Kingdom of Charlemagne (Age of Charlemagne) Melee Cavalry

Frankish Cavalry

Like other former barbarian kingdoms, the Franks inherited much of the Roman Empire's military and societal structure, not just its territory. Once again, cavalry was an aristocratic division as only wealthy landowners could afford horses and therefore provide cavalry during times of war. Elite cavalry, by extension, was drawn only from the most highly-skilled among them. They, more than any other, could afford not only the horse, but the mail and plate armour required; 'brunia' body armour was the single most expensive piece of military equipment of the age, costing more than the horse itself. Some took this to excess, adorning their armour with jewels and other finery, but Charlemagne was known to have criticised his noblemen for such ostentatious displays. In battle, Carolingian cavalry favoured a mass charge of spears to break the enemy quickly. This worked particularly well on favourable, flat terrain but led to problems on less-than-ideal topography. In fact, cavalry was still considered inferior until long after the Battle of Tours when, due to a failure in mobilisation, Charles Martel won the battle without any heavy horse at all. Standard Frankish horsemen were lightly armoured (wearing little more than padded cloth), carried spears and shields, and were best-suited for bringing home a cavalry charge and then, once involved in the fray, remaining to press the attack.

Unit Name Frankish Cavalry

Main Unit Key cha_fra_cav

Land Unit Key cha_fra_cav

Naval Unit Key cha_transport

Soldiers 80

Category Cavalry

Class Melee Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost 420

Recruitment Cost 420

Upkeep Cost 120

Melee Attack 28

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon att_spear

├ Melee Base Damage 24

├ Armour-piercing Damage 8

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 20

├ Attack Against Elephants 20

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 50

Melee Defence 37

├ Base Defence 12

├ Shield cha_round

└ Shield Defence 25

Armour 46

├ Armour cha_mail

├ Armour Defence 46

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 150

├ Man Entity cha_infantry_medium

├ Man Health 100

├ Bonus Hit Points 0

├ Mount cha_ger_horse_spear_shield_h

├ Mount Entity cha_horse_heavy

└ Mount Health 50

Morale 34

Abilities

• Wedge
  The unit moves into a wedge-shaped attack formation.

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Cost 120 Upgrade From

Garrison Buildings
x 1	Abbey (cha_bld_church_2) Level 2 Cathedral (cha_bld_church_3) Level 3 City (cha_bld_city_2) Level 2 Trade City (cha_bld_city_3) Level 3 Royal Court (cha_bld_court_2) Level 2 Palace (cha_bld_court_3) Level 3 Manorial Court (cha_bld_manor_2) Level 2 Grand Manor (cha_bld_manor_3) Level 3 Market Town (cha_bld_market_town_2) Level 2 Great Market Town (cha_bld_market_town_3) Level 3

Faction Availability
Age of Charlemagne	Kingdom of Carloman (Age of Charlemagne) Kingdom of Charlemagne (Age of Charlemagne) Frankish Rebels (Age of Charlemagne) Frankish Separatists (Age of Charlemagne) Austrasian Separatists (Age of Charlemagne)