The Military Organization of Ottonian Germany, c. 900–1018: The Views of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg

Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg provides one of the most informed assessments of the military organization of the Ottonian kingdom of Germany during the tenth and early eleventh centuries. He describes a tripartite, Carolingian-type military system that consists of the professional soldiers serving in the military households of the king and major magnates, and of two types of militia forces. The first of these consists of the select levy, which served on military campaigns. The second militia force is the general levy that served the needs of local defense. Throughout his discussion of Ottonian military affairs, Thietmar places his heaviest emphasis on siege warfare.