Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Calais and its Garrison in Context
- 2 The Burgundian Siege of 1436
- 3 The Organisation of the Garrison
- 4 The Nature of Military Service in the Pale
- 5 Chivalry and Professionalism in the Calais Garrison
- 6 Weaponry and Fortifications in Calais
- 7 Financing and Supplying the Garrison
- 8 The Fall of Calais in 1558
- 9 Conclusion: War and Military Service in England 1436–1558
- Bibliography
- Index
- Warfare in History
4 - The Nature of Military Service in the Pale
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Calais and its Garrison in Context
- 2 The Burgundian Siege of 1436
- 3 The Organisation of the Garrison
- 4 The Nature of Military Service in the Pale
- 5 Chivalry and Professionalism in the Calais Garrison
- 6 Weaponry and Fortifications in Calais
- 7 Financing and Supplying the Garrison
- 8 The Fall of Calais in 1558
- 9 Conclusion: War and Military Service in England 1436–1558
- Bibliography
- Index
- Warfare in History
Summary
Who served in the Calais garrison and how and where were they recruited? Military service before the advent of the professional army and the emergence of an ethos of service to the nation state is usually discussed in terms of the balancing of obligations and rewards. Indeed, in the Middle Ages the relationship between the king and his subjects was defined by reciprocity. First, in England every able-bodied man had the obligation to serve the king in the defence of the realm, an obligation set down in the terms of the Statute of Winchester in 1285. Second, the feudal system, whereby land was held either by explicit military service or by the implicit assumption that tenants would attend upon their lord in war, created a set of relationships that could be adapted to serve the demands of war. Military service also led to reward: either directly through the payment of wages or by the capture of prisoners for ransom or booty, or indirectly by allowing access to patronage networks which could result in the granting of fees, lands and offices by grateful kings or lords. In return the prince promised to defend the realm and ensure the provision of justice to his subjects. This reciprocal system of obligation and reward was apparent in determining who served in the Calais garrison as elsewhere across the spectrum of military service. In this chapter I want, first, to explore the terms by which men served in Calais and, second, how the captains and soldiers were recruited.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Calais GarrisonWar and Military Service in England, 1436–1558, pp. 63 - 91Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2008