Carolingian Scola Heavy Cavalryman Ninth Century
Charles Martel, a Frank of the Merovingian dynasty, quashed the uprising of the western Franks in Neustria (now Normandy), defeated the Moslems at Poitiers (732) and Berri (737) and, by conquering Aquitaine (now Brittany) enabled his son Pepin the Short to found the Carolingian dynasty in AD751. King Charles I (Charlemagne) (768-814) continued the Frankish expansion initiated by his predecessors. He subjugated the Langobards in Italy, proclaimed himself king of Lombards in 774, vanquished the Avars and spread his rule over the Pannonian valley. After war with the Saxon Germanic tribe, he extended his domain to the Laba River in the north-east. He created a powerful Frankish state which included all the countries of western and central Europe, and proclaimed himself Roman Emperor in 800.
By the time of Charlemagne, the feudal system had taken deep root in the Frankish state. His laws (capitularia) regulated obligatory military service and the recruiting system. At his call the feudal lords gathered at a predetermined point; failure to turn up resulted in a fine and confiscation of holdings. Every rider had to have body-armour (brunia), shield, spear, helmet, sword and knife, a fully equipped horse, a wagon with all the necessary tools (axe, spade, pickaxe, auger) and provisions for three months.
It is now impossible to determine whether brunia was a particular type of armour, named after the metal platelets and rings (brynja) sewn on to a goatskin shirt, or just a generic term for body-armour. Carolingian knights used armour found throughout Europe, of the type worn by Avars and Byzantines: lamellar, mail or scale hauberk and mail coif. The sword was the most expensive and important piece of equipment; its production required great forging skill, and its quality reflected the status of its owner. Although their first neighbours – Arabs, Lombards and Avars – used stirrups, the Carolingians showed little interest at first in this particular piece of equipment, as their battle tactics gave equal importance to fighting on horseback and on foot. Stirrups became standard equipment only towards the end of the ninth century.
Charlemagne also had a standing force organized into independent units (scarae), numbering several hundred men, under the local administration and command of a count (graf). These units guarded the borders of the state and garrisoned important forts; they could also be used for police duty. Several border counties were joined in administrative provinces called marcae, under the rule of a comes marcae, or markgraf.
From the time of King Pepin, the sovereign was protected by a standing elite unit of noblemen (scola), who lived at court, or in the near vicinity. It was expected that a nobleman’s military role would benefit from the profits of his estate, so the richer warriors had to have better equipment and use it more effectively. The scola were the elite and best mounted and equipped fighting unit of the Carolingian cavalry.
