Hwicce Melee Cavalry

Earl's Horsemen

As the kingdoms of Britain expanded, royal deputies were needed to deal with the routine business of the land on behalf of their kings. Such men were referred to as ealdormen in the early Saxon period, but by the eleventh century the title was superseded by Scandinavian influence and they came to be referred to as earls and jarls, with the latter term used more in places more populated by Danes. An earl or jarl was not necessarily just a royal official, but could also be an upper-class man with land, estates, and a military retinue, likely by virtue of being descendant of a family that had previously ruled as kings, but subsequently had their lands absorbed into a larger kingdom.

Being well-to-do men, earls could fund the training and equipment for their own bands, so they were often made up of more elite soldiers than those who merely fought in the fyrds. Their use of spears from horseback had been seen in a similar form around Britain before, with the Roman use of lance-bearing cavalry regiments. Advancements in horse training techniques and more significantly, the adoption of the stirrup into Western Europe, meant that horses were no longer primarily just a means to get to the battlefield. Mounted warriors previously ran a considerable risk of being unhorsed by the slightest impacts, nor could they carry out any significant blows without becoming unbalanced and vulnerable. Stirrups ensured stability, so that what had formerly been impossible on horseback in the cut and thrust of battle then became easy.

Unit Name Earl's Horsemen

Main Unit Key eng_earls_horsemen

Land Unit Key eng_earls_horsemen

Naval Unit Key vik_sae_wylfing

Soldiers 60

Category Cavalry

Class Melee Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost 800

Recruitment Cost 800

Upkeep Cost 275

Melee Skill 35

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon vik_spear_cav

├ Melee Base Damage 22

├ Armour-piercing Damage 10

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 15

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 24

Melee Defence 65

├ Base Defence 35

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 27

├ Armour vik_mail_long

├ Armour Defence 27

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 150

├ Man Entity vik_inf_med

├ Man Health 100

├ Bonus Hit Points 0

├ Mount vik_horse_spear_med

├ Mount Entity vik_horse_medium

└ Mount Health 50

Morale 47

Abilities

• Wedge
  "Let's break their line!"

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Disciplined[[/col]]
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade From
Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade To

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Cent Defena Dorsaete East Seaxe Hwicce Mierce Northleode English Rebels English Usurpers Mierce Usurpers West Seaxe Usurpers Suth Seaxe West Seaxe Westernas Westmoringas