The Lecture: 1st Quarter 2020

At the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, a then 16-year-old prince Henry took an arrow to the face that plunged 6 inches into his head. In a feat of surgical expertise, John Bradmore successfully removed the arrow and treated the young prince who became one of the most celebrated martial kings in English history. Forever marked by scars of the nearly fatal wound, King Henry’s body on the battlefield at Agincourt in 1415 was a visible testament to the intimate connection between weapons and wounds as well as the benefits of skilled surgical intervention. The first quarterly Oakeshott Lecture of 2020 surveys the intersection of medieval weapons, wounds, and surgery, using pieces from the Oakeshott collection, historical surgical treatises, and examples of forensic archeology from sites like Towton Moor and Wisby to show the deadly consequences of presence on the premodern battlefield. 

We talk often about the sword ‘in hand’, but less about the sword ‘to’ hand…or head, or torso. The wounded body is as much a part of medieval military history as the knight, the archer, or the man-at-arms. It illustrates the lasting effects of martial activities and opens the narrative on the cycle of health, wellness, and violence that are inseparable from combat. For the stories of the men and women who participated in premodern combat—and the acts of recovery from it—Oakeshott fellows Amanda Taylor, PhD, and Alexander Greff present the first quarter Oakeshott Lecture of 2020.

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