[2] Although in theory, the arrière-ban depended on feudal relations, in practice it amounted to a general levy on all able-bodied males in the kingdom.
[3] In theory, this included all men between the ages of 18 and 60 years,[4] in practice such a wide-ranging levy was never carried out for fear of conjuring an ill-suited mob.
[1] The arrière-ban was proclaimed throughout the Kingdom of France on 30 April 1337, at the start of the Hundred Years' War.
After the disaster at Poitiers, the arrière-ban was not used for some decades as Charles V introduced a more permanent fighting force.
[4] Its practice continued into the early modern period, notably during the Thirty Year's War.