| KTravlos | 30 Oct 2015 11:48 a.m. PST |
I am going to run a short RPG Campaign for a friend (he sits and plays my historical, and I play his RPGs, but I feel he needs to be rewarded for being a DM so long), and he is interested in the War of The Roses. Already wrote a summary for him. My thinking is to focus on the period between 1463-1470 and the contests between Edward IV and Warwick. It will be episodic and I will focus on a couple of interesting episodes. But I want to start him at Towton. Could anyone tell me what kind of war-cries one would hear at Towton from the two sides? Not just Huzzahs etc, but more like "Saint George!" and the similar. |
| Cerdic | 30 Oct 2015 12:40 p.m. PST |
Being both English and soldiers, I would think the majority of words they used would not get past the beepomatic here…… |
| KTravlos | 30 Oct 2015 12:47 p.m. PST |
A good point, rallying cries then? |
| MajorB | 30 Oct 2015 12:57 p.m. PST |
The best known "war cry" is "A Warwick! A Warwick" – being the "war cry" of the Earl of Warwick at 1st St Albans. It is actually French so the "a" means "to". If you like, a forerunner of the "to me!" type of call. So following the same model, just replace "Warwick" with the title of the apppropriate noble and Robert is (as they say) your mother's brother… |
| MajorB | 30 Oct 2015 1:07 p.m. PST |
Hmm … just noticed this:
My thinking is to focus on the period between 1463-1470 Could anyone tell me what kind of war-cries one would hear at Towton from the two sides? You are of course, aware that Towton was fought in 1461? |
| manchesterreg | 30 Oct 2015 1:57 p.m. PST |
King Henry was the Lancastrian Cry, as its likely as not Warwick was not there due to his wound, and the fact he wasn,t that good a General, the cry would have been along the lines of Edward for the Yorkists, Both sides would have given up shouting very quickly as they had more important things to do. |
| KTravlos | 30 Oct 2015 2:25 p.m. PST |
"But I want to start him at Towton." There you go Major B. I.e the prologue is set in 1461, and Towton is a good place to start, but the campaign takes place after 1463. |
| Lt Col Pedant | 30 Oct 2015 3:28 p.m. PST |
Apparently the rallying cries at Towton could still be heard two years later. |
| MajorB | 30 Oct 2015 3:32 p.m. PST |
King Henry was the Lancastrian Cry, as its likely as not Warwick was not there due to his wound, and the fact he wasn't that good a General, the cry would have been along the lines of Edward for the Yorkists, Um, no, I think you misunderstood what I wrote. There was not one single cry for each side, but rather each BATTLE would have a separate cry according to the noble who commanded it… |
| MajorB | 30 Oct 2015 3:32 p.m. PST |
"But I want to start him at Towton." Oops! Sorry, KT I missed that in your post. |
| KTravlos | 30 Oct 2015 4:52 p.m. PST |
No problem, I should had been clearer in how Towton fits |
| manchesterreg | 31 Oct 2015 1:42 a.m. PST |
Sorry, meant to say, the 'general' cry on the initial advance by Lancs, was King Henry. Not their own Battle cry. |
| MajorB | 31 Oct 2015 2:22 a.m. PST |
Is this general cry that you mention recorded in any primary source? |
| Huscarle | 31 Oct 2015 2:38 a.m. PST |
The Percy battle cry was "Esperance", or "Esperance a Percy". It used to be said that the origins of the noble's motto derived from their war cy in battle, so you could possibly use that as the basis of some war cries? |
| manchesterreg | 31 Oct 2015 4:14 a.m. PST |
MajorB, probably not, from John Sadler etc |
| parrskool | 31 Oct 2015 5:15 a.m. PST |
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| Lt Col Pedant | 31 Oct 2015 5:54 a.m. PST |
If you're using John Sadler as a reference, the battle cry may as well be "Geronimo'. |
| bilsonius | 31 Oct 2015 10:10 a.m. PST |
""Are you Henry VI? If not, have you got him?" |
| Supercilius Maximus | 07 Nov 2015 10:23 a.m. PST |
The Salvation Army were trying to sell their newspaper in the middle of a WotR battle? You've got to admire their persistence. |
ponders nirvana.