Who would win: a Tyrannosaurus Rex or 50 dismounted late-medieval knights in plate armor?

[Roma_Victrix]

It's a tough one!

So let's say you have a fully grown male Tyrannosaurus Rex versus 50 dismounted late-medieval knights decked out in 15th-century Gothic plate armor and armed with conventional melee weapons of the time, such as poleaxes, war hammers, swords, halberds, etc. However, none of them are armed with crossbows, handguns, cannons, or missile weapons of any kind. Who would win? Even if well coordinated, would they even stand a chance against the rampaging T-Rex? Break it down for us.




I decided to exclude the possibility of mounted knights on barded or well-armored war horses, armed with lances ready for a deadly charge, because I think that would actually be a bit unfair for the T-Rex. The T-Rex would get stabbed and his thick hide penetrated easily by the force of the cavalry charge. Or maybe he would scare the horses off and even eat one or two of them too!

Also, be mindful that a T-Rex doesn't just use it's powerful jaws as a weapon. It can also swing its massive tail to crush and stun its enemies.

[lolIsuck]

Voted for the knights as 50 knights is just too many for the T-Rex, they could swarm him and he'd probably bolt because of sustained injuries after taking out a few knights. His tail is probably his best weapon as his head is of course exposed to strikes when he attacks and facial wounds are very annoying and trigger a drawback reflex or flinch. Also, if he eats a guy in a suit of armour like that he might choke on those footpieces.

[Ngugi]

Wanted to vote for the knights, but considering the scenario I voted on the T-Rex.
This because I think the knights would have hell with their horses, who would not play along with riding straight towards a 3,6m high roaring super predator, crippling the knights capacity to hurt the dinosaur before he, well, cripples them. To death.

[mishkin]

WTF Roma? Putin!!

[Roma_Victrix]

Voted for the knights as 50 knights is just too many for the T-Rex, they could swarm him and he'd probably bolt because of sustained injuries after taking out a few knights. His tail is probably his best weapon as his head is of course exposed to strikes when he attacks and facial wounds are very annoying and trigger a drawback reflex or flinch. Also, if he eats a guy in a suit of armour like that he might choke on those footpieces.

Those sharp spurs wouldn't taste good going down!

Wanted to vote for the knights, but considering the scenario I voted on the T-Rex.
This because I think the knights would have hell with their horses, who would not play along with riding straight towards a 3,6m high roaring super predator, crippling the knights capacity to hurt the dinosaur before he, well, cripples them. To death.

Well now I don't know what to think!

However, notice the disclaimer at the end of my OP, which mentions that they are on foot, not on horseback. Does that change things for you?

WTF Roma? Putin!!

What are you suggesting here? That Vladimir Putin could beat the T-Rex on his own? Or that he is the T-Rex, symbolically?

[Ngugi]

Huh, I read that the end as the horses were simply not barded, not that they weren't there at all. However says dismounted at the beginning which I missed.
Hmm, no, unless enough knights have polearms my money remains on the King, if in the open.
In terrain with much cover and narrow points, perhaps the knights.

[LaMuerte]

T-Rex wins this one easily.

Of the 50 knights, only 40 will be actually present on the battlefield. A few knights will still be on the way, not making haste to reach the battlefield. A few will probably be distracted by more juicy though less honorable targets of opportunities. (T-Rex don't hoard gold, you see?) A few might even throw a hissy fit on discovering there won't be 'une grande charge' and return home, or feel slighted because of some imagined breach of decorum and leave.

As for the battle count on the knights to turn that into a mess. Individuals break ranks even before the battle has started to win that ultimate glory : to slay a T-Rex single handedly, thus reach immortal status and fame, probably even win a sainthood. Easy pickings for a T-Rex. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.

When the rest in the back decide it's time to join the fray it's probably too late. Battlefield will probably be a mess by now, thus impeding movement. By the time the knights get within melee range they will be exhausted. And terribly afraid with all them broken heaps of leftover human on the battlefield. This huge 6-7 ton monster probably has a nasty bite/tale/claws , might even spit and has an unstoppable momemtum once it's on the move. It will be be like a bowling alley. This one will not end well.

I ,as a medieval armchair general, would propose building an enclosure and luring the thing inside. Then weaponize it.

[Sir Adrian]

The knights. The T-Rex's teeth would blunt and break after having to chew through the 40th or so knight and the remaining knights would have an opportunity. Also knights in armor tended to reek after the first hour or so, and t-rex was highly sensible to smell.

[Kyriakos]

It is a difficult question, but not more difficult than: "who would win a fight between a horse-sized duck and ten duck-sized horses?"

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Given the scenario I think that it is anyone's game.

[Diamat]

I think it would be difficult for the T-Rex to protect his legs. His mouth can't really reach there. Just a few cuts into the right nerves could cause him to fall. Once he falls, his fate is sealed.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I'm going with the knights now. If they pelt it with crossbow bolts and stab it in the legs, chest and face with their pole arms the T-Rex wouldn't be able to do much. Poke its eyes out or incapacitate its legs, maybe a good stab in the chest and the thing is screwed.

[Kyriakos]

Well, yes, archers or similar should be used first.

That said, it wouldn't work against the "dysmyriades myriadon" (ie 200 million) mounted demons on giant grasshoppers, in the apocalypse.

The issue is that such things don't impress much anymore, due to nuclear weapons. Even 200 million such freaks would be melted by a nuke. It takes away the magic

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

50 knights, easily. Unlike popular consensus, running and ducking around in plate armour is not hard at all, especially if you've been trained since early childhood. If you have 50 knights charging at once with a longsword (blade length of around 100 cm), that scaly boi will be shish kebabed. There will be casualties, though; I estimate some 20 to 25 percent of the knights will not make it.

[Roma_Victrix]

I'm loving this conversation thus far. For such a dumb thread of mine, there are so many interesting arguments! Serious ones!

And, you know, giant grasshoppers thrown into the mix.

I was leaning towards the knights from the beginning, but I think I've heard enough arguments now to be convinced that they would eventually win, with heavy casualties. A T-Rex is the prime example of a dangerous beast, but when confronted by a team of well-armored men using not only slashing weapons but those with punching power that can pierce iron/steel plate armor (let alone thick animal hides), I don't think the T-Rex would stand much of a chance. It could only swing around and observe so many of them, especially if led by a competent captain who would disperse the 50 men into separate smaller teams with different tasks. Some men would rush from the front to distract the T-Rex while others would quietly flank it from the sides and rear, observing its tail in order to not get smashed by it. The T-Rex could chew a few knights to bits while focusing his energies to his front, but his rear and sides would be greatly exposed, especially since the T-Rex has almost pointless little arms that don't do much for defense.

[Lifthrasir]

On contrary to what many people think, the T-Rex was actually able to use his little arms. He was also able to lift about 5 tons with his jaws, to swin with his head and tail. He was quite agile considering his size and weight and quite smart compare to most of the others dinosaures.
I'm just wondering how the T-Rex would behave against such "little" and numerous preys
If able to act like he did against stronger animals (obviously, he was a real psycho somehow), my vote goes to the T-Rex.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Wouldn't be much different from Alexander at Hydaspes imo.

[Lifthrasir]

Not sure
First, I don't think that a T-Rex behaved like an elephant.
Second, considering the heavy loss of Alexander's army during the battle (Estimation: several thousands infantry men by something like 150-200 elephants and with abstraction of other factors of course), I'm not convinced that 50 knights, even if better equipped and armed than the ancient Greeks, would be sufficient against a 12 tons predator.

[Diamat]

The T-Rex could not even run because his body was so heavy.
https://www.sciencealert.com/running...rus-rex-s-legs

So that means if you cut a little bit on the joint that connects foot to leg, you could easily topple him, especially if he is going crazy and swinging his tail at the same time. He would knock himself off-balance.

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

I would argue that the sarissa is inferior to the longsword or, ideally, the Ahlspiess. Other things to consider are the differences in armour between a hoplite and a knight. I have worn maille over gambeson, and barely felt my brother and dad hitting me with steel rods. Unless grasped between T-rex jaws, or trampled, the damage suffered by a knight would be minimal. IMO.