Hwicce Spear Infantry

Earl's Spearmen

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 Such men were referred to as ealdormen in the early Saxon period, but by the eleventh century the title was superseded by Scandinavian influence and they came to be referred to as earls and jarls, with the latter term used more in places more populated by Danes.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. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Unit Name Earl's Spearmen

Main Unit Key eng_earls_spearmen

Land Unit Key eng_earls_spearmen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 750

Recruitment Cost 750

Upkeep Cost 200

Melee Skill 35

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon vik_spear

├ Melee Base Damage 22

├ Armour-piercing Damage 10

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 25

├ 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 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_med

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 47

Abilities

• Shield Castle
  "Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
  Units cannot move in this formation.

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Expert Charge Defence[[/col]]
  This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
• [[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