In the period in question, there were four basic types of soldiers: mercenaries, regulars, militiamen, and reservists.

Mercenaries were professional soldiers who were bound to a particular employer by short term contracts. When these contracts expired, they were free to seek employment elsewhere. Likewise, their employers were free to let them go. Thus, when a particular war ended, mercenaries had to look for new employment. If they weren't able to find it, they often turned to banditry, extortion, and the like.

Regulars were professional soldiers who were bound to particular employers for long periods of time. They served in both war and peace, spending some of the latter in various forms of training. Regular soldiers of modest rank - those who were not officers - would often augment their wages by doing civilian work of various sorts. The governments that they served liked this, for it not only kept them out of trouble, but also made it possible to pay them less.

Militiamen were part-time soldiers who defended their home cities or provinces. When war came to their locality, they took up arms in its defense. When the fighting was over, they resumed their civilian lives.

Reservists did not exist until the nineteenth century. These were regular soldiers who, after finishing a term of service, remained liable to recall in the event of war. Like militiamen, reservists returned to civilian life soon after the end of hostilities.