Who might come along on a caravan/pilgrimage?
- Thread starter satyesu
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What kind of caravan? Medieval? Old-western? What's the caravan's purpose? Religious? Trade and commerce? Political?
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Well, if it was a rag-tag caravan, I'd imagine families, livestock and perhaps a few possibly-seedy-looking men-at-arms, hired for protection. If it's more of an official caravan, there'd be a few soldiers at the front and back, on horseback. Plus merchants, families and the occasional healer/doctor/medical type. If any of the caravan riders are royal, there'd be knights with them. Rag-tag, you're maybe looking at a dozen to three dozen people/children. Commercial, possibly fifty to a hundred, and if it's royal, you're looking at several hundred, a caravan that's miles long.
Educated guesses, though. Take them for what they are.
Educated guesses, though. Take them for what they are.
They are going to need a cook, with either rations (cattle being brought along, etc) or the means to gather food - which would entail weapons, traps, and manpower. If the journey is long they would need protection anyway, especially if traveling through hostile or contested lands. Scouts seem a logical addition, or an individual who knows the route backwards (it is remarkably easy to get lost on modern roads, so ancient journeys are even more remarkable for this).
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Camp followers at the end. Made up mainly of women of all ages, including widows and prostitutes, who will cook for those who don't 'have' a woman, or clean for them and mend their clothes, and do just about anything else a man might need.
Some will have their children with them, too.
Some will have their children with them, too.
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Children of the women and illegitimate children of the people in the caravan if its been around for a year or more.
Peddlers selling things to the caravan and people they pass. These would be fairly temporary and change frequently.
For big caravans, craftsmen offering their services. Smiths, tailors, leather workers, etc.
People just wanting to get from point A to point B and following the large caravan for protection.
Some caravans would try to prevent this, if they're worried about bandits or need speed, but its fairly hard to stop without violence so as long as they stay at the back away from the caravan most of the time, they're allowed. Although anyone who looks untrustworthy, well armed, seems like a warrior, etc, will be forced out or killed by all but the stupidest caravan.
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Oh let's see. Probably about thirty folks in all? I expect you'd find a knight, a miller, a fryar, a summoner, a law clerk, a merchant, a shipman, a prioress, a monk, a nun, a wife of Bath.
You know the drill.
You know the drill.
If the route is dangerous or they're carrying valuable cargo, I'd expect quite a few soldiers/mercenaries who are along to protect the caravan. The spirituality portion of the caravan will probably be a good deal more rag-tag than the trade part: old people, the sick, the crippled, children...it was a common practice in the real medieval world for people to travel to holy sites for healing. If your caravan's going to a popular pilgrimage destination, it'll probably have quite a few people looking for help from the gods/god.
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