While doing a little research the other day, I came across what I think is a very cool site, the MEDIEVAL ENGLAND SOLDIER DATABASE. Now, while many of us aren’t lucky enough to be be able to track back our family histories this far (1300’s, 1400’s), this site can still be quite engaging!
It is made up of two sections: the DATABASE and the SOLDIER OF THE MONTH.

The DATABASE is searchable by First Name, Surname, Status, Military Rank, Captain Name, Commander, Year and Activity.

This is a result of a search of the First Name CHARLES:

FIRST NAME: Charles

LAST NAME: Middleton

STATUS: Esquire

RANK: Man-At-Arms

CAPTAIN NAME: Duke Humphrey of Gloucester

COMMANDER: Henry V

YEAR: 1415 (sick)

NATURE OF ACTIVITY: Exped France

A quick google search of the results can tell you a lot about the life Charles Middleton lived. As evidenced above, Charles was a gentleman (Esquire) and a professional soldier (Man-At-Arms) who served in France under Henry V’s brother. He probably engaged in the Hundred Years’ War, maybe in the Battle of Agincourt (before or after he got sick?). You can examine further the everyday life he may have lived at sites like:

• Delights of Life in Fifteenth-Century England:
• Dining in State: A High Cuisine Guide
• Ancient & Medieval Falconry: Origins & Functions in Medieval England
• Modesty to Majesty: The Development of the Codpiece
• The Use of Power and Influence by a Medieval Woman
• Medieval England - Medieval towns
• The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies (Religion in 15c England)
• Medieval Architecture, Knightly Life, and Medieval Society
• Liverpool museums - Church Life and Religious Belief in 15th century Cologne
• BBC - History - Middle Ages

The SOLDIER OF THE MONTH feature offers:

“sketches of the careers in arms of interesting soldiers, drawing on the evidence provided by the online database. The site’s team will contribute their own favourites to these soldier profiles, focusing on combatants taken from across a broad spectrum of the military community, from the foremost duke to the lowliest archer. We would also like to invite contributions from the wider academic and public audience. All that we ask is that your mini-biographies draw upon the project database as well as using other sources. We also welcome submission on groups of soldiers, connected by a common theme. We will give a prize to the best contribution from a non-team member.” (as posted on medievalsoldier.org).

June’s Soldier of the Month “focuses upon the interlinked careers of three knights, Sir John Calveley, Sir Richard Vernon and Sir Hugh Browe, who all met their end on opposing sides at the Battle of Shrewsbury 1403.”

If I’d love to see what kind of profiles/mini-bio’s you guys can come up with. Again, if you have a go at it and you send it to me, I’ll post it here to share!