Did peasant levies make up the majority of Western European armies

I was under the impression that 15th-16th century warfare in Western Europe was exclusively solely fought with mercenaries.

>>17447
I thought it was enslaved Africans

not sure desu, but in regards to the English I believe there was at least a time around 13-1400 where training with bows every week was mandatory for all peasants and such capable of serving and bowmen were widely employed

>>17522
>Peasants
Yeomen, not peasants. Yeomen were basically the land-owning middle class and definitely not a common peasant.

>>17266
No. The value of a peasant was his labor, and you lose that if you enlist him into the army to possibly die and leave your fields fallow.

Between 500-800, armies were tribal levies of free barbarian warriors. Between 800-1200 it was the personal household retinue of a military aristocracy. Between 1200-1600 it was professional veterans in service to a state.

>>17681
my bad senpai, only read a few notes about it a while back

>>17266
The closest you ever really got to a peasant levy in England was the Fyrd, which involved armed peasants gathering together to ward off vikings and other filth who invaded the homeland. But, these were defensive militias only, not real armies.

There were always professional to semi-professional fighters.

Either barbarian tribesman or the hired men of some local reulers or through feudalism the hired men or some local ruler under another ruler.

>>17737
By professional veterans you mean mercenaries, yes?

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>>17737
This.

Lose your peasants and serfs and everyone starves.

East Rome or Byzantine. Had a professional military until the fall.

>>17877
English Longbowmen were from the peasantry.

>>17936
Mercenaries, standing forces, etc.

Actually, when the French Revolutionary armies tried to enlist peasants for their wars, they sometimes had to face rebellions because many peasants were never used to fight war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants'_War_%281798%29

>>18069
>french revolution
>between 500-1600 AD

>>17266
usually would be a mix

youd have a portion made up of levies, some mercenaries, cadres of professionals, and nobles with their retinues

the armies were not uniform; there wasn't a general rule. literally no point trying to argue yes or no. would depend on circumstance and what was available

also depended where you were; in Italy forces would be almost entirely mercenary, places like England peasants would be more numerous

>>17737
well not quite

it wasn't like all the peasants in an area would suddenly be drafted

theyd be divided into groups, and then usually one man in each group would be picked to serve, and often the others would pay for his equipment and/or supplies