Military Organisation Under Charlemagne

Paper Summary:

The accession of Charlemagne signalled the commencement of a "new epoch" in Western European military activity. Offensive campaigns were undertaken, larger and more ambitious than anything seen under Pepin and Charles Martel that re-established the Carolingian hold on the military and political organization of Western Europe. This paper assesses the preparation of military campaigns in regard to the recruiting, mobilization, equipping and feeding of vast numbers of men and examines how [and with what success] the issues of geography and availability were dealt with. It uses the capitularies as evidence, looks at the role of 'missi' and addresses the argument of feudalism in the medieval state.

From the Paper:

"Military organization in the 8th and 9th centuries incorporated a number of different logistical and strategic problems each with the potential to disrupt even the most carefully laid plans. Preparation of military campaigns concerned the recruiting, mobilization, equipping and feeding of a vast number of men which in turn was dictated by geography, availability and of course, the nature of the opposed forces. To this effect it is important to understand what exactly is meant by military organization. For the sake of this argument, military organization in Carolingian Europe was the planning, activating and carrying-out of predominantly offensive strategies with the objective of gaining or consolidating Frankish territory."

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