Army camp
In the past, heerlager referred to large field camps of military troops. They could include several thousand people.
In the Middle Ages , wives , prostitutes , sutlers , laundresses, craftsmen, blacksmiths, miners, etc. were also integrated in the camps .
The composition varied depending on whether it was a mercenary army with a few leaders, or large armies with many nobles and knights, such as those of the Crusades .