Feudal recruiting was becoming unreliable by the thirteenth century. Contingents tended to obey their own lords and would serve for only 40 days, while many followers had farms and other occupations that left little time for training. English kings allowed tenants to pay scutage in place of military service. That money could hire professional soldiers who would remain with their paymaster for as long as required. Mercenaries created problems of their own when peacetime bands lived off the countryside as brigands. Roger de Flor's Great Company is one example of a force assembled from mercenary bands left over after the Sicilian wars.
Notable Point · 3:45:02-3:46:17
Scutage financed soldiers beyond the feudal service limit
Commuting feudal service into a cash payment let English kings hire soldiers for longer campaigns, while mercenary bands could become a danger in peacetime.