We are all aware of the trope of High Medieval armies being made in, in bulk, of farmers and masons with spears and low quality armour, but how accurate is that? How much of a feudal army would knights comprise? Searjeants? Town and city militia, professional mercenaries, and the aforementioned farmers and masons, how many of them would be typical in a feudal host?
For accuracy I'm speaking about the period between 1000 AD and 1320 AD in western Europe.
Well, the period you're referring to saw some fairly dramatic changes, but there are enough similarities that we can speak at least a little in general terms. Instead of getting into the more complex questions, I'll try and do my best with the question of conscripted peasants.
Yes, there was a system somewhat analogous to conscription in place, but it was a short term system, and is better called the levy.
In France during the early part of the period in question, the general levy (arriere-ban) still existed. This was a leftover from the Frankish period, wherein every free man could be summoned to the colors. In practice, this was almost never used, and French warfare was heavily dependent on knights, mercenaries, and somewhat less so urban militias.
In Anglo-Saxon England at the beginning of the period, the fyrd served something of the same purpose as the arriere-ban. Men of a certain level of wealth, ranging from the upper peasantry to the lower aristocracy (thegns) were obligated to maintain arms and equipment and were liable to be called up for military service to supplement the small royal standing army of housecarls. A modified version of the fyrd remained in place after the Norman conquest, again, drawing from the upper peasantry. The English, having many fewer knights than the French, were out of necessity more dependent on these levies. Henry III even went so far as to specify what type of equipment men of a certain prosperity were required to keep.
The point I am coming to is that no High Medieval state made a practice of conscripting serfs. Peasants were levied into the army, but they were not untrained rabble, but the closest thing to a rural middle class as existed at the time. They would have had, at a minimum, shields and spears and some knowledge in their use.
As mentioned the levy and fyrd was common. It should be noted that some armies were comprised of all warriors. For example, the Danish raider armies were mostly warriors as it makes little sense to bring peasants on your warships when one goes Viking.
much info about norman and germanic traditions!
anyone got any about systems in say, the middle east, russia or the far east?