It is said that there are 600,000 troops. Why was the First Crusade able to assemble such a large force?

First of all, the number of 600,000 is definitely an exaggeration. A more accurate number should be 40,000 to 50,000 combat capabilities. However, in the traditional perception of people in the Middle Ages, this was considered a relatively large army. The reason why such a large-scale military force can be assembled still needs to be found in the Western European society in the 11th century.

First of all, it is because war resources have been concentrated. Under the influence of the general social environment, feudal wars temporarily stopped at this time. At this time, desires within society emerged strongly, and war resources were concentrated. With these foundations, it was possible to assemble large armies.

Then came the comprehensive militarization of the feudal aristocracy. Many nobles joined the war and used religious and theological propaganda to enhance their reputation and establish their prestige. The relative stability of social order, economic development and agricultural harvests have greatly enhanced the strength of the nobility.

In such a social environment, the feudal nobles with resources must protect themselves through military force. On the contrary, force has also become a necessary means for them to expand their power. “War is crucial to defending and expanding land and rights, because – in the absence of, or at least relatively weak, supreme authority – If not the only one, then it was at least the ultimate means of resolving disputes.”

The knight class sprouted and rose. Knight was initially a title, then became a common sense accepted by society and the powerful, and was eventually assimilated into a synonym for nobility. The knightly class rose and formed between the 9th and 12th centuries. The huge social mobility in Western Europe in the 11th century provided opportunities for those squires who were lower than the nobility but were able to arm themselves and fight on horseback. They become social climbers.