The soldier in later medieval England

It has been argued that standing armies and professional soldiers were a phenomenon of the early modern state. There can be no doubt, however, that the period from 1369 to 1453 witnessed hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the pay of the crown. Although these dates themselves relate to the beginning and end of important phases in the war with France commonly known as the Hundred Years War, soldiers were dispatched for campaign and garrison service not only across the Channel, but also in the Iberian Peninsular, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Although there are many examples for this before 1369, armies after that date have two important new characteristics, which make it possible to study their individual soldiers, to an extent which is not possible for the earlier period. First, the use of the indenture (i.e. a contract between the crown and retinue leaders for the provision of troops) became standard practice, thereby giving us full information on the size and compositions of retinues. Secondly, and connected to the need of the Exchequer to check the fulfilment of indenture terms, we have many muster rolls. For the first time, therefore, we have thousands of names of soldiers of every rank / commanders, men-at-arms, archers, gunners, miners, and other specialist groups. This situation continues across the whole period. There are musters for large expeditions to France, such as those led by the earl of Arundel in 1387-8, Henry V's invasions of 1415 and 1417 and the 'Coronation expedition' of 1430. There are also musters for many garrisons both at home and abroad, notably those for border regions of England and for the occupation of Normandy in the fifteenth century. Even when musters do not survive, there are many other sources of nominal data which enable the reconstruction of personnel, for example pay accounts, letters of protection, appointments of attorney, pardons and petitions. For the late fourteenth century we are fortunate to also have extensive records of the court of chivalry where soldiers testify about their own service and mention the service of other comrades in arms.

This vast amount of nominal data gives us the unparalleled opportunity for medieval England to study the soldier as an individual and as a type, and to debate whether we can speak of a professional soldiery over this period. The uniqueness of this project is the length of the period to be covered, since it will permit a truly longitudinal survey to be undertaken. We will be able to identify continuities, incremental and slow modifications and more abrupt and revolutionary changes. The project is also distinctive in its comprehensive geographical coverage.

The first stage is to gather as many names as we can with full details of their service. The use of relational databases will enable us to answer key questions on lengths of career, ages of soldiers, social and regional origins, patterns of service, movement between ranks and retinues, theatres of operation and military specialisms. We will also be able to examine features which have been noted but not yet fully explored such as fluctuations in the military participation of the nobility, the marked decline in the participation of men with knightly title, the increasing proportions of archers in the armies, and the effect of periods of truce on the numbers of professional soldiers and the militarization of society. There are broader themes relating to contemporary society, especially whether terms such as esquire, yeoman and gentleman were generated initially within military contexts. In addition, we will be able to explore the horizontal ties between soldiers and the vertical ties between commander and soldier. This study as a whole will be positioned within the context of recent debates on the 'military revolution'. It has a broader public significance since it will produce an outline searchable resource valuable to genealogists as well as historians.