In addition to the usual conscription of nobles and their retinues and citizens from the cities of the duchy, above all Vienna, as well as the increasingly important but costly mercenary contingents, the peasants were now also called up for war. This meant that every tenth peasant had to do military service, while the other nine had to finance his equipment and continue his business in his absence. The meticulous list of equipment is a rare and therefore all the more valuable source for this period. Farmers were required to have hentzen (iron gloves), Eysenhut (helmet), Schießjoppe (cloth armour) or Panzer (breastplate and/or ring armour). They were armed with either crossbows with at least ten bolts, rifles with a pound of lead balls and powder each, flails (flails with iron fittings) or spears. In addition, everyone was to have a sword or a knife. The armed peasants were then to be grouped into a twenty-strong wagon crew, one of whom was to be the wagon driver, while the rest were to be divided into three riflemen, eight crossbowmen and four each with spears or flails. We even learn something about the wagons themselves: they were to have a drawbar and three longitudinal boards on each side and be drawn by four horses. In addition to this, each wagon was to be equipped with a tool and a five metre long iron chain with a ring and hook.

 

Unfortunately, we do not know exactly how expensive such equipment was at that time, but after the approval of the estates we can assume that it was considered at least reasonably realistic that the farmers could actually afford such equipment. The items listed are strongly reminiscent of the armour of the Hussites and are probably an imitation of their way of fighting. Like the Hussites themselves, the peasants, who were hardly experienced in battle, were supposed to compensate for their inferiority to some extent by using the chained wagons.

They were commanded by six members of the estates, and for ease of administration Upper and Lower Austria were divided into quarters, each of which was under the command of quartermasters. The dominions and parishes formed the smallest administrative units from which the peasants were to be recruited. Subsequently, the mustered peasants were to gather at assembly points such as Laa and Eggenburg and await further orders. Markets were to be held to supply the army. If recruitment was not carried out properly, the landlords had to reckon with severe penalties. 

 

Unfortunately, we are in the dark about the number of peasants in the army. However, we do know that the Austrian lands not directly affected by the war had to contribute a larger share. Some sources report several thousand peasants under arms, which does not seem unrealistic in view of the 1500 mercenaries that were also mobilised.

These mounted mercenaries were subordinate to the duke, but a third of them were assigned to the estates for the ‘daily war’, i.e. guarding the border, skirmishes and campaigns. Their armament is not itemised in detail, but in view of their pay, it is likely to have corresponded to the standards of the time.

 

In contrast, the peasants were primarily intended for the defence of their own country and were only obliged to serve for one month; anything more than this had to be paid for with so-called ‘letters of indemnity’.

 

The War Regulations of 1431 definitely represented an innovation in the Austrian system of war and administration. In exchange for more co-determination and restriction of the sovereign's power, the estates granted the duke access to a previously little-used rural contingent - an early forerunner of the later militia army.

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