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You do know the difference between a standing professional army and personal retinues like housecarls, or the retainers of Charles Martel, do you?
Yeah, Charles Martel held off the Umayyads with a few housecarls and retainers. <rolls eyes>

Do YOU know the difference between a retinue and a professional standing army? Cause I dont think you do.
 
Friend, if you can´t see the difference between personal armies payed by and and loyal to a person or house and as a core of a larger feudal part-time levy, and a standing army that surplants levies and are bound to states and not individual persons, then we literally have no basis for a discussion.

Edit: Besides, citing one or two historical examples where this definition fits (according to your definition) does not justify another pointless mechanic. And linking Francia to OP´s post who suggested this for highly centralised realms is super silly.
 
Friend, if you can´t see the difference between personal armies payed by and and loyal to a person or house and as a core of a larger feudal part-time levy, and a standing army that surplants (supplants) levies and are bound to states and not individual persons, then we literally have no basis for a discussion.

Edit: Besides, citing one or two historical examples where this definition fits (according to your definition) does not justify another pointless mechanic. And linking Francia to OP´s post who suggested this for highly centralised realms is super silly.

Due to the situation in Iberia, Charles believed he needed a virtually full-time army—one he could train intensely—as a core of veteran Franks who would be augmented with the usual conscripts called up in time of war. To train the kind of infantry that could withstand the Muslim heavy cavalry, he needed to pay them so their families could buy the food they would have otherwise grown. To obtain money he seized church lands and property, and used the funds to pay his soldiers. It was Charles' creation of a system whereby he could call on troops year round that gave the Carolingians the first standing and permanent army since Rome's fall in the west.

Also the individual person and the state are synonymous in this situation. Sorta the definition of a monarch (A monarch is the sovereign head of state in a monarchy. A monarchy is a form of government in which a group, usually a family called the royalty, embodies the country's national identity and one of its members, called the monarch, exercises a role of sovereignty.)
 
Due to the situation in Iberia, Charles believed he needed a virtually full-time army—one he could train intensely—as a core of veteran Franks who would be augmented with the usual conscripts called up in time of war. To train the kind of infantry that could withstand the Muslim heavy cavalry, he needed to pay them so their families could buy the food they would have otherwise grown. To obtain money he seized church lands and property, and used the funds to pay his soldiers. It was Charles' creation of a system whereby he could call on troops year round that gave the Carolingians the first standing and permanent army since Rome's fall in the west.

Now, that sounds suspiciously like a wikipedia article, which explains how you come to your conclusions.

As to monarchies, equating the person of the monarch and state as the definition of a monarchy is plain wrong, so is to believe that the head of state is automatically sovereign. Also, Charles Martel was not de jure ruler of Francia, which defeats this specific point anyway.
 
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Now, that sounds suspiciously like a wikipedia article, which explains how you come to your conclusions.

As to monarchies, equating the person of the monarch and state as the definition of a monarchy is plain wrong, so is to believe that the head of state is automatically sovereign. Also, Charles Martel was not de jure ruler of Francia, which defeats this specific point anyway.

Charles Martel was a Frankish statesman and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death.
 
Due to the situation in Iberia, Charles believed he needed a virtually full-time army—one he could train intensely—as a core of veteran Franks who would be augmented with the usual conscripts called up in time of war. To train the kind of infantry that could withstand the Muslim heavy cavalry, he needed to pay them so their families could buy the food they would have otherwise grown. To obtain money he seized church lands and property, and used the funds to pay his soldiers. It was Charles' creation of a system whereby he could call on troops year round that gave the Carolingians the first standing and permanent army since Rome's fall in the west.

Also the individual person and the state are synonymous in this situation. Sorta the definition of a monarch (A monarch is the sovereign head of state in a monarchy. A monarchy is a form of government in which a group, usually a family called the royalty, embodies the country's national identity and one of its members, called the monarch, exercises a role of sovereignty.)

Smells suspiciously like a mercenary company attached to one of his courtiers - just with an exclusive contract.

Ancient kings didn't really have the whole "head of state", or "ruler of a land" thing going - their titles tended to be "King of the Franks", not "King of Francia", or "King of the English", not "King of England". That persisted through to the 11th, maybe 12th century in some cases (I seem to remember Maud's title as nominal Queen was "Lady of the English", with her cousin and enemy in the Anarchy, Stephen, using "King of the English").
 
Charles Martel was a Frankish statesman and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death.
Direct wikipedia quote. He may have been de facto ruler, but that's nothing more than the person pulling the actual king's strings (or with Conclave, the guy who's got all the favours and is calling the shots on who gets to be declared war on or get titles...).