A new online database containing 205,000 service records of soldiers who fought in the Hundred Years War between 1369 and 1453 is now available to search free on the Forces War Records website.
Many families have ancestors who fought bloody battles with swords and bows and arrows, serving in the British military under Henry V or fighting in the Hundred Years War, yet to date it has been difficult to find information to support this. The new Medieval Soldier Database which has gone live on the Forces War Records website is offering free searches of an extensive database which includes muster roll evidence showing which Lord each soldier worked for, as well as full profiles of individual soldiers, organised by name, surname, rank and date of record, and all types of soldier profiles, from a royal duke to a peasant archer.
Of interest to the discerning family historian, these records are presented in an easy searchable format, and provide a great resource for tracing family military ancestry back to 1350. Uniquely, these medieval war records also match relevant battles and campaigns to each solider where applicable.
Prior to the arrival of the printing press in the 1440’s, spelling was not standardised and names often appeared in either Latin, the Church’s main language, or French which the Royal Court used. The Medieval Soldier Database allows for alternate spellings of surnames to broaden the search possibilities.
Forces War Records holds the most extensive database of British Armed Forces who either died in battle or are still alive today. Search military records by name and unit, and find out more about military genealogy on the Forces War Records website.
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