Hârn Yeomen & Feudal Levies

Yeomen and Feudal Levies © 2012–2014, by Ilkka Leskelä¹

Note: Green = I Have, Red = Don't Have, Orange = Old Scan, Blue = Misc, Black = ALL Base (Template)

Yeomen and Feudal Levies

Kaldor and Minarsas

This article takes a closer look on what we know of the Hârnic yeomen, especially their numbers. As a general note, the yeomen of Hârn are a phenomenon of the feudal kingdoms. This leaves Orbaal, the Thardic Republic and the Barbarians out of the picture, even if we can take it granted that a class of free, warrior-oriented landowner (or cattle-owner) commoners can be found in every Hârnic society.

The high medieval English yeomen clearly are the model for Hârnic yeomen. Historically, they were much more than warriors only. They were free landowners, local organisers of work and duties, “rural bureaucrats” operating between the royal bureaucracy, local magnates and commoners – anything a freeman with substantial land might be. Essentially, a yeoman is a trusted man because he can back up his credibility with his own wealth and some military skill.

Hârnic yeomen have been often discussed as part of the military, of the feudal levy. The militaristic tendency is typical for Hârn and Hârniacs, because RPGs share a common past with wargames, and many active Hârniacs and writers of fan fiction share an interest in military matters. In this article, we will take a look at the number and role of yeomen as the basis of the feudal levy. I hope the lessons of this article can be used as a basis for future discussions on the subject.

My approach is from top down, as this will allow us to study the general picture as given in the sources (“canon”). While the local and special is interesting for a local description, and of course for gaming, Hârn gives us a baseline for what is “normal”, “average” and “authentic” on Hârn. I think we should respect the amount of text used to describe the normal and average, and start from there. The analysis is then carried on through calculations and parallel scenarios. The sources utilised in this article are compact (some 20 pages in four supplements), and I have given the exact sources in subnotes.

Part I – Yeomen and feudal levies in Kaldor

Freemen in Hârnic feudal kingdoms

Historically, medieval English yeomen were free men. Nothing in the Hârnic data we have suggests otherwise, although the social position of Hârnic yeomen is not discussed anywhere in the general sources. Thus we can start by locating the Hârnic yeomen among his peers, the rural freemen. The HârnWorld supplement tells us that Serfs make up 70–90 % of the feudal rural population.2 The subinfeudation data in the individual kingdom modules (here Kaldor) localises and extrapolates this data: “A rough breakdown of rural households is: Serf (85%), Freemen (15%). The major settlements would tend to have Urban Freemen (60%), with the balance divided among rural populations as

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Notes

¹ This is a longer and thoroughly revised version of a paper in limited circulation in the Helsinki School in 2012. I would also like to thank Turin and CASTLEMIKE1 on Lythia/HarnForum for terminological clarifications in March 2014. ² HarnWorld (Columbia Games, 1990), HARN 6.

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