Medieval European mercenaries are often seen as impediments to state formation because European monarchies found them expensive and difficult to control. By taking a broader comparative approach to their deployment that encompasses North Africa, I show that these soldiers could serve as effective agents of state power. Abandoning the mercenaries is sometimes represented as a positive break with the medieval past that accelerated European progress into the modern political order of states and standing armies. From a comparative point of view, however, this transition looks more like a gradual retreat from a system for organizing violence that continued to function well in other parts of the world.
Group
Sculptural Figure(s)
Condition
unpainted, kit
Scale
Scale 1:32
Material
Metal-Alloy
Epoch
Medieval
Time
11. Jh. - 15. Jh.
Nationality/Location
Eurasia
State
New
Not a toy! Not suitable for children under the age of 14!
OlimpYa Models Via Don Minzoni 5/A 40121 Bologna Italien
