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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Odhanan" data-source="post: 2341550" data-attributes="member: 12324">1 million people in medieval times is ENORMOUS, demographically speaking. On the battle field, ten thousand is about the worse the medieval world has ever seen, and it is the LOTR's showdown at Pelennor field.Now, if you mobilize the nation, there are important factors to consider:- first, the total population of the kingdom - second, the proportion of people that can be mobilized (in medieval times, this means as young as 14 years old and male). - third the margins of land security and stuff you were talking about.- fourth, the time necessary for mobilizationA basic family in the middle ages involves 5 children or more. Counting the parents, let's say eight people on average in a family. There are on average 2 or 3 male children. Plus the dad, say 4. In terms of age, the mortality is high and children generally young as a result. So perhaps 2 or 3 out of these males could fit the profile. Let us assume 2 for simplicity's sake. 2 on 8 family members.Standard families like this one form something like 80% of the population of the kingdom, with wanderers, lonely people, beggars and stuff being outsiders to it (and thus probably not counted for mobilization). So 200,000 men could be mobilized. Let 100,000 men take care of the security of the land. You could have in the best conditions 100,000 men on the battle field. But we still didn't count the main problem: time. If the mobilization is rushed (two/three weeks), perhaps you'll end up with 20 or 25,000 men, if your army is very well organized. Even more rushed with an average army, I'd say 15,000 people in the end.But keep in mind: I am making here a lot of shortcuts and approximations of approximations.</blockquote>

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