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Recruitment of Troops (Warfare)
Many countries obliged men to serve in the army for a specific period of time. In England, the law required at least 40 days of service, which was not long enough for a campaign. Since many nobles didn't want their workers - or themselves - to enroll in the army, they were required to pay the government instead. Many armies resorted to mercenaries who were paid fighters. Since they often came from other countries, their sense of loyalty was very low. Additionally, they were generally not as skilled as the regular warriors who trained their whole lives.
Knights were drawn into battle by feudal obligations. They trained since the age of seven so they were very skilled fighters. In addition, coming from noble families, they could afford more expensive equipment. The High Middle Ages warfare was dominated by knights who were extremely effective.
In Italy, mercenary armies began to appear during the High Middle Ages. They preferred to leave the regular citizens alone - propelling the economy - while hiring mercenaries to do their fighting. This tactic became very successful with the introduction of gunpowder as poorly trained warriors could kill a knight effortlessly.
Recruitment in the Middle Ages changed gradually from mostly obligued service in the Early Middle Ages to paid armies in the Late Middle Ages. The mercenary market in Europe was very strong since the 12th century. However, with few exceptions no army was completely filled with mercenaries. Every country had a loyal army, even if small.
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