Pospolite ruszenie

The Noble Levy was a general mobilization of the nobility to defend against military attacks on their own country. Behind this was the medieval view that the nobility mainly because of the privileged status because in case of need, it provides military services to the king or prince. Each nobles of military age was obliged to provide with equipment and retinue under the orders of the king said designated commanders. The Noble Levy had a purely defensive character who had to do only within the boundaries of military service towards the influx committed lords and knights. There was one exception, however: the struggle against the Ottomans, because the Muslim Turks were regarded as the enemy of all Christendom.

The general Noble Levy is not to be confused with the troops who put the stands on the King decision of the Diet are available or with the usual services in some countries knight who had a duty of Lehnsinhaber.

At the end of the 15th century, the Noble Levy had become a military anachronism. The associations of the nobility were no match for the experienced mercenary troops. Often, the nobles were inadequately trained for the military profession and often poorly armed, because the poor could not afford decent equipment. The kings summoned the nobility since the 16th century only to arms when they could get no troops otherwise, because the money was missing.

In the countries of the Bohemian Crown Emperor Maximilian II has called the Noble Levy against the Turks. The nobility followed with pain, was hardly three months in the field and dispersed, without ever came in contact with the enemy. 50 years later, during the Thirty Years' War, no banns of the nobility more were used.

The longest was held ( to about 1760) on Noble Levy in Poland (until 1795) and in Hungary. In Polish history, the General banns ( pospolite Ruszenie ) for the last time in 1683 by King John III was. Sobieski summoned to the rescue of Vienna before the Turkish siege in Hungary ( Inszurrekció, Nemes felkelés ) in 1741 to defend the land of the Queen Maria Theresa against the invasion of Frederick II of Prussia.

During the second Polish Republic ( 1918-1939 ), the term has also been used to refer to weapons-grade men aged from 41 to 50 years.

  • Nobility
  • Polish military history
  • Hungarian Military History
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