Elephants in battle

A war elephant was a military elephant that had been trained and guided by humans. The main purpose of the war elephant was to assault the enemy, break their ranks, and terrorise and terrify them. Elephantry refers to military formations that use elephants to transport troops. [1]

In antiquity, war elephants played a crucial role in a number of significant wars, particularly in Ancient India. While they were only used on a limited and irregular basis in ancient China, they were a permanent staple in the armies of historical Southeast Asian kingdoms. They were also used in ancient Persia and the Mediterranean globe by Macedonian troops, Hellenistic Greek nations, the Roman Republic and later Empire, and Carthage in North Africa during classical antiquity. Throughout the Middle Ages, they had a strong presence on the battlefield in several areas. However, when rifles and other gunpowder weapons became more common in early modern combat, their use declined. Following this, war elephants were limited to non-combat engineering and labour jobs, as well as modest ceremonial functions. However, they were still used in battle in several places of the world, like as Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam, well into the nineteenth century.

A mahout is an elephant trainer, rider, or caretaker. [2] Mahouts were in charge of catching and caring for elephants. Metal chains and a specialised hook known as an ankus, or 'elephant goad,' are used to do this. According to Chanakya's account in the Arthashastra, the mahout must first train the elephant to follow him. [3] The elephant would have learned to lift its legs to assist a rider in boarding. The elephants were then taught to run, manoeuvre past obstacles, and move in a line. [3] These elephants would be well-suited to learning how to stomp and charge foes in a disciplined manner.

The Asian elephant was the first elephant species to be domesticated for agricultural purposes. Elephant taming – not full domestication, as elephants are still trapped in the wild rather than bred in captivity – could have started in one of three locations. The earliest evidence dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished circa 2000 BC. [4] The existence of wild elephants in the Yellow River region during the Shang dynasty (1600–1100 BC) may indicate that they employed elephants in combat. [5] Because of deforestation and human population increase, wild elephant populations in Mesopotamia and China decreased rapidly: Mesopotamian elephants were extinct by c. 850 BC, and Chinese elephants were severely reduced in numbers and relegated to locations well south of the Yellow River by c. 500 BC.

Capturing elephants in the wild remained a challenging task, but one that was vital given the difficulties of rearing elephants in captivity and the long time it takes for an elephant to mature enough to fight. Sixty-year-old war elephants were always esteemed as the best age for fighting service, and presents of elephants of this age were considered especially generous. [6] Elephants between the ages of 25 and 40 are believed to be in their prime and at the peak of their power today, although elephants as old as 80 are utilised in tiger hunts because they are more disciplined and experienced. [7]

It is widely assumed that all war elephants were male because males are more aggressive, but this is not the case; female elephants will flee from a man in fight, hence only male elephants could be employed in battle, whilst female elephants were more commonly utilised for logistics. [8]

Although the exact date of the beginning of elephant warfare is unknown, it is usually assumed to have occurred in ancient India. The use of elephants in war was not extensively specified in the early Vedic period. The monarch of Gods and primary Vedic deity Indra, on the other hand, is pictured in the Ramayana as riding either Airavata, a mythological elephant, or Uchchaihshravas, the heavenly horse. By the 6th century BC, elephants were commonly used in battle throughout the later Vedic period. [7] The expansion of the Vedic Kingdoms into the Indo-Gangetic Plain correlates with the greater conscription of elephants in India's military history, implying its introduction during the interim period. [9] In the 6th or 5th century BC, riding elephants in peace and conflict was widespread among Aryans and non-Aryans, kings and commoners alike. [7] This practise is thought to date back considerably further than written history.

Elephant fighting is depicted in detail in the ancient Indian epics Ramayana and Mahbhrata, which date from the 5th–4th centuries BC[10]. They are widely acknowledged as an important part of royal and military processions. The army in ancient India was initially fourfold (chaturanga), including infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots. The most royal mode of transportation for kings and princes was chariots, which were regarded the most royal, although elephants were rarely used. [6] Elephants were the favourite vehicle of warriors, especially the elite ones, despite the fact that they were seen as secondary to chariots by royalty. While the chariots eventually became obsolete, the other three arms remained valuable. [11] In the epic Mahbhrata, many characters were instructed in the skill. Two men were to duel using the same weapon and mount, including elephants, according to the Kurukshetra War's rules of engagement. The akshauhini battle formation in the Mahabharata consists of 1 chariot, 1 elephant, 3 cavalry, and 5 infantry men. Many characters in the Mahabharata are regarded as experts in elephant combat, such as Duryodhana, who rides an elephant into battle to raise the Kaurava army's morale. Elephants are assigned to their correct place in the organisation of an army in scriptures such as the Nikya and Vinaya Pitaka. [6] The Gautama Buddha was also visited by a 'hatthroho gmai,' according to the Samyutta Nikaya. He is the leader of a tiny community whose members are all mercenary troops who form an elephant corp. [6]

The elephant was highly esteemed by ancient Indian kings, with some claiming that an army without elephants was as vile as a jungle without a lion, a kingdom without a king, or heroism without weapons. [12] With the emergence of the Mahajanapadas, elephant use became even more. King Bimbisara (about 543 BC), who started the Magadha kingdom's expansion, depended greatly on his war elephants. Under Mahapadma Nanda's reign, the Mahajanapadas would be subjugated by the Nanda Empire. The Nanda Army in the east was reported to have 200,000 soldiers, 80,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots, and 6,000 war elephants, according to Pliny the Elder and Plutarch. On the banks of the Beas River, Alexander the Great met the Nanda Empire and was forced to retreat due to his army's unwillingness to advance. Even though historical sources inflated the elephants' numbers and prowess, elephants were firmly established as war machines throughout this time.

Chandragupta Maurya (321–297 BC) founded the Maurya Empire, South Asia's biggest empire. Chandragupta commanded a military of 600,000 soldiers, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots, and 9,000 war elephants, as well as supporters and attendants, during the height of his authority.

Six boards comprised the Mauryan Empire's 30-member war office. Gajadhyaksha led the sixth board, which was in charge of the elephants. The gajadhyaksha was the elephant supervisor, and his qualifications were impressive. Elephants were used throughout the Maurya Empire, according to Chanakya's Arthashastra. According to Chanakya, one of the most essential talents taught in military colleges was collecting, training, and managing war elephants. [3] He recommended Chandragupta to establish woodland sanctuaries for the elephants' well-being. The significance of these sanctuaries was explicitly expressed by Chanakya. The Maurya Empire would reach its pinnacle during the reign of Ashoka, who made considerable use of elephants in his conquests. Kalinga maintained a standing army of 60,000 infantry, 1000 cavalry, and 700 war elephants during the Kalinga War. Kalinga was known for the high quality of its war elephants, which were sought by its neighbours for their superior strength. [13] According to the Hathigumpha inscriptions, or "Elephant Cave" Inscriptions, King Kharavela would later restore an independent Kalinga into a great kingdom by using battle elephants.

According to Indian stories, foreign monarchs would deploy elephants as well.

The Cholas of Tamil Nadu possessed a formidable elephant force as well. Rajendra Chola, the Chola ruler, had an armoured elephant force that played a significant role in his conquests.

Eastern Asia

A small number of southern dynasties used elephants in warfare in China. In 506 BC, the state of Chu attempted to utilise elephants against Wu by tying torches to their tails and sending them into the enemy's ranks, but the plan failed. The Liang dynasty utilised armoured war elephants carrying towers against Western Wei in December 554 AD. A barrage of arrows decimated them. The Southern Han dynasty is the only Chinese state to have maintained a regular army of war elephants.

These elephants were capable of carrying a ten-person tower on their backs. During the Han invasion of Ma Chu in 948, they were successfully employed. The Song dynasty attacked Southern Han in 970, and their crossbowmen easily routed the Han elephants during the capture of Shao on January 23, 971. Although the Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620) kept a herd of elephants capable of carrying a tower and eight men, which he presented to his guests in 1598, that was the last time elephants were used in Chinese warfare.

These elephants were most likely not indigenous to China and were brought to the Ming period by Southeast Asian countries like Siam. [16] [a complete reference is required] The rebels deployed elephants against the Qing dynasty during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, but the Qing Bannermen shot them with so many arrows that they "resembled porcupines" and repelled the elephant attack. [17]

The elephants assaulted the soldiers of the first column. Lieutenant Ulehi of the Manchu-Mongol cavalry and Major-general of the Guards, Walda of the Yellow Banner, were seized with their flags. The arrows discharged by all of my troops [into the elephants' skins] looked like porcupine quills as the elephants closed in on the encircled soldiers of the second column. The elephants bolted for the hills, but I was startled and experienced an odd sensation. The rebels withdrew from the plains and broke into groups to seek refuge in the mountain's dense forest. [18]

— Dzengseo

During the Sui–Lâm p War (605), the L–Song War (1075–1077), the Ming–Mong Mao War (1386–1388), and the Ming–H War (1406–1407), Chinese forces fought war elephants in Southeast Asia. The Champa kingdom of Lâm p in what is now southern Vietnam utilised elephants to repel the Sui dynasty's invading army in 605. The Sui army built pits and lured elephants into them, where they were shot with crossbows, forcing the elephants to turn around and trample their own army. [19] During the L–Song War in 1075, the Song defeated elephants stationed on the frontiers of I Vit. The Song forces slashed the elephants' trunks with scythed polearms, leading them to trample their own troops. [20] The elephants were routed by a variety of gunpowder missiles during the Mong Mao campaign. [21] To scare the elephants away from the H dynasty, Ming warriors wore lion masks on their horses and shot them with weapons. [22] The elephants all trembled in dread and were wounded by the gun arrows, which panicked the Vietnamese troops. [23]