Battle of Visby: Difference between revisions

The Danish force was led by [[Valdemar IV]] of Denmark, and composed of Danish and German soldiers, many of them [[mercenary|mercenaries]] from the Baltic coast of Germany, with recent experience in the various feuds and wars between the German and Scandinavian states. These men would have worn what was known as [[transitional armour]], with iron or steel plates over vital areas and joints over a full suit of [[chain mail]]. The Gutes were commanded by an unknown leader, probably a minor noble with military experience, and the force composed mainly of other minor nobles, their retinues, and freemen. The ordinary freemen appear to have worn limited but still effective protection, with many excavated skeletons found wearing a chain-mail shirt or a [[coat of plates]] to protect the torso. Others may have worn a padded [[gambeson]] or a leather [[jerkin]] or coat, though these would not have survived decomposition in the ground after the battle. Unusually, many of the Gutes appear to have had minimal head protection, with many skulls wearing only a mail coif, a metal skullcap; however any helmets may have been stripped from the bodies after the battle. Very few weapons have been discovered, but it is likely that both sides used [[Round shield|round]] and [[Heater shield|heater-type]] shields, [[spear]]s, [[axe]]s, [[billhook]]s, [[Pike (weapon)|pikes]], and [[poleaxe]]s. For close combat, both sides would have had swords, light axes, [[war hammer]]s, and [[mace (bludgeon)|mace]]s.