Back to Work
This four-day weekend was a very nice getaway, however I must confess that I did miss working on Child of War over the weekend. Research into cavalry tactics and the life of the Carolingian military did get a bit of attention while I was away, and that has continued today. What is coming as a pleasant surprise is the realization that the original plans for Child of War do not in any way contradict the real-life aspects of 10th century military life, nor do they contradict the concepts of 10th century warfare. In fact, some of the challenges facing each of the military factions in the outline are supported by the documents I’m now reading as part of the research into the tactics of the time period.
Something with which I am still struggling, however, is the size of the various populations. As a general rule, the military infrastructure can be no larger than 10% of the population at large. The remaining 90% represent those outside of military age, the infirm, and (in some cultures but not all) women that are ineligible for military service. What it boils down to, though, is that a village with 200-300 residents – rather large for the 10th century, when you think about it – could field no more than 20-30 people in a military campaign. The popular Hollywood concept of these vast medieval armies with tens of thousands of knights on horseback just isn’t reality. The populations of the time simply couldn’t yield a military force that large.
The style of muster in Carolingian society works well with the small village population, and it also works well when you consider that the majority of people – including the military elite – made their living primarily as farmers. It was an agrarian society by and large, so the military structure as well as the campaign season had to be structured to support farm life. The Carolingian culture handled this very well for nearly three centuries, and I expect to utilize their concepts as I develop the background lifestyles in Child of War.
Something that did come as quite a surprise to me, however, has to do with the lack of fortifications around most of the villages and towns. I had envisioned some type of walled structure – even if it were simple stockade type walls – around the villages. That, it turns out, was not the case with the exception of some of the larger cities that would be built around a castle. An example of the latter style would be the city of Durnstein, Austria. Built sometime prior to the 12th century, the city has a traditional medieval castle set on a hill overlooking the Danube. The walls of the castle extend down to the river, and the city itself is within the castle walls. Consider, though, that in 2005 with the city expanding well beyond the original castle boundaries, the population is still only 911. So both the construction of the city and the subsequent population is a major consideration in developing the credibility of the world of Westerloch in Child of War.
So walled cities will be rare in Child of War. Lightgate, certainly, will be a walled city, as will Clifton. Alaric’s hometown of Dunhaven, however, will be more along the style of the traditional 10th century Carolingian village of small homes with thatched roofs. I believe I’ll have a stockade around the central part of Dunhaven where you would expect to find the marketplace, the seat of government, the church, etc. The bulk of the homes, however, will be outside of the stockade and will be structured similar to what you would find in any farming community even today. That’s going to make the initial chapters of Child of War more interesting, in fact, since it will add to the unfolding drama.
In any case, that is where things stand tonight. I’m back on the job after a 4-day weekend in New Hampshire. Research continues, and the general notes regarding the world of Westerloch are starting to take shape. Stay tuned…
Technorati: fiction writing fantasy Child of War
