What was military life like in the french army/navy in the 1600s?
Like any European country back in the 1600’s French life was brutal and hard, the working classes were little more than slaves to the Royal’s and rich French landowners. France itself would have been broken into smaller countries or Duchy’s. The military was a fairly rudimentary affair, units would have to be supplied by the Aristocrats under a Royal decree, depending upon the size of the estate this would be reflected in the amount of men-at-arms that the Baron or Count would have to supply, remember the provider would have to pay, equip and maintain his men for security upon his own lands and personnel protection, as well as provide the King with men in time of war. The compensation would have come in time of war from any plunder or spoils granted depending on how they performed. The National Army if one could call it that would have been fairly small, no doubt the Kings men would be better trained and paid, these then would be suplimented by drafts of men from the aristocratic landl
