32 MILITARY SCIENCES. 



which the holding of a fee imposed the duty of war service on the lord, just 

 as formerly the possession of real estate had imposed the army-bann service. 

 As, however, the number of feuds diminished with their increased extent, 

 so the number of soldiers became naturally smaller, and instead of foot 

 the greater proportion were horsemen or knights. The fee service v/as 

 now the principal, and the war of the empire affected the vassal only 

 mediately, through his liege lord. The general obligation to service 

 remained properly the same, but much modified, according as the subject 

 was a liege-lord, or possessed a freehold, a feehold, a sockage, or no estate 

 at all, according as he was mediately or immediately dependent on the 

 empire ; and even here all sorts of modifications were introduced by contract 

 and relation. The feudal system had the efl?ect withal of removing the 

 mass of the people from war service and creating a warrior class. The 

 number of soldiers, however, was small, the duration of service short, and 

 thus wars could not become either national struggles or wars of conquest, 

 but were confined really to short feuds. The feudatories must, in general, 

 serve the empire six weeks at their own cost, or, on the coronation proces- 

 sions of the newly-appointed kings to Rome, until he was crowned by the 

 pope. Many sought to free themselves from this service, and sent substi- 

 tutes, or money to procure such. Thus arose the paid service. 



All mercenaries were taken merely for the time of actual war, and dis- 

 banded so soon as that was ended ; in the Byzantine kingdom alone do we 

 find traces of a standing army. With respect to the maintenance of the 

 troops, in the times preceding the reign of the Emperor Maximilian, all 

 accurate information is wanting. When a somewhat regular allowance 

 found place, one and a half pounds of bread, a portion of wine, and meat 

 three times a week, were given, besides cheese, beans, and other pulse, 

 alternately. 



In the earliest times, the commander-in-chief was chosen in the field by 

 the elders of the people, in free election ; and after the choice had been 

 announced to and accepted by him, he was clad in all the insignia of his 

 rank, and elevated upon a shield in the presence of the people, whose weal 

 he was to defend, and of the army, whose chief he was to be {pi. 14:, fig. 2). 

 Afterwards, when, instead of the army-bann, the host was composed of 

 lords with their vassals, the feudal superior was commander-in-chief, and 

 his vassals, the great feudatories, became his subordinates and council of 

 war ; the oflicers, if we may admit such a position here, were chosen by 

 each subordinate for himself; and there were, of course, as many of them 

 as there were separate followings among the vassalage of each, so that no 

 such thing as a regular organization of the army was to be thought of. 

 Where there were mercenaries, a captain had the immediate command, 

 and designated those who should command under him. That under such 

 circumstances no particular tactic or art of war was practicable, is 

 evident enough. Of great strategic plans for a whole campaign, of divid- 

 ing or cutting off*, etc., of whole corps, of skilful marches, we find in the 

 military history of the middle ages scarcely any trace. In general the 

 two parties assailed each other hotly ; the brevity of the fee-service and 

 508 



