PSA: I found out most historical fiction gets battle formations totally wrong

I was reading this book on medieval warfare last week at my local library in Dayton, and I stumbled on a detail that blew my mind. Turns out, a lot of novelists describe armies forming up in neat rows like they're at a parade, but real medieval battles were way messier. The book said troops often clumped together in chaotic blobs, not lines, because soldiers stuck with people they knew. I checked about 5 of my favorite historical novels after that, and sure enough, they all had these clean formations that just didn't match the historical accounts. It makes me wonder if authors are just copying each other instead of digging into real sources. Has anyone else stumbled on a historical fact that made you rethink a whole genre?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina1mo ago

Shield walls literally required neat rows to work though.

derekjenkins1mo ago

Nodded along reading this. Historical fiction often picks style over messy reality.

lindaowens13h ago

Messy reality is overrated in writing, neat rows of soldiers actually worked well for shield walls in real battles. People forget ancient armies drilled for hours to maintain those formations because they kept everyone alive. The chaos we romanticize would have just gotten you killed fast.