[Dan Howard]

I was wondering whether we could collect here as many different sources that give us the military equipment that people were required to bring when being summoned to muster or when serving in a militia. Usually the amount of property a person owned determined the equipment he was required to have. It would be interesting to compare the equipment required from differnet cultures and the same culture at different periods.

[Dan Howard]

Here are some Scottish examples:

James III (1456)
"And that no poor man nor unprovided be charged to come to any raids in England, and that each man whose goods extend to 20 marks be furnished at least with jack, with sleeves to the hand or else a pair of splints, a sallet or a pricking hat, a sword and a buckler, a bow and a sheaf, and if he can not shoot that he shall have an axe and a targe either of leather or of board with two handis (handgrips?) on the back. And throughout all shires they are to be warned to provide for such things and to come and make their 'weapon-showing' before the sheriffs, bailies or stewarts of regalities on the morning after the law days after Yule. And whoever comes not bearing as appropriate, after his fault, is to be punished in his goods, and so forth their 'weapon-showing' is to be continued from 30 days to 30 days, etc. "

----------

James V (1540)
"In the first, that every noble man, sic as earl, knight, and baron, and every great landed man having one hundred pounds of yearly rent, be (en)armoured in white harness, light or heavy as they please, and armed according to his honour, and that all others of lower rent and degree in the lowland half jack of plate, hauberks or brigandine, gorget or pisane, with splints, pants of mail, with gloves of plate or mail, and that all others our sovereign lords' leiges, gentlemen and yeomen, half jacks of plate, hauberks, splints, sallet or steel helmet with pisane or gorget, and every other man with sword, and that no manner of weapons be admitted in 'weapon-showing' but spears, pikes stark and of 6 ells of length, light axes, halberds, handbows and arrows, crossbows, culverins, two handed swords, and every man to be armed as said under the pain [penalty for non-compliance] of 5 pounds to be taken from every landed man, 50 shillings from every gentleman and 20 shillings from every yeoman..."

----------

Scottish Privy Council (1552) for the formation of "tua ansaingyeis of fittmen," to be raised in the Highland portion of Lord Huntley's lieutenancy, for service in France.

"Substantiously accoutred with jack and plate, steel helmet, sword, buckler, new hose and new doublet of canvas at the least, and sleeves of plate or splints, and one spear of six ells long or thereabouts."

----------

James VI (1575)
"Every noble man, sic as earl, lord, knight and baron, and every landed man having three hundred marks of yearly rent or above, be (en)armoured in harness, light or heavy as they please, and horses according to their honour and estate; and that all others of lower rent and degree have brigandines, jacks, steel helmets, sleeves of plate or mail, swords, pikes, or spears of six ells long, culverins, halberds, or two handed swords; and in the Highlands, haubergeons (habirschons), steel helmets, aketons, swords, bows and quivers (dorlochs), culverins, under the pain [penalty for non-compliance] every landed man not (en)armoured as said is 5 pounds, every unlanded gentleman or yeoman of substance 40 shillings, and every common yeoman 20 shillings."

[Niels Just Rasmussen]

Valdemar II Sejr (Victorious) gave the Jyske Lov [Law of Jutland, including Funen] in 1241 - other law existed for Zealand and Scania. It is written in Danish with latin letters.
Source: http://www.middelalderinfo.dk/jyskelov-bog3.php

Book 3 has paragraphs about the "Leding" (called in Latin: Expeditio) system: The weapon and armour parts are underlined and will be translated, highlighted..

First the equipment of the Styrismand [Captain of each ship called into Leding]:

Book 3, chapter 3:
Old Danish:
¶ Vm hæstæ leghæ oc brynni.
Styræs man scal fangæ sik sialf hæst.oc brynni. oc takæ af hwar hafnæ ni skippæ rugh for bathæ. at sanctæ michæls mis. oc tho æi[1] andræ aar æn thær lething gæær wt.
¶ hwilk styræs man thær æi ær vmboz man. takær meræ mæth nokær thwang. giuæ kunung thre mark. æn ær han vmboz man. mistæ siit lææn.

Modern Danish
Om Heste- og Brynjeleje.
Styrismanden skal selv skaffe sig Hest og Brynie og for begge Dele tage ni Skæpper Rug af hver Havne til Sankt Mikkels Dag, men dog ikke andre Aar, end naar Leding udbydes. Den Styrismand, der ikke er Ombudsmand, og som tager mere med Tvang, skal bøde tre Mark til Kongen. Men hvis han er Ombudsmand, skal han miste sit Embede.

English:
About Horses and Mail:
The "Styrismand" must himself acquire horse and armour [Brynje is here most likely mail] - either by buying or renting I assume.

NB: The following details that as compensation for this requisition he can take free provisions of rye from the district, though a max of 9 skæpper [skæppe = 1/8 of a barrel] for each harbour-districts within the greater ship-districts
[a "skipæn" = "ship district" had to provide/build one ship for the leding-campaign; a "hafnæ" = "harbour-district", that had to provide one man with weapons for the ship -> for which weapons see chapter 4 below].

Book 3, chapter 4:
Old Danish:
Vm wapnæ.
Hwar styræs man scal hauæ full mansz wapnæ. oc thæræ til et armbyrst oc thre tylft pilæ. oc een man thær scivtæ kan thæræ mæth. of han kan æi sialf scivtæ. oc hwar hafnæ bondæ thær a sciip ær. scal hauæ skiold[1] oc thry folk wapnæ. swærth oc kætælhod. oc spiwt.

Modern Danish:
Om Vaaben.
Hver Styrismand skal have fuldt Vaabenudstyr og desuden en Armbrøst og tre Tylvter Pile og en Mand, der kan skyde med den, hvis han ikke selv kan skyde. Og hver Havnebonde, der er paa Skibet, skal have Skjold og tre Folkevaaben: Sværd, Kedelhat og Spyd.

English:
About Weapons
Every Styrisman must have a full weapon-equipment and furthermore have a crossbow and 3 tylvter [Tylt/Tylvt = 12] arrows and a man that can shoot it, if he can't shoot it himself. And every harbour-farmer on the ship must have a shield and 3 peoples-weapons: Sword, Kettlehat and Spear.

Book 3, Chapter 7:
Old Danish:
Vm kunungs mæn oc biscops.
Hwaræ thær kunungs mæn æræ æth biscops. hwat hældær the hauæ eet boo. æth fleræ.tha æræ the skylduth at hauæ fullæ wapnæ. oc faræ i lething a theræ costæ. oc takæ theræ maal.
¶ æn sittær han hemmæ vtæn laghæ forfall æth orlof. gialdæ kunung af hwar garth thær han hauær een thri things hafnæ. æth wæræ innæ bondæ. of han wil æi gialdæ sum sauth ær.

Modern Danish:
Om Kongens og Biskoppens Mænd.
Overalt hvor Kongens eller Biskoppens Mænd er, hvad enten de har een Gaard eller flere, er de pligtige at have fulde Vaaben og drage i Leding paa sin egen Bekostning og mod-tage sin Sold.
Men sidder han hjemme uden lovligt Forfald eller Orlov, da skal han betale Kongen Tredingshavne af hver Gaard, han har, eller være Innebonde, hvis han ikke vil betale, som det er sagt.

English:
About the Kong's and Bishop's men.
Everywhere the King's or the Bishop's men are - no matter if they have one farm or more - under duty they are required to have full weapon-(set) and go into Leding on their own expenses.....

This skipæn-hafnæ division of the country meant that a Danish ship built for the leding had to have room for 40-42 rowers and the Styrismand. You had around ~800 skipæn in Denmark in the viking ages, though with the 1200's expansion in the Baltic it rose probably to 1000 skipæn.

If we just calculate with 800 ships with each 40 rowers and 1 styrismand for each ship we reach a max potential of 33.000 men for the campaign all with minimum weapon-sets listed below......800 styrismænd gives a min. cavalry force of 800, boosted since also Nobles, Bishops and the King with their men and horses travelled on their own bigger ships.

It is likely though that a reform took place after 1169 (conquest of Rügen) where the full viking age Peasant-leding of 800 ships - which probably only called for each ship member to have a shield and spear - was cut down to a fourth, with 4 skipæn taking rotation for each call, but much more was demanded of them.
So much more full weapon-set, but only 200 ships gives ~8000 much better armoured (and better provisioned) men post-1169. Called "Herremandsleding".
The Herremandsleding reform was probably a result of repeated attacks from Wendish vikings (especially on Falster and Lolland, that was severely depopulated) and was used as a "standing navy". Each of the four skipæn had to be out patrolling Danish waters for a season each (quarter of a year). Later also used against Estonian Vikings from Ösel/Saramaa.
The King could still call for more ships when going on an offensive campaign during the Baltic Crusades, though he could only do so every 4 years according to the Scanian Law.

Little digression:
Scanian Law + Scanian Church Law actually both exists in a Danish version written in Runes from 1300 AD probably written at Harrisvad Abbey:
See "Codex Runicus" online here: http://www.e-pages.dk/ku/579/
The Manuscript also includes the oldest node-fragments in Scandinavia - the text is in Old Danish: "Drømde mik en drøm i nat um silki ok ærlik pæl". = I dreamt a dream this night of silk and 'fine furs' (the meaning of "ærlik pæl" is not entirely sure).
Instrumental interpretation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzH2DUsrVR4

[Pieter B.]

Dan,

I tried googling a little but I could not find how much a mark is in Brittish Pounds or Livre Tournois

As for Militia regulations.

Here is an old Frisian law dated by the translator to be from the 12th century, though they do mention Vikings.

Source: http://www.languageandlaw.org/SKELTANA.HTM

[Dan Howard]

The above is a good example of how important it is to use the original language. Many translators are Arts graduates and have no idea about hoplology or warfare. A lot of translations are useless for this kind of work. There is a little we know about Charlemagne's armies but I'd like to see the entire latin passage rather than excerpts:

The Capitulare missorum (792-793) said that office holders (both secular and religious) must have horses, mail (brunia), shield, lance, sword (spata) and shortsword (semispatum). In the letter sent by Charlemagne to Abbot Fulrad (806), each horseman was commanded to have a bow and several quivers of arrows in addition to the above equipment.

The Capitulary of Aachen (802-803) required landholders to supply each of their foot-soldiers with a shield, spear, and a bow with a spare string and twelve arrows. It also specifies that no soldier should carry a club (baculum), but rather a bow.

[Baard H]

Here's a few from Norway, translated to English by me from a slightly older form of Norwegian than is used today, which in turn is translated from the original texts, so I'm sorry for the weird structure and wordings.

First the Gulatinglaw. It was used in the western part of Norway and is assumed to be from before the 10th century.


XIII Taxation
Chapter 15, weapon-thing.

Always when there shall be a weapon-thing, the “årmann” or “lendmann” (roughly the equivalent of sheriff and baron) shall declare it in the autumn and hold it in spring. All free and full-legal men shall come to the thing, or they shall pay 3 øre.
Now men shall show their arms, as they are written in the laws. A man shall have a broad-axe or sword and spear and shield of no worse quality than having three iron bars across with a grip that is fastened with iron nails. Now there are 3 øre in fines for each (missing) people’s arms.
The farmers shall provide two dozen arrows and a bow for each “rowing bench” (every two persons aboard the ship); and pay a fine of 1 øre for every arrow-head missing, but 3 øre for the bow.


Next the Frostatinglaw. This was used in the northern parts of Norway (Trøndelag) and was established in the 10th century, written down in the 11th-12th century.

The Leidang
13. There shall be a bow at every rowing bench. It shall be provided by the two rowing comrades with string, or they shall pay the fine of 1 øre unless they get a bow. And two dozen hafted arrows or bolts shall follow. Those the farmers shall provide. There is half an øre for every arrow missing and six for two dozens of arrows. And every leidang-obliged man shall own his own shield, spear and sword or axe. Accepted are those axes and spears that are hafted. If anyone is lacking one of these three weapons, then there shall be fined three øre, and if he is lacking every one, then we are talking nine øre, and he is to be without rights until he get hold of weapons.

15. Good shall every wooden shield be if there is three bars of iron across it and has a handle on the inside.


Then the Landlaw of Magnus Lagabøte (Law-mender). It concerned the entire non-urban population of Norway from 1274-76.

Chapter 10. On weapon-outfit
1. A bow there shall be at every rowing bench. Two men who partakes in the journey shall provide it with a string or pay the kings fine of half an øre silver, and get hold of the bow later; and two dozen arrows or bolts the farmers shall provide; but for every dozen arrows lacking, there shall be fined one and a half øre to the king.

Chapter 11. On weapon-outfit
1. The man who owns six weighted marks except his clothes, he shall own a red shield with a double-sided iron rim and spear and sword or half-thinned axe. But the man who owns twelve weighted marks except his clothes, he shall own a shield and steel-cap in addition to the aforementioned weapons.
2. And every shield-maker shall on the shields he make have a mark that is approved on the thing so that you can know who made it if there is found cheating in it; but if some does not have, then the shields are confiscatable by the kings hand.
3. But the man who owns 18 weighted marks except for his clothes, he shall own a shield and steel-cap and panzer or maille and all the people’s arms. But if someone lack these weapons, then he shall pay the fine of one øre silver to the king for each missing.
4. But every young man and those men who owns less goods than now is said, each of these shall own a shield and spear or sword or axe. But broad-axes are good and half-thinned axes who is well hafted and those spears that are dependably hafted and equipped with two nails or at least one who goes straight through and is riveted in both ends. Good shall for these men wooden shields be, when three iron bars lay across it and there is three grips on the inside, who is well riveted.
5. But when a working man takes his first service for full wages, then he shall the first summer buy an axe, the second a shield and the third a spear. But if he lacks any of these three weapons, then he shall pay fine to the king of one øre for every one he lacks. But if he lacks them all, then he shall pay fine of one øre to the king and have only half-rights until he get hold of weapons.


And last, Christian the IV's Norwegian law of 1604.

On muskets, shot and other on ships.
chapter X.

Every allodial farmer or tenant farmer who lives on a full-farm (estimated to yield the highest tax) is to own a long firelock musket with enough powder and lead, a teszack and an axe.

Every tenant farmer of a half-farm (second highest tax) is to own a long musket and a teszack.

He who lives on a third-farm shall own a musket and an axe. He who lives on fourth-farm shall own a halberd with iron bars two ells down the shaft and a teszack.

He who has recently taken over a derelict farm (Ødegaards mand) shall have a halberd and a teszack during the first three years after he starts to build on the farm, but after that in accordance with the size of the farm.

Every crofter who lives on the farm of a farmer shall have a halberd with iron bars and an axe.

Every man who does not own or has disposal of taxable land but still has good fortune shall own a long musket with its accessories and a teszack.

He who does not have good fortune shall either have a halberd and a teszack or a spear and a teszack depending on what the thingmen orders him and he has fortune for.

Every young man in service who serves for full wage shall have a spear and a teszack.

He who serves for half wage shall have a spear and a hand-axe.

He who lacks any of these arms shall pay one mark of silver in fine to the king for every arm he lacks and still get hold of the arms. He shall only have half-rights until he gets his arms.

[Mart Shearer]

England, 1181 Assize of Arms
http://www.earlyenglishlaws.ac.uk/laws/texts/ass-arms/
http://www.earlyenglishlaws.ac.uk/laws/texts/..._6/l-image

[Mart Shearer]

Statute of Winchester, 1285
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Statute_of_Winchester

[Mart Shearer]

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/me...ight-first

Watch and Ward at the City Gates.
25 Edward I. A.D. 1297. Letter-Book B. fol. xxxiii. old numeration. (Latin.)

It was ordered that every bedel shall make summons by day in his own Ward, upon view of two good men, for setting watch at the Gates;—and that those so summoned shall come to the Gates in the day-time, and in the morning, at day-light, shall depart therefrom. And such persons are to be properly armed with two pieces; namely, with haketon and gambeson, or else with haketon and corset, or with haketon and plates. And if they neglect to come so armed, or make default in coming, the bedel shall forthwith hire another person, at the rate of twelve pence, in the place of him who makes such default; such sum to be levied on the morrow upon the person so making default.

In like manner, if any person shall be summoned to watch within his Ward, and shall make default, the bedel shall substitute another in his place, and on the morrow shall take from him three pence, to the use of such substitute.

[Mikael Ranelius]

Sweden, Södermannalagen (provincial law of Södermanland), 1327:

Thessa lund scal konungs ledung ut biuda. at snækkiur ok scutur sculu til redo uæra um pingizdagha tidh med them redom flær til höre. Thætta svulu hamnu uapn uæra Skiolder ok suærd. spyut ok iarnhatter. Huar hamna scal haua muzo eller penzara eller ok plato. huar hamna scal ok hanbugha ok threa tylpte sköte haua. Af huarre hamnu. scal fiughur pund ok tiughu. tuælotina flesk ok thridiungen smör. aghi sidan konunger uald aftaca sua mykit hanum thækkiz. Thæfta scal lyusas huarn huitta sunnudagh i strengenæs.

According to the passage each crewman who were called upon to serve in the ledung (fleet) should be armed with shield (skiolder), sword (suærd), speer (spyut), kettle hat (iarnhatter), maille coif (muzo), padded jack (penzara) or a coat-of-plates (plato). Also required are bow (hanbugha ) and three dozen arrows (threa tylpte sköte).

[Niels Just Rasmussen]

[Baard H]

[Niels Just Rasmussen]

[William P]

While I do not have sufficient information to make a comment, i would be interested to find out about the rules regarding the arms a man must be armed with to undergo service in the middle byzantine armies, especially the themetic troops aka part time fighters,

i know that the armement of infantry and archers etc is listed in military manuals however im not sure if we have sources for income bracketed requirements for arms. i DO know however that prospective entrants for the famous varangian guard needed to pay a fee of 6 pounds of gold i believe... as well as prove his worth in a normal byzantine regiment for about 6 months.

i know your standard byzantine pikeman (themetic or tagmatic, it doesnt say which) should be armed (according to manuals for campaigns) in a kavadion/ zava aka a padded gambeson that you can slips your arms out of the sleeves at the armpit to allow better arm movement and a felt cap as thick as can be stitched with a turban wound armoud it if they cannout afford a helmet

their arms should be a great kontarion (4m long) a shield, a sword or axe, the axe can be a normal axe or one with two blades one like the edge of sword and the other like a sharp spearhead (aka axe with back spike)

archers need to have 2 bows, and 40 arrows carried normally, as well as a quiver of 60 arrows (its believed those were set down on the ground when the archers were in stationary formations)

(not much attaentio is given to other troop type, the standard infantry and standard archer is given the most attention)

(most of this information is paraphrased from the praecepta militaria, a manual written in the reign of Nikephoras fokas in the late 10th century)

interestingly, these themetic patches of land assigned to families, mirror later medieval fuedal arrangements, n that the land was used to provide a man to serve, or the family could instead (if no able men were to be found or other reasons) could instead opt to send a cash payment... which if i remember correctly, Edward the 1st began to introduce such reforms as well for knightly obligations.

[Mart Shearer]

Lombardy, Statutes of Bologna, 1256
http://archive.org/stream/statutidellesoc02ga...8/mode/1up

[Randall Moffett]

Ed II vol IV 1321-1324.
96-100, 1322, april, 12, mar 25, aprl 4,
MEMBEANE 20.

Mandate to the justiciary of Ireland to raise 1,000 hobelers and 6,000 footmen
armed with haketon, basinet and gauntlets, and to conduct them to
Carlisle by the octaves of Holy Trinity. [Parl. Writs.] ByK.
The like to the treasurer to be attendant upon the justiciary herein, and
to pay out of the issues of Ireland for the wages of the said 300 men at
arms (sic) 1,000 hobelers and 6,000 foot from the time they shall leave Ireland.
Afterwards on 14 April another writ was addressed to the Treasurer in
his own name, to wit, Master Walter de Istlep. [Parl. Writs.]

Ed II vol V 1324-1327
10-
Aug 6th, 1324
Commission to Stephen de Cobeham, Ralph Sauvage, Henry de
Cobeham, and Henry de Goshale, to select in the county of Kent, the
towns of Canterbury and Rochester excepted, 1,040 footmen, 260 to
be armed with haketons, hauberks or plate armour, bacinets and
gauntlets of steel, and the remainder with haketons and steel bacinets
and other competent arms (the armour directed to be provided by the
Statute of Winchester, being only intended for the preservation of the
peace, and not being sufficient for the defence of the realm against foreign
invasion), the said armour to be provided at the expense of the commonalty
of the county, the said cities being excepted, and to be kept by
the commonalties of the towns until the selected men set out, and upon
their return to be restored to the. custody of the commonalties; and they
are to array the said selected men in twenties and hundreds. By K. & C.
The like to the above-mentioned commissioners in the respective counties
to select, arm in like proportion, and array the following numbers of footmen
in the said counties, the chief cities and towns excepted ; viz. —

Ed III vol V 1340-43
427-
Jan. 9th, 1345. Whereas, in view of the threatened invasion of England by the king's
enemies, French and Scots, the king to have the armed power of the realm in readiness, with the advice and assent of the prelates, nobles and others of experience assisting him, has ordained that all men holding a lay fee (lands of the fee of the church in the hands of prelates and other religious men and ecclesiastics, excepted) shall be assessed to arms as follows, he who has land of the value of lOOs. yearly shall be an archer and mounted, he who has land of the value of 10 l. yearly shall be a hobeler, armed at the least with a haqueton, a visor, a burnished palet, iron gauntlets and a lance (cum aketona pisario, paletto burnito, cirotecis ferreis et lancea), he who has land of the value of 25£. yearly shall be a man at arms, he who has land of the value of 501. yearly shall have with him one other man at arms, he who has land of the value of 100 l. yearly shall have with him three men at arms, and he who has beyond that amount shall be assessed at more men at arms proportionally: to give effect to such ordinance he has appointed William de Clynton, earl of Huntingdon, and those whom he shall depute, to inform himself by such ways and means as shall be expedient of the names of those who have such land of the yearly values enumerated, up to 1,000 l. yearly or more, after deducting all necessary services and reprises, in the county of Kent, and to arrest and
imprison all those whom he shall find oppose him in the premises, also to certify by Midlent Sunday next, or on that day at the latest of all that lie does herein.
The like of the following and their deputies in the counties named :—
Richard, earl of Arundel. Surrey and Sussex.
The same. Southampton.
Hugh de Courteney, earl of Devon. Devon.
Gilbert de Ellesfeld. Berks.
Ralph, baron of Stafford. Stafford.
John Darcy ' le piere.' Nottingham and Lincoln.

I'd translate visor to be different above. pisario seems to be a pisan. so neck armour, likely mail.

And some Scottish fun

Here is a record from the 1318 Scottish Parliament Roll for a more Scottish look at the basic requirements of the land-

"Concerning the equipment of those coming to the war according to [the amount] they have in goods

Item, it was ordained and assented that each layman of the kingdom having £10 in goods should have for his body in defence of the kingdom a sufficient haqueton,† a basinet, and mailed gloves with a lance and sword. And anyone who shall not have a haqueton and a bacinet should have a good habergeon†or a good iron [coat of mail] for his body, a cap of iron and mailed gloves, so that each should be prepared with the said equipment around the octave of Easter next to come [15 April 1319]. And whoever has £10 in goods [and] shall not then have all the said equipment of arms should lose all his goods. With the proviso that the lord king [Robert I] should have a half of the goods and the lord of he who was found to be in default should have the other half. And the lord king wishes that each sheriff of the kingdom with the lords of places should investigate concerning these things and immediately cause a muster after the aforesaid octave of Easter. Moreover the lord king wishes and commands that anyone having the value of one cow in goods should have a good lance or a good bow with a sheath of arrows, namely twenty-four arrows with the pertinents, under the prescribed penalty."

Latin

De armaturis veniencium ad exercitum prout habent in bonis †

Item ordinatum est† et assensum quod† quilibet homo de regno laicus habens decem libras in bonis habeat pro corpore suo in defensionem regni unam sufficientem aketonam†, unum bacinetum et cyrotecas de guerra cum lancea et gladio. Et qui non habuerit aketonam et bacinetum† habeat unum bonum† hobirgellum vel† unum bonum ferrum pro corpore suo, unum† capellum de ferro et cyrotecas de guerra, ita quod quilibet sit paratus† cum actyliis predictis circa octabas Pasche proxime futuras.† Et quicunque habens decem† libras in bonis† non habuerit tunc omnia armorum actylia predicta perdat† omnia bona sua. Ita quod dominus rex habeat unam medietatem bonorum et dominus illius qui in defectu fuerit repertus habeat aliam medietatem.† Et dominus rex vult quod singuli vicecomites regni cum dominis locorum inquirant super hiis et faciant monstrationem† statim post octabas Pasche predictas. Preterea dominus rex vult et precipit† quod quicunque† habens valorem unius vacce in bonis habeat unam bonam lanceam vel† unum bonum arcum cum uno schapho† sagittarum videlicet viginti quatuor sagittis† cum pertinentiis† sub pena prescripta.

Long citation The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2013), 1318/29. Date accessed: 2 November 2010.

As well this line makes me uncomfortable how it is translated and I have not been able to get back to Scotland to have a look at the original. "And anyone who shall not have a haqueton and a bacinet should have a good habergeon†or a good iron [coat of mail] for his body, a cap of iron and mailed gloves, so that each should be prepared...". Here is the Latin on their site, " unum bonum ferrum pro corpore suo...", "simply put one good iron for their body". I have no reason to doubt their Laton so I am assuming this is it. It is not unique but in the period it is unlikely to set minimum requirements on mail and have both a hauberk and habergeon. They are minimum requirements. A hauberk is superior to a habergeon so it would be unnecessary to say you must have at least a habergeon and hauberk. I have only seen a few like this. But what sets off the alarm bells is mostly the good iron direct translation. Plates or iron listed as torso armour very likely means a pair of plates. If it were a decade later that would be much more certain. What makes me wonder most is 1318 would be earlier than the first requirement I know in large scale like this for commoners as minimum requirements but as I have said before I do not believe Scotland is as far behind as many do. As well they translate mail gauntlets, " cyrotecas de guerra" This simply says gauntlets of war. By the 1300s gauntlets exist as plate and scale form so I have concerns on this as well.

Dan- these are all levied men so I hope that helps. I have more but I just saw this and have been swamped. I'll try to get more up.

RPM

[Håvard Kongsrud]

This thread need to be raised from its slumber. Anyone seen the 1345 town laws of Oldenburg, based on the Bremen laws? I have no idea if this is regular town milita or other kinds of troops and am not sure to what extent the text is complete. I've retrieved a couple of relevant sentences from dictionaries. Source: Vleck(e) i Karl Schiller og August Lübben 1880, Mittelniederdeutsches Wörterbuch, bd 5, p 267 and treie/troie in der digitaler grimm.

For warclothes one should have: "[...] zinen helm ofte ysern hut, zine yseren huven, zine troyen, zine armeleden, zine vlekken, sinen kraghen [...]" (1345)

[Mart Shearer]

Brunetto Latini, Libro di Montaperti, 1260, pp.373-4
https://archive.org/details/illibrodimontape00libruoft

Item, quod quilibet liabens equum pro Communi Florentie, tam
civitatis quam comitatus Florentie, teneatur et debeat portare et habere
in presenti exercitu sellam ad destrarium, covertas equi, panzeriam,
sive asbergum, caligas sive stivalettos de ferro, cappellum de acciario,
lamerias vel coraczas, lanceam, scutum sive targiam vel tabolaccium
amplum. Et quicumque contrafecerit et ita non portaverit et habuerit
in exercitu dieta arma, ut dictum est, puniatur et condempnetur, de
sella in soidis viginti florinoram parvorum, de covertis in soldis
sexsaginta, de panzeria sive asbergo in soldis centum, de caligis sive
stivalettis de ferro in soldis viginti, de cappello acciarii in soldis vi-
ginti, de lameriis sive coraczis in soldis viginti, de iancea in soldis
viginti, de scuto sive targia seu tavolaccio in soldis viginti florinorum
parvorum.

Item, quilibet pedes civitatis Florentie teneatur et debeat portare
et habere in presenti exercitu panzeriam sive corictum cum manicis
ferreis, aut manicos ferreos cum coraczinis, cappellum de acciario vel
cervelleria, gorgieriam sive collare de ferro, lanceam, scutum sive
tabolaccium magnum. Et quicumque contra fecerit et non portavcrit et
habuerit in exercitu dicta arma, ut dictum est, puniatur et condempnetur,
de panzeria sive coricto cum manicis sive de manicis cum coraczinis
in soldis viginti florinorum parvorum, de cappello sive cervelleria
in soldis decem, de gorgieria sive collare in soldis decem, de
Iancea in soldis decem, de scuto sive tabolaccio in soldis decem florinorum parvorum.

Item, omnes balistarii et arcatores civitatis et comitatus Florentie
teneantur et debeant portare et habere in presenti exercitu ea arma
omnia que requiruntur et necessaria eis sunt, sub pena quam Potestas
vellet auferre.

[Randall Moffett]

My goodness I had forgot about this. I am have been working on a book that includes some English info on this. I forgot how interesting this post was.

RPM

[Pieter B.]