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Anglo-Saxon military organization is difficult to analyze because there are many conflicting records and opinions as to the precise occurrences and procedures. Anglo-Saxon England was known for its tumultuous nature and the constant presence of outside threats and dangers made it necessary for a solid military to be constantly in place. However, in spite of this, by the 10th century, the Saxon kingdom of England was, perhaps, the best ordered state in Europe with a highly efficient administration that had a solid currency and could raise taxes to support a military establishment. Even though there is some controversy as to the accurate forms of military organization, some aspects can be deduced from the records that have been preserved. The period can, however, be split into two: before settlement, AD 400 to AD 600; and the settlement period, when the Saxons had established organized kingdoms, AD 600 to AD 1066. ==Military organization in the pre settlement period== The Saxons were organized into warbands led by a chief. The warriors comprising the warband were professional soldiers, though perhaps without the discipline of the Romans. There were three classes of warrior: The ''Gedriht'' were the personal followers of the chief and were sworn to die with him. There would have been few of them in each warband. They would have been well armed and the majority would have worn a helmet and chainmail armour. The main weapon was the ''Gar'', a 2.5 m long spear with an ash shaft (Old English, gar = spear). Many would have carried long slashing swords. The second group were the ''Geoguth'', or young warriors. They would have formed the bulk of the warband and would have carried a shield, spear, and ''Seax'' (a single edged dagger or short sword). Few would have had helmets or defensive armour. The ''Duguth'', or old warriors, appear later in this period. They would have carried the same equipment as the ''geoguth'' and served mainly to provide a stabilising element in battle. In addition, there would have been skirmishers armed with either a bow or sling. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Anglo-Saxon military organization」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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