How far can a medieval army march in a day?

What people consider bush craft and survival skills today would be common knowledge for people during the medieval period, and surviving a long journey would require more than just the ability to walk. In a time before the engine and tinned food, everything not only had to be carried but also had to be in the most compact and efficient form possible. A soldier in an army would be expected to carry all his own food, with perhaps some extra grain being pulled in a waggon if they were lucky. With all this equipment and supplies, how far could someone in a medieval army march in a single day?

The short answer – about 20 miles

By the beginning of the medieval period, which is commonly recognized as starting in Britain in 1066 with the arrival of William the conqueror, there was already a large network of roads established around the country, mostly thanks to the Romans. An army would be expected to march for no less than 8 hours per day, and would usually average no more than 3 mph. This would give a total of 24 miles each day, but it wasn’t quite as simple as that.

On a properly made road that was firm and flat enough for the supply waggons, it would be possible to make 30 miles in a day, but this was rarely the case as such roads would often run over hills and get covered in mud.

The main factor to an armies travel speed were the animals, which required significantly more food than the troops did. A horse can easily eat 5 kg of grain a day which takes up a huge amount of room on the waggons, especially if cavalry is in the army. To get round this the animals can be grazed on the local land but this takes a long time for them to get their fill, and it’s not something they can do on the move. Even if enough horses were present to carry everything the troops needed, the army still couldn’t march for more than 8 hours as the animals would need to graze.

During the 1800s, the British army would march at a steady speed of 2 mph for 10 hours a day, but this slow overall speed would compensate for a few rests and food would be brought for the animals to remove the need to graze them.

Even though the average is 20 miles a day, there are many factors that can massively change this. The landscape would obviously be the biggest factor, as a mountain range would be much slower to pass than a flat paved road, but two other important factors would be supplies and desperation. If the supplies and equipment could be taken by ship or well supplied animals, then it would be realistic to make closer to 30 miles a day, and much less if they aren’t.

(This water wagon would have been similar to the ones used during the medieval period. When you’re moving an army of thousands of people, hundreds of wagons like this would be needed)

The fastest army of all time

Certain forces throughout history have covered some impressive distances when they’ve had to, but the title for fastest moving army by foot has to go to the Zulus. In the late 1800s, various colonial forces from Europe invaded Zulu territory and encountered an enemy unlike any other they had faced. One of the scariest things about this enemy is how fast they were, with the British only managing to cover 20 miles a day at the most in the hot desert sun and barren landscape, but the Zulus could travel up to 50 miles in a single day.

This would require jogging at 5 mph for 10 hours straight, which may seem impossible to most but not for the Zulus. One of the other things the British found strange about their speed was the fact they carried very little while doing it. There were no waggons, no backpacks, no large supply sacks, just warriors with a spear, shield and a couple of pouches round their waste. The Zulus would hunt along the way and were also used to travelling on little food, but growing up in such conditions means it affects them much less than an invading force.

(The Zulu tribe still exists to this day, with over 1 million people in various southern African countries registered on the last census as Zulu)

Average marching distances for armies throughout history

US Army
Modern army doctrine states an average speed of 2.5 mph along roads and 1 mph across the countryside. A normal days march would aim for 20 miles in a day, no matter how long it took.

Roman Army
An ordinary days march would aim to be no less than 15 miles a day done in a 7-hour period. Less time was taken for marching when compared to other armies as the Romans would always build a marching camp when they stopped for the night, which was a small wooden palisade fort.

British 1700s infantry
At least 15 and preferably 20 miles would be the expected distance for an army to march, with a full day rest once a week and no more than every 5 days.

Napoleons army (early 1800s)
Napoleon was a very strict and demanding leader who expected his troops to cover 30 miles in a single day. This was due more to strict leadership and desperation instead of just really fit troops, as necessity demanded his army be faster than his opponents.

The Zulus (1800s)
Zulu warriors have spent most of their lives having to run long distances due to the barren landscape of their homeland. Everything they need if often a long way from their home and running is the most effective way to save time. Growing up this way combined with being used to going without food on a regular basis means the Zulus are able to move very fast while carrying very little. In a single day it would be possible to move 50 miles, but this would require the whole of the next day to rest and hunt.