Schiltron

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The Schiltron is a medieval combat formation in which the soldiers stand close together and point their spears at the attacker in such a way that a "wall" is created that is difficult for the enemy to break through. In principle, it is thus similar to the ancient phalanx formations, with the difference that the spikes used in the Schiltron point to all sides to prevent a flank attack (mainly by cavalry ).

The Schiltron Formation was originally developed by Scottish military leaders during the Scottish Wars of Independence to compensate for the inferiority of their infantry to the more armed and better trained English knights . It was used for the first time at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on September 11, 1297, which the Scottish troops were able to win, not least because of this setup.

The main advantage over loose formations or lines of battle was the lance wall created by the erection, which made an attack by cavalry and infantry very difficult. The better-equipped enemy also had to deal with a unified fighting unit that could easily keep the opposing soldiers at a distance with the aid of their long spears, but attacked together if necessary. Furthermore, the inexpensive equipment of the troops, who only needed their skewers and no expensive swords or armor, probably played a role.

However, this formation required a high level of discipline, which was ensured before the battle mainly through repeated drill and during the battle by sergeants supervising the formation . If individual men of the formations let themselves be carried away to leave them in order to face the fight "man against man" or to pursue fleeing enemies, they were usually quickly put down.

By setting up other units such as cavalry and archers outside of the Schiltron formations, they became a rewarding and easy target for opposing cavalry. The Schiltron was also very vulnerable to arrow fire, as the men stood close together and a large number of them had their unprotected backs or sides turned towards the enemy. This, along with its relative immobility, is one of the reasons it never caught on on a large scale on the battlefields of the Middle Ages.

Later you will find constellations with similar tactical principles. With the shield wall or the pike formations of later centuries, such as the Tercio or the violence , the own cavalry was supposed to prevent flank attacks by the enemy. In the case of the Tercios and similar formations, arquebusiers were also used for this purpose .