I mean, it depends on where your standard for ‘rich’ is. As late as the 12th century AD in England, all freemen were required to have a basic standard of equipment in case they were called upon by the king for military service. That’s apart from any demands laid on them by their immediate overlord.
Sure, but those requirements didn’t translate to actual military service for the vast majority of people. In the first place Medieval economies couldn’t (or wouldn’t, depending on how you look at it) fund the large-scale armies that would make conscription desirable; it made a lot more sense for elites to recruit pseudo-mercenaries (or just outright mercenaries) and reward them for loyal service. There are plenty of exceptions, but historically military service has been something you do because you’re rewarded for it, not because scary men with swords will kill you if you don’t.
But military service was widespread as an obligation, and armies were not always small. The small size of most medieval armies has more to do with logistics concerns and speed of mustering from distant fiefs more than a general lack of use of the poor. During The Anarchy in England, clashes of tens-of-thousands of troops occurred, despite England only having a population of ~1 million to begin with. Not only that, but garrison forces were still needed in wartime, a common obligation of serjeanty and wardstaff in feudal contracts. Recruitment of mercenaries became more common as the medieval period wore on, but mercenaries aren’t always available - and the earlier in the medieval period, the more sparse mercenaries are. Not to mention the trouble of seeking them out to begin with; not always a good choice when forces are needed quickly.
Being rewarded for service and being obligated aren’t mutually exclusive. And you don’t have to be threatened with death for it to be obligatory - fines were the usual punishment for evading service in most medieval polities.
I mean, it depends on where your standard for ‘rich’ is. As late as the 12th century AD in England, all freemen were required to have a basic standard of equipment in case they were called upon by the king for military service. That’s apart from any demands laid on them by their immediate overlord.
Sure, but those requirements didn’t translate to actual military service for the vast majority of people. In the first place Medieval economies couldn’t (or wouldn’t, depending on how you look at it) fund the large-scale armies that would make conscription desirable; it made a lot more sense for elites to recruit pseudo-mercenaries (or just outright mercenaries) and reward them for loyal service. There are plenty of exceptions, but historically military service has been something you do because you’re rewarded for it, not because scary men with swords will kill you if you don’t.
But military service was widespread as an obligation, and armies were not always small. The small size of most medieval armies has more to do with logistics concerns and speed of mustering from distant fiefs more than a general lack of use of the poor. During The Anarchy in England, clashes of tens-of-thousands of troops occurred, despite England only having a population of ~1 million to begin with. Not only that, but garrison forces were still needed in wartime, a common obligation of serjeanty and wardstaff in feudal contracts. Recruitment of mercenaries became more common as the medieval period wore on, but mercenaries aren’t always available - and the earlier in the medieval period, the more sparse mercenaries are. Not to mention the trouble of seeking them out to begin with; not always a good choice when forces are needed quickly.
Being rewarded for service and being obligated aren’t mutually exclusive. And you don’t have to be threatened with death for it to be obligatory - fines were the usual punishment for evading service in most medieval polities.