87 - Of the policies that King Fernando set for the ordering and benefit of his kingdom, and the arms he commanded to be borne

Summary

King Fernando, after he had signed this perpetual peace agreement, did not follow the saying of the prophet Isaiah in that passage where he said that they would beat their swords into ploughshares and their lances into pruning-hooks, and that no man would raise a sword against another anymore, nor quarrel with one another. Rather, like one who expects to have a great war once again, as soon as those matters of which you have heard had been dealt with, being in the town of Évora, he commanded that throughout his kingdom new censuses be taken of all its inhabitants, and also that the arms be changed from what they had borne before to a new fashion that began at that time to be customary.

First, he ordered that no noble who was obliged to serve him with a certain number of lances should claim as his own any vassal from among the residents and inhabitants of the town, for if such men were taken as his own by the noble, few would be left to serve the municipality, and they would be obliged to serve along with others who were not vassals. He also ordered it to be written that as many healthy and able-bodied young men as there might be in each town and village, although away serving another lord from whom they received their wages, should fight on foot, armed with the weapons of the retired vassals. If some vassals were capable of fighting with arms and horses, but could not arm and horse themselves adequately without great damage to their estates, these the king ordered should be given aid, after it was determined how much each needed to have added to what he had to complete his proper arming and horsing.