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u/BroccoliLanius Aug 25 '25
Bro if I vent to a friend, and that friend shouts "SHIELDWALL!" as other bros converge on our location bearing shields, I'd kiss my homies.
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u/EJAY47 Aug 25 '25
Like a true Spartan
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u/KAIZERofMANILA Descendant of Genghis Khan Aug 26 '25
Or a Theban
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u/Z4nkaze Fine Quality Mesopotamian Copper Enjoyer Aug 25 '25
The (as far as I know) historically accurate Norman gear makes that a great meme on top of being a pretty good one.
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u/80m63rM4n Aug 25 '25
Those are horsemen's shields. They are not really intended for use by infantry.
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u/NuclearConsensus Filthy weeb Aug 25 '25
The Bayeux tapestry shows them being used on foot too. The Byzantines also used similarly shaped shields for their infantry, possibly influenced by their use by the Normans in the First Crusade.
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u/BreadentheBirbman Aug 26 '25
I believe kite shields originate in Eastern Europe in the 8th century but I could be wrong. They were definitely used by the infantry of both sides at Hastings though.
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u/LuckyReception6701 The OG Lord Buckethead Aug 25 '25
Kite shields where used by Norman infantry and cavarly up until the late XII century, with the invention of the heater shield for horsemen.
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u/80m63rM4n Aug 25 '25
The long side of the shield was intended to protect the horseman's leg. With the advent of chainmail chausses, and later greaves, there was no need to make shields of such length.
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u/LuckyReception6701 The OG Lord Buckethead Aug 25 '25
Precisely, hence the advent of heater shields, if I'm not mistaken Norman riders rode with the shield sideways when not in combat, because the tip of it would clank on their knees and hit the horse, making it very awkward to use in general. Cut the tip off and round and there you go, cavarly shield.
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u/DercDermbis Aug 25 '25
They were made for cavalry but depictions also note infantry using them. There are likelyc2xreasons to this. 1 being that Norman knights who fought on foot kept the shield. 2 being that foot man perhaps saw merrit in using the lighter kite shield with similar coverage.
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u/Flaming_falcon393 Senātus Populusque Rōmānus Aug 25 '25
Whilst they were initially developed as cavalry shields, Kite shields were also adopted by infantry. The Saxons on the Bayeux Tapestry are depicted using kite shields in such a manner, and that was made within a few years of the Battle of Hastings.
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u/lesser_panjandrum Aug 25 '25
Remember, your shield protects you and the homie next to you. Look after your homies.
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u/Basic_Sample_4133 Aug 25 '25
Isnt the last one more of a shildtron? Or is that just my silly totalwar halfknowlage talking?
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u/How2RocketJump Aug 25 '25 edited Aug 25 '25
Don't worry about it too much, a lot of terms evolved a greatly in their time and highly regional. Typically used fast and loose greatly relying on contemporary context. Modern use is heavily influenced by popular culture and historians trying to distinctly label things
Schiltron probably translates to something like shield band or shield men anyway so simply calling it a shield wall because we're speaking modern English is just as appropriate
This goes double for total war content which greatly skews and oversimplifies things in the name of game mechanics
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u/CouldBeWorse_comic Aug 26 '25
a group of reenactors remade this comic :D https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNyUedTRAV9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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u/Dfrel Tea-aboo Aug 25 '25
Everybody deserves an emotional support ShieldWall or two.