Unit Mini Preview: Milites & Servientes
Milites
Referred to merely as 'soldiers' in the feudal system, these were in fact the lesser nobility. The priveledged few who could afford to equip armies and retinues and defend farmlands and townships. When a king or count went to war he would call upon his barons and the houses of the aristocracy to gather around him. Units would band together in the classes of society they were affiliated with. Knights were rich and healthy, they kept good horses and equipment and trained their skills not least with sport and hunt. A noble knight was certainly by the time that Chivalry as a concept had developed, a rather austere figure. Many knights may have been seen as great warriors but were in fact, very unlikely to have stooped to endanger themselves directly unless facing nobles of other nations. Knights would be reluctant to risk their lives fighting commoners unless in desperate tactical need. What a knight was most interested in was gaining the wealth and titles of his challengers. The effete and growing elitism of medieval knights segregated them more and more from real military experience, until the era of Agincourt would fatefully define military prowess based on skill not on class. During the high era however, particularly thanks to the lure of wealth and lands during the crusades, knights were literally the cutting edge of christendom. Neither to be underestimated nor relied upon too heavily, these are the highest form of european soldiery.
Servientes
Sergeants were more than lesser officers, they were themselves -especially in the early era- much like the knights they served. Typically given land and often individually being of gentry stock, sergeants would carry the colours of their own clans rather than the house they served. Sergeants were feudal servants nonetheless, of the primary order. They were much more likely to be sent to answer military emergencies on a daily level than the lords they served. Whether leading the retinues of a count, duke or king, sergeants were veterans of action since they were more disposable and with lesser responsibilities than masters of large estates. Sergeants could practice and dedicate themselves more readily to warfare, often motivated by a desire to climb the social ladder. In any case, in the Middle Ages you were more likely to have seen sergeants than knights on the field, and in many ways what they lacked in the riches of knights they made up for in experience and variety of skills.
-Sumskilz
For this preview, we are showing the milites and servientes as they will appear in 1080 at the beginning of the game. Like our other units, they will evolve along with advances in military technology throughout the period.
Credits:
Models: Sumskilz incorporating the work of Ronin and Lance of the Rusichi mod and shield models by Pacco.
Textures: Pacco incorporating the work of Ronin and Lance of the Rusichi mod and normal map by Sumskilz
Horse Textures: Argent Usher with minor modifications by Sumskilz
Unit Concepts and Descriptions: Hross
*** Preview Renders with 2D Art by Pacco ***
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