Learnings: Military Organization

Aristocrats could gather their kin to fight, or use a levy to conscript commoners into their ranks, but the latter was especially slow. During the "Viking invasions" era, a Scandinavian band could plunder the countryside of a region before a noble could assemble his troops. The creation of a more stable military force, suggested and implemented by Alfred, ensured a quicker reaction to Viking raids.
The common conception of the king going to war surrounded by his loyal lords is somewhat misleading. Although the king did call upon his men to fight, it seems that each of the lords (thegns) led their own armies, rather than placing them under the command of their king.
Category:Discovery Tour: Viking Age