Medieval Infantry

When people think about Medieval Warfare, what comes to mind first are Knights as well as Men at Arms, and fair's fair they were important and would be honed to a fine edge. However they were only part of the equation. Here's a rough guide to Medieval Infantry.

Note

This is a fairly big complex thing with a lot of local details and variation, since it covers a lot cultures in Europe between roughly 500 to 1500 this is going to be simplifying a lot of history down to recurring ideas in a situation where there would be a lot of internal variation. Just keep that in mind.

Levies

Conscripted Peasants put under arms. A medieval lord could raise a levy in times of war, gathering up young men from the farms working his lands as part of their feudal obligations. Usually they'd be given at least a helmet and a basic weapon and possibly some armour like a padded vest or some ancient mail and some insignia to mark themselves out, but bringing your own stuff was highly encouraged. They'd get a bit of training and would then be sent off to war and if things went well, they'd go back to their fields with a bit of loot. Possibly they might be taken on as an Sergeant if they did really well.

The advantage of this system is that it was fairly cheap and simple to set up. Of course it had big disadvantages. First of all, a force of farmers with minimal training and basic equipment is not a formidable force. Even if you have a lot of them there are a bunch of records of knights routeing larger formations of peasant infantry and it's not hard to see why. Between the armor and the horse a knight is terrifying to face on foot. When a whole formation of knights charges the ground it self shakes and for a peasant who rather not even be there that make as good a time as any to leg it. Second a peasant under arms is not one tending the crops and paying rent, especially if he ends up dead. This limits when you can raise a levy (IE not during sowing or harvesting), how long you can keep it under arms and how many of these guys you recruit. Levies were common in the Dark Age but they became less important into the High Middle Ages. It was not until the middle ages fully ended that levies became important again as nations finally became organized enough (Again) to raise large levy forces and also equip them and train them.

In terms of armament, they'd most commonly be armed with polearms, typically a spear, and a wooden shield. Besides being easy to use and easy to train with, especially in dense formations, they're also cost-effective. A hastily raised army of levies that can form a shield wall can be surprisingly effective bulwark against an invasion if used correctly; especially of used defensively with fortifications. But if routed, they’ll be as vulnerable as fish in a barrel. You might also be able to raise forces of archers as well as most Peasants would probably have a bow already to help put food on the table. Axes or other heavy weapons are also good as they need a minimal of training to be functional.

Urban Militias

Similar to levies, but in towns and cities. Also often better equipped as cities were usually richer per-capita. Still not the best trained and equipped force you can get as seen at the Battle of Visby; where the Danish king’s professional army all but annihilated the city’s militia. Excavations of the mass graves there (oddly well preserved and not looted due to the sheer number of dead as well as the heat risking decay when they just died), showed equipment varied from simple mail and polearms to brigandine and battle axes.

Yeoman

Unlike serfs or tenants, yeomen owned a plot of land as their own. This meant they had more income than Paul the Peasant but they were also required to use some of that money to buy gear and serve as soldiers.

In some countries, Yeoman as professional soldiers are also specialists in a particular area of war; England was famed for its Yeoman archers, as they trained relentlessly to be the best archers in all of Europe.

Sergeants

Full time common-born warriors retained by a noble. A lordling will find a big strong guy from his peasants and tell him that he has a job for him. He gets more training than a levy does, a regular wage and room and board as well as better arms and armour. In peace, having a big strong dude who's good in a fight and owes everything to you is a good asset to have to collect taxes, guard gates, provide general security, handle criminals, etc, and he can train up levies in times of war. In times of war, these guys can be your heavy infantry. They’re the first step below professional soldiers in standing armies.

And yes, the modern NCO rank is named after them.

Mercenaries

Professional hired muscle. These guys are the highest quality soldiers you can find without having to maintain permanent standing armies. However, while they are well trained and well armed, they’re ultimately loyal to whoever can pay them the most unless they’re from a culture where honor and reputation are sacrosanct. Expect to spend a lot of time negotiating contracts and terms. And pray once the contract expires that they don’t get hired by your rivals. Or that they don't pillage your city if you can't pay for them anymore. Mercenaries can come from any number of countries and vary wildly in composition. They may also possess skills that the employing military lacks, such as archers or cavalry, to make up for gaps in their unit composition.

Men-at-Arms

Full time professional soldiers, what we normally think of as Knights but could be a mercenary instead. Basically all Knights were expected to serve as Men-at-Arms if they were able, but not all Men-at-Arms were Knights. Besides paying for their own equipment, they'll also raise retainers to form a lance of troops that join the company. Men-at-Arms evolved over time from heavy cavalry to heavy infantry; the former using lances as their main weapon, and the latter switching to some heavy two-handed weapon such as a Pollaxe when full-plate armor allows one to ditch a shield. Can either be feudal lords with their own lands, an attache in the service of one, or a professional under the employment of the royal guard.

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