Feudal armies and the military transition at Hastings

Feudal society did not readily produce balanced, all-arms armies like those of the Eastern Roman Empire. From Hastings until the resurgence of Swiss and English infantry in the fourteenth century, the mounted knight held the prestige of the ideal soldier. Crusading armies differed from ordinary feudal levies because they attracted more volunteers, yet their mixture of peoples and rival leaders also made them less coherent. The comparison separates battlefield reputation from the institutional ability to coordinate cavalry, infantry, and other arms.