Hugh Capet could raise about 6,000 infantry and cavalry from the territories near Paris under his direct control. The count of Anjou could assemble a force of similar size for offensive operations. Urban manpower also had competing uses: one example separates a city's select levy from the larger militia needed to defend its walls. William of Normandy gathered about 14,000 men, including mercenaries, for the invasion of England in 1066. These comparisons show why a king's title alone did not establish how much military power he could concentrate.
Notable Point · 1:05:29-1:06:17
Royal territory and magnate power shaped French and Norman armies
Hugh Capet and a powerful count could raise comparable armies, while William of Normandy assembled a larger invasion force with mercenaries.