I am interested in the logistics of pre-industrial armies, especially the 13th and 14th century in europe.
How many farmes would be roughly needed to support a knight?
I have heard the following numbers (without source), are they remotely accurate and verifiable?
The answer is of course dependant on farming and weapon technology, but how much do those numbers vary over the iron age?
I always thought (larger) militias and/or conscript armies were not used because of cultural reason (it is the noble's / lord's duty to protect the peassants) and organisational problems, but was recently told that arming farmers would do no good anyway. I would be very happy if someone could enlighten me about the topic.
While this doesn't directly answer your question, I think this post about Uzege region, in Gard in medieval France puts together a really interesting picture of the medieval economy and demographics.