"Medieval and Renaissance Pavisiers?" Topic

I always think of crossbow armed troops when I see these mentioned, but lately I've also noticed that some spearmen, and men armed with handguns or arquebuses also seem to carry these on occasion.

So, when these are mentioned in army lists, how should I be interpreting them, e.g. spear armed men with pavises (seems the most likely), or can they also be considered to be crossbow and shot armed troops too (doubtful I suspect, but am not 100% sure, since all seem to have made use of pavises, or what look like them to me – perhaps they're just overly large shields)?

I realize that all of the above used them, so just need clarification when they are listed as "pavisiers" in the army lists, like for DBA, and other rules sets, what they're really armed with?

Presumably, if armed with guns or bows/crossbows, they'd mention those specifically, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

While I'm at it, might as well ask about Psiloi too, which I know are skirmishers, but it appears they can be armed with a variety of weapons, e.g. javelins, throwing spears, slings, bows, crossbows, handguns, arquebuses, people throwing rocks, etc.?

Is my interpretation of that correct, e.g. virtually any troop type that is based as skirmishers, and using various projectile weapons?

In DBA, I think all the references to pavisiers are as spearmen with a pavise. The troop type should clarify this – normally Sp and sometimes Pk.

Psiloi in DBA can model a variety of different weapon types. The predominant weapon will likely vary from country to country and by period.

Italian pavisiers carried a large, quite narrow, shield and may have been just the front rank of a unit, the rest being missile troops or other spearmen. A pavise need not be heavy if it is well made.

The purpose is mostly protection against missiles but they become relatively ineffective once firearms develop enough power at range to penetrate them. After that I think they hung around out of tradition and hope.

Missile troops must be the most likely to benefit from using a Pavise and anyone likely to come under missile fire too – no matter what their armament. The problem is that the benefit of protection may be out weighed (literally) by the difficulty in using most weapons while carrying a pavise. Logic (and most contemporary illustrations) tells us that long spears/pikes are likely to be the only non missile weapon that would use them.

I suspect you may be correct for the larger pavises that can be placed on the ground, and stand on their own.

I've also seen the fairly large, oval shields the Italians used, with mention of polearms being used with them. Again, some wonder how they'd use, wear those in battle with them, but they do appear to have two straps on them to permit wearing on the arm, thus freeing the second hand to help hold a long weapon, which might work somewhat, but I suspect might be a bit unwieldy too.

My guess is they're probably more likely to use either single-handed swords with them, or shorter "polearms", like warhammers, axes, maces, and similar weapons, with handles anywhere from 30" – 48" long, instead of the really long "polearms". That's pure conjecture on my part, but I think it is reasonable, as another option to using spears and other weapons with them.

Crossbow with pavises could possibly be characterized as Bow(X), though that is usually thought of as a mixed unit of bowmen behind a line of spearmen.

This reenactor site has pictures showing the use of pole arms and spears with large and small shields:

famaleonis.com

Some late medieval Italian armies used massive pavises that would set down to form a literal wall. And this was apparently an economy to supply protection in the place of more expensive complete armor.

Psiloi could also shoot from behind a line of spear/pike, so not always used as skirmishers….

Most depictions I've seen of Renaissance era Italian pavisieri, they have an oval or large round shield and a spear.

The DBA troops listed as Pavisers (at least in the French HYW list) are spear armed troops with large rectangular shields. The Perry Brother figure sets have both the shields and spear arms needed to recreate them.

Double depth Bow elements generally have a line of Pavise spearmen and and a second row of crossbowmen.

You can also depict late medieval crossbow elements as having pavises.

TomT

14th century Italian spear armed pavisiers at the Victory of the Sienese Troops at Val di Chiana (Sinalunga), Italy, by Lippo Vanni, 1363
Italian Infantrymen, 14th Century in Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 1 by Ian Heath, based on The Battle of Sinalunga

In the Grandes Chroniques de France de Charles V, c.1375-1380 there is:
Spear armed pavisiers in the French army and
The Militia of Paris as spear armed pavisiers
French Pavesier 1358 in Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 1 by Ian Heath

Druzhina
14th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers