Shire levy

A shire levy was a means of military recruitment in medieval England. As opposed to a levy of noble families, a shire levy was effected within a geographical administrative area (a shire), entailing the mobilisation of able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 within the shire for military duty.[1] Shire levies were especially important for England during the Hundred Years' War, when the escalation in warfare with France increased the need for soldiers: "the king was able to rely on the military support of the nobility and of the shire levies." [2]

References
  1. "Definition". NetSERF (from "Medieval Warfare" by Terence Wise).
  2. Curry, Anne. The Hundred Years' War, 1337-1453, p. 23. ISBN 1-84176-269-5

See also
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.