Forms of military service in the Middle Ages

Introduction

When a ruler decided to muster his army, three different types of troops were distinguished by their mode of recruitment. These were the vassals and all those bound to feudal service; those persons obliged to take up arms in the case of a general levy or obligatory service; and volunteers, foreign or domestic, engaged by contract. Therefore, these armies were very varied in both their mode of recruitment and in the geographical and social origins of those who served in them. To understand better the variation, we must consider in turn the forms of military service and the different types of contract in use at the time. This approach is not as simple as it might seem. The forms of military service in the Middle Ages were varied and are still poorly defined. Although the majority of general works on medieval institutions make a clear distinction between the ost and the chevauchée, the definitions that they offer are often simplistic, even erroneous. Poor comprehension of the context or the sense of certain words has led to some misunderstandings. The specialised studies bearing on this theme are to be treated with caution, as the diversity of customs is such that the precise sense of the words varies from region to region. For the county of Flanders, there is the excellent work of Verbruggen. As this was a neighbouring principality to Brabant, I shall review the conclusions of this study:

The chevauchée originally signified a military obligation only for the vassals. Later, this service would be extended to include all the subjects of the ruler. It was a military expedition of small importance and of short duration, requiring the services of a small number of combatants.