What Methods Could The King Use To Recruit Knights Flashcards
Why did so many of the kings recruitment methods work
Military service and prowess was valued by the elite at the time and was respected in the Middle Ages. Along with this the social elite had a strong sense of duty to provide military service
What was a feudal summon ?
Was it ever the standard and what did it create ?
It was issued by the king to all noblemen who received land from the crown. They had to fight for 40 days. They had to bring a certain quota of men to fight as well. It was once the standard of recruiting knights. It created what’s called a feudal army.
Issues with a feudal summon
It was unsatisfactory if the king was to fight a campaign (40 day rule). The number would vary in men. By the 14th century only a less then a sixth would respond to the summon.
What was a general summon
It was issued by the king to all knights to volunteer to fight for him(loyalty). No direct payment. There where two reasons for knights coming forward
1. Strong culture of service and hoped for rewards such as land from the king
2. Financial gains through ransoms or plunder
Issues with general summons
It depended on the likely hood of financial gain. More would come forward for wars against France than against Scotland due to the possibility of more money. A king was never confident in how many would turn up.
An indenture( a contract)
A king could make one with a knight. It would agree that he would provided military service in return for wages by the king. The pay was decent but not enough to be the main motivation to do one. The pay often only covered going on campaign. Equipment and horse would be down to the knight to supply.
Pros and cons of an indenture
Pros : the king knew who would turn up, the king could have more control over the type of troops recruited such as a mounted archer.
Cons: contracts where expensive as the king had to pay them for service. Required large scale government bureaucracy to write up and store the document and payments meaning it was only possible on a large scale from the 14th century onward.
