The author summarizes evidence of large professional armies in the service of the rulers of early medieval polities in Northern and Eastern Europe. Following František Graus, the author refers to that institution as “grand retinue” (Czech velkodružina, German Staatsgefolge). The rulers maintained these troops mainly by paying in cash collected as tribute from the populace. The late 10th-early 11th-century Poland and the “North Sea Empire” of Cnut the Great (1016-1035) provide the most compelling evidence on the grand retinue. In the 10-11th centuries Rus’, the princes also had armies of military servants, referred to as otroki (a Slavic word) or – more specifically – grid’ (term borrowed from Old Norse). Such troops played a major role during the emergence of the centralized political framework, but have disappeared or degenerated as early as the 12th century. Rus’ian records describe them as prosperous in the 11th century and show their decline during the 12-13th centuries. I interpret the Rus’ian “grand retinue” as an institution based on Scandinavian models, a result of the “transfer of knowledge” that occurred in Northern and Eastern Europe during the 10-11th centuries.

作者总结了为北欧和东欧早期中世纪政体的统治者服务的大型专业军队的证据。继弗兰蒂塞克·格拉斯，笔者指的是机构“盛大随从”（捷克velkodružina，德国Staatsgefolge）。统治者主要通过支付从民众那里收集来的贡品来维持这些部队。十世纪末至十一世纪末的波兰和“大喜怒无常”的“北海帝国”（1016-1035）提供了最宏伟的继任者最有说服力的证据。在10至11世纪的罗斯（Rus'），王子还拥有军队，被称为otroki（斯拉夫语），或更具体地讲，是grid（军人）。（该词条是从Old Norse借来的）。在中央政治框架的出现期间，这类部队发挥了重要作用，但早在12世纪就已消失或退化。罗斯的记录将其描述为在11世纪繁荣昌盛，并在12至13世纪间逐渐衰落。我将俄罗斯的“大后代”解释为基于斯堪的纳维亚模式的机构，这是在10至11世纪北欧和东欧发生的“知识转移”的结果。