

Ceorl Axemen
In their hands, the most widely available weapon can be one of the deadliest.An individual known as a ‘ceorl’ or ‘churl’ had a very particular place in the stratified society of Anglo-Saxon England. Forming the basis of the free populace, they were neither noblemen nor slaves, ranking above the servile classes but below the nobility. A ceorl’s free status was marked by several factors, such as his attendance at local courts, his payment of dues directly to his lord or king, and perhaps most notably for the era, his right to bear arms. In fact, since many ceorls would have been tenants or even landowners, under Anglo-Saxon law they would have been liable for military duty in the fyrd, as was the case in Wessex.
Being freemen, ceorls would have had to provide their own weaponry. For some, the one-handed axe would have been the weapon of choice, since swords were costly and axes would have been already widely available as domestic tools. Various adaptations of axes were used in battle, such as the smaller throwing francisca made famous by the Franks, and the slightly larger versions primarily used as part of axe-and-shield war getups. Axes granted a unique form of damage output – although swords were ideal for slashing and stabbing, an axe could hack and chop with relatively less effort, and in the right hands was particularly useful for piercing armour, decapitation, and dismemberment.
![]() |
Unit Name Ceorl Axemen |
Main Unit Key dan_ceorl_axemen |
Land Unit Key dan_ceorl_axemen |
Naval Unit Key vik_draca |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Melee Infantry |
Class Melee Infantry |
Custom Battle Cost 300 |
Recruitment Cost 300 |
Upkeep Cost 70 |
Melee Skill 22 |
Melee Damage 26 |
├ Melee Weapon vik_axe_levy |
├ Melee Base Damage 11 |
├ Armour-piercing Damage 15 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Attack Against Cavalry 0 |
├ Attack Against Elephants 0 |
└ Attack Against Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 24 |
Melee Defence 47 |
├ Base Defence 22 |
├ Shield vik_medium_wood |
└ Shield 25 |
Armour 5 |
├ Armour vik_cloth |
├ Armour Defence 5 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
Health 100 |
├ Man Entity vik_inf_light |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 26 |
Abilities
Ceorl Axemen- 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]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close. - [[col:yellow]]Raider[[/col]]
This unit may set buildings on fire, cause more fire damage with torches and capture faster than other units.
Strengths & Weaknesses
No Strengths and Weaknesses
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Thrones of Britannia |
Faction Pool
Pool | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Pool | Faction | Initial Unit Count | Chance To Replenish | Max Replenish Per Turn | Max Count |
1 | danelaw | 2 | 0.15 | 1 | 3 | |
2 | east_anglia | 2 | 0.15 | 1 | 3 | |
3 | northumbria | 2 | 0.15 | 1 | 3 |