4 Misconceptions about Medieval Shield Walls in Movies

Medieval Shield walls have become a favorite of today’s moviemakers. But if you take a closer look, it’s clear that the historical shield wall has little to do with the heroic, spectacular, and often acrobatic mess we see in films  In reality, fighting in a shield wall was unspectacular brutal soldiering. However, in film, battles are an occasion for a hero to prove himself. Such scenes are climactic and popular media is often much more interested in good drama than in historical authenticity. Nevertheless, the medieval shield wall is a controversial topic not only among history buffs but also among historians. Still, there are some things that can be said about the historical shield wall with a fair degree of certainty - and thus some aspects of pop media depictions can be identified as myths. In this video, we’re going to tackle four common misconceptions about medieval shield walls.