Arrière-ban
In
folk-etymological correction of Old French herban (attested 1101), from Germanic here (army) and ban (proclamation); compare German Heerbann.[2]
Although in theory, the arrière-ban depended on
feudal relations, in practice it amounted to a general levy on all able-bodied males in the kingdom.[3] In theory, this included all men between the ages of 18 and 60 years,[4] in practice such a wide-ranging levy was never carried out for fear of conjuring an ill-suited mob.[3] Most arrière-ban's were in fact local in nature.[3] Conscription could be commuted by a money payment, which became an important source of revenue for the crown.[1][5]
The Duke of Normandy retained the right of arrière-ban and used it routinely down to 1204. The distinction between the public obligation of freemen and the feudal obligation of the duke's vassals was maintained, but in practice the arrière-ban may have been used mainly to call up the better armed subtenants of his vassals.[6]
Considered archaic and appropriate only in emergencies,Louis XIII successfully gathered thousands of noblemen to defend the city by calling ban (of his vassals) and the arrière-ban (of all free men), allowing him to repel the Spanish.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Theodore Evergates (1995), "Ban, Banalité", in William W. Kibler; Grover A. Zinn (eds.), Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, Garland, pp. 175–176.
- OEDOnline, Oxford University Press, January 2018. Accessed 18 February 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-351-66566-7, retrieved 7 January 2021
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-31923-2. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-521-38724-8. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ F. M. Powicke (1913), The Loss of Normandy (1189–1204): Studies in the History of the Angevin Empire, Manchester University Press, p. 311–312.
- ISBN 0-8122-1655-5, p. 184
- ISBN 978-0-521-38724-8. Retrieved 7 January 2021.