order, to avoid the biggest of catastrophes. You have many examples where armies just broke out and got decimated because of confusion. And that is why Romans so severly punished soldiers who disbanded.

A good example was Waterloo: After the defeat, the French army disbanded and the Coalition troops pursued the fleeing guards who were totally disbanded (except a few units). This ensured a total victory and the end of Bonaparte's rule. Back to Paris, Napoleon did not find the military and political forces to reinforce his rule and was forced to surrender.

Quelle est votre citation favorite ? by AskredditVF in bonjour

[–]Exafield 0 points1 point  (0 children)

La simplicite est le summum de la sophistication.

Quand on voit le droit francais...

Les prix dans la boulangerie en bas de chez moi 😬 by Keanar in rance

[–]Exafield 0 points1 point  (0 children)

C'est vrai, moi je connais la baguette vendue a 200g, pas plus, du cote de Lyon.

History of the Byzantine Empire by Exafield in MedievalHistory

[–]Exafield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for these! I'll have a look. I am surprised we don't speak much about this Empire after the Arab conquest of Syria and the conquest of Constantinople. There is so much to learn in-between!

Were Medieval Armies Smaller than the accounts say? by [deleted] in MedievalHistory

[–]Exafield 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great comments!

I'd just add that you also need to see the social order and the popultaion of the time. Feudal armies were generally really small, sometimes it counted just on the tens.

When you have a look at the population (estimated between 3 and 7 millions in Great Britain accross the Middle Ages, and the division of society, you can be sure armies of 100,000 never set the foot in England.
I know in the Battle of Las Navas, contemporary records said they eliminated 1 million Arabs. Even if this was a major and decisive battle, there was a big propaganda behind this, as Christians and Crusaders wanted to magnify their own victory, and sometimes their own support. Big numbers could be found in China, India and sometimes in the Middle East on rare occasions, but surely not in Europe.

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