Medieval Battle Records Go Online

Summary

July 20, 2009: A database has gone online with the names and battle records of more than 250,000 medieval soldiers from the Hundred Years' War - including those who fought with Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt. These records reveal salaries, sickness, and who was knighted.

Source

Bibliography

1. Soldiers' Database

2. Original article

Game and Story Use

• This can add some good background information for campaigns set in the period - especially if the PCs themselves are soldiers.
• Furthermore, it will add verisimilitude if the PCs need to trace the movement of a soldier listed in the records throughout the time. Perhaps he had buried some important treasure or artifact - or he was an evil cultist who has spread seeds of corruption in his path.
  • Gilles de Rais would be a good example of the latter, if you decide to have his occult involvement start earlier.
  • Speaking of which … or at least that sort of thing … discovering the same soldier cropping up at Crecy and Agincourt (for example) might be interesting … especially if he was also, say, at Hastings and Bosworth. The most likely explanation - and the likely excuse for those fond of bland rationalisation would be a family with a tradition of soldiering and a conservative approach to naming their sons. Behind the wainscot, on the other hand, someone could be racking up a great deal of combat experience.