Estimate the silver, provisions, and wages to field a medieval army — based on historical 13th–14th century English records.
| Unit Type | Count | Daily (pence) | Total Cost (shillings) |
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| Item | Qty | Unit Cost (shillings) | Total (shillings) |
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Select your campaign duration using the slider or text field, then choose an era to apply the correct historical pay scales. Enter the number of each troop type — from elite knights to common spearmen — and add any siege equipment. Click "Calculate Army Cost" to instantly see total silver expenditure in pence, shillings, and pounds, plus a per-category breakdown.
Results are presented in period-accurate English medieval currency: 12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound. A modern purchasing-power equivalent is also shown.
Medieval feudal armies were expensive undertakings financed through a complex mix of feudal obligation, mercenary hire, and royal taxation. England's Exchequer Rolls and the Pipe Rolls record wages with remarkable precision: a knight banneret in Edward I's Welsh campaigns (1277–1295) earned 4 shillings per day, a knight 2s, a mounted sergeant 12d, a crossbowman 4d, and a foot archer 3d. These rates rose sharply after the Black Death (1348–50) as labour scarcity drove wages up by 30–50%. Provisioning typically added 40–60% on top of wages: the army required grain, salted meat, wine, fodder for horses, and vast quantities of arrows and bolts. A fully equipped destrier (war horse) could cost £40–£80 — equivalent to a knight's annual wage.
Understanding medieval military costs reveals why kings so frequently ran out of money, why campaigns ended prematurely, and why taxation was such a politically charged issue. The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) bankrupted several Italian banking houses — including the Bardi and Peruzzi — who had lent Edward III vast sums. At its peak, England was spending £50,000–£100,000 per year on continental warfare, requiring parliaments to grant unprecedented tax levies.
For wargamers, historians, novelists, and students, this calculator bridges the gap between abstract troop numbers and the concrete economic reality of medieval warfare — answering questions like: how long could a typical baron sustain 200 men in the field? (Answer: rarely more than 40 days without royal subsidy.) What did Edward III's entire Crécy campaign actually cost in modern terms? These numbers transform statistics into stories.
Wages are drawn from documented English royal army pay scales, primarily from the reign of Edward I (1272–1307) for the High Medieval scale, adjusted ±25% for early and late medieval periods respectively. For each troop type:
Total Wages = Daily Rate (pence) × Number of Troops × Campaign Days
Provisioning is calculated at 40% of total wages (based on Prestwich's research on Edwardian armies). Siege engine construction costs use lump-sum figures derived from surviving English and French accounts — a trebuchet cost approximately £100 (2,400 shillings) to construct, while a mangonel ran ~£20. Transport wagons are costed at 6d per day hire. All values are in pence unless stated, then converted: 12d = 1s, 240d = £1. The modern equivalent uses a purchasing-power multiplier of approximately £1 medieval = £1,000 modern (Oxford University historical estimates).
Results are expressed in the medieval English currency system: pence (d), shillings (s), and pounds (£). The conversion rates are historical: 12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound. A modern purchasing-power equivalent is also displayed for context.
The pay rates are based on documented English royal army records, primarily from Michael Prestwich's seminal work Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages and the published Pipe Rolls. They are accurate for English armies 1250–1400; Continental armies (French, Holy Roman Empire) used broadly similar rates but with some regional variation.
The calculator focuses on campaign running costs (wages + provisioning + logistics). Initial equipment costs — armour, weapons, horses — are partially reflected in the per-unit daily rates, which were higher for heavily equipped units partly to offset their equipment investment. A full equipment purchase cost would require a separate estimator.
Medieval silver had enormous purchasing power relative to today's money. Historians estimate £1 medieval sterling corresponds to approximately £1,000 in modern purchasing power (roughly $1,200–1,300 USD), based on commodity price comparisons. Major medieval campaigns were genuinely nation-defining financial commitments — the equivalent of modern defence budgets.