>Feudal society. >Instead of becoming knights, the aristocracy

>>55094910
I'd guess all the feudal lords who don't trust all the military power of the land in the hands of a single other individual.

>>55094910
Well, the initial reason the European aristocracy militarized was so they could keep their own peasants in check during the early years after the fall of Rome when everything went to shit and kings had no real power to maintain law and order beyond the vicinity of their capitals. To avoid the rise of knights, you'd have to have a culture where the transition from classical empire to feudalism went more smoothly, without that period of anarchy and isolation.

Italy would be a fairly good example, where things were already developed enough before the Roman empire collapsed that city states could maintain relative order in the countryside as opposed to things reverting to the castle-and-village feudalism of medieval France, Britain, and Germany.

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>>55094910

>>55094910
It's not feudalism then.
The feudal system is built on the idea that the king has vassals who are granted land in turn for military service, those vassals have vassals of their own, and so on.

There's nothing wrong with what you just mentioned, but it is strictly not feudalism.

>>55094910
Yes, everyone with money would rather pay for their own soldiers and assets

>>55094910
You're basically describing the political system of Renaissance-era Europe, where the nobles still exerted more or less independent control over their lands and peasants, but paid tribute to the king in taxes rather than by raising private armies to support him in war.

>>55094910

What you described happened during the late middle ages (14th to 15th centuries) in Western Europe. Instead of providing military service by themselves, it was often much cheaper, less time-consuming, and more effective to provide money to exempt yourself from service, while used the money to buy mercenaries, which would evolve in standing armies in the early modern era.

Whether what you're describing is feudalism could be answered yes or no. In a traditional sense, no. In practice, it is.

>>55095197
>nobles
>taxes
did they

>>55095289
yes they did.

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>>55094910
It worked for them for a long time until the manzikert

>>55095580
The Byzantine theme system has zero to do with what OP described.

>>55094910
At that point you're basically just describing an absolute monarchy where a lot of wealthy land-owners pay the king to upkeep his personal army.

As you might imagine this would actually weaken the aristocrats significantly, they'd never do it voluntarily. They'd much rather have their own personal armies who are required to show up and fight for the King periodically, that leaves them in a less weak position.

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>>55095146
Its not that simple. The main problem with Modern Times, its that its a era where you can trade with money. Its also a era of such surplus, what holds value doesn't really exist.
Its a era, where stat fiat is as stable as mountains, outside of Banana Republics. So naturally, because the states project a lot of stable force, money has a lot of value as a force means of trade.

There is money in feudal societies, but its very different.
If there is no money, there is only land and crops.
So if there is no money, you can't give money and pay money. So to maintain a force of professional soldiers, you need to pay with land.
And in Feudalism, to pay with land, you need to also pay with a title, to force the obligation. So because you can't just use money, you need to give them a deed a rank and ask them to join you when its needed.

>>55095289
Turns out that food/metal/trading goods is useful in a war effort, so its valid. Or Coinage, if the states are strong enough to allow such a means of barter to have value.