Editing Carolingian Empire (section)

===Military===

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| image1            = Oriflamme Charlemagne angon.jpg
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| footer            = 9th century mosaic of Charlemagne receiving a Banner from Saint Peter (top) and a modern rendition of the same banner (bottom)
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[[File:Carolingian Banner.png|thumb|Carolingian dynasty banner according to the osprey men at arms{{Clarification|date=June 2024}}]]
[[File:Carolingian Warrior.jpg|thumb|Carolingian warrior on a [[Horses in warfare|war horse]] (8th - 10th century) with [[lance]], [[Shields|round shield]], [[Mail (armour)|chainmail]] and [[spangenhelm]] in the Coronation Hall of the [[Aachen Rathaus|Aachen City Hall]] in June 2014 on the occasion of the exhibition "Charlemagne - power, art, treasures"]]

Almost every year between the accession of Charles Martel and the conclusion of the wars with the Saxons Frankish forces went on campaign or expedition, often into enemy territory.{{Sfn|Reuter|2006|page=252}} Charlemagne would, for many years, gather an assembly around Easter and launch a military effort that would typically take place through the summer as this would ensure there were enough supplies for the fighting force.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Sf8UIynR0koC&pg=PA13 13]}} Charlemagne passed regulations requiring all mustered fighting men to own and bring their own weapons; the wealthy cavalrymen had to bring their own armour, poor men had to bring spears and shields, and those driving the carts had to have bows and arrows in their possession.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Sf8UIynR0koC&pg=PA13 13]}} In regards to provisions, men were instructed not to eat food until a specific location was reached, and carts should carry three months worth of food and six months worth of weapons and clothing along with tools.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|page=17}} Preference was shown towards [[Maneuver warfare|mobility warfare]] in place of [[defence-in-depth]] infrastructure; captured fortifications were often destroyed so they could not be used to resist Carolingian authority in the future.{{Sfn|Bowlus|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0XBtVwukIogC&pg=PA49 49]}} After 800 and during the reign of Louis the Pious, efforts of expansion dwindled. Tim Reuter has shown that many military efforts during Louis' reign were largely defensive and in response to external threats.{{Sfn|Reuter|2006|page=252}}

It had long been held that Carolingian military success was based on the use of a [[heavy cavalry|cavalry]] force created by Charles Martel in the 730s.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|page=12}} However, it is clear that no such "cavalry revolution" took place in the Carolingian period leading up to and during the reign of Charlemagne.{{Sfn|Bowlus|2006|page=49}} This is because the [[stirrup]] was not known to the Franks until the late eighth century and soldiers on horseback would therefore have used swords and lances for striking and not charging.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|pages=12–13}} Carolingian military success rested primarily on [[siege]] technologies and excellent logistics.{{Sfn|Bowlus|2006|page=49}} However, large numbers of horses were used by the Frankish military during the age of Charlemagne. This was because [[mounted infantry|horses provided a quick, long-distance method of transporting troops]], which was critical to building and maintaining such a large empire.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|page=13}} The importance of horses to the Carolingian military is revealed through the Revised version of the Royal Frankish Annals.{{sfn|Scholz|1970|p=}} The annals mention that whilst Charlemagne was on campaign in 791 "there broke out such a pestilence among the horses [...] that barely a tenth out of so many thousands are said to have survived."{{Sfn|King|1987|p=124}} Shortage of horses played a role in preventing Carolingian forces from continuing a campaign against the Avars in Pannonia.{{Sfn|Hooper|Bennett|1996|page=17}}

The Frankish royal bodyguards, the continuation of the Merovingian institution of the [[antrustion]], were consciously modelled on Late Roman precedents. These guards were organized into ''schola'' and entitled ''scholares'', and used armour based on Late Roman and early Byzantine models. Frankish artistic depictions of these bodyguards also mirrored Late Roman traditions.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Bernard S. |last=Bachrach |author-link=Bernard Bachrach |title=Early Carolingian Warfare Prelude to Empire |date=2011 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-2144-2 |pages=70–71}}</ref>