Hundred Kingdoms: Men-at-Arms

‘Over time and with the prosperity of the Hundred Kingdoms, the traditional feudal military service was gradually abandoned. Sergeants were tied to their lands and the growing military needs of the empire could no longer be met by men who could not travel or establish long-term garrisons, as they had to tend their fields. Scutage, payment to the lord in lieu of military service, became the norm and professional soldiers fighting for money soon emerged to fill the void. The old landed gentry sought to differentiate themselves from these new arrivals and coined the term men-at-arms.

Freed from the need to work and protect their lands, men-at-arms were able to devote themselves exclusively to their martial activities, which allowed them to go on extended campaigns and travel in search of employment, ensuring that sufficiently trained men were available to any commander with the funds to provide their services. Ranging from motley mercenary companies to the well-trained and well-drilled domestic forces of the great noble houses, constant war eliminates the incompetent and the deceitful, making men-at-arms the backbone of the Hundred Kingdoms‘ war machine.’