[Faction Research]Regnum Francorum

[Heathen Storm]

This topic is for researching the precursor to the Kingdom of France. This will be one of the next few factions previewed, and I want to make sure that everything is historical.

Faction Information
Current Faction Leader: Lothaire (AKA Lothaire IV of France)
Current Heir: Hugh Capet
Current Capital: Paris

Military Tactics & Organization

I have divided the military of the Franks into two separate eras. The Early Era, under the Carolingian dynasty, and the Feudal era under the Capetian dynasty. The Feudal reforms will not necessarily need the Capetian dynasty to come to power to obtain, but the feudalization process will require a little help from the duchy of Normandy (either through war or alliance). Feudalization can then be "researched" (through a building at your capital) which will take a LONG time and a lot of money.

The military might of the Kingdom of the Franks was a force to be reckoned with under Charlemagne, the founder of the Carolingian dynasty. However, many years after his death that military had waned to a former shadow of its greatness by the 10th century. The Western kingdom's might, however, should not be underestimated once it can rebuild its once large kingdom.

EARLY ERA ROSTER

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Strengths: Strong heavy cavalry, decent levy troops
Weaknesses: Small, simple roster, no real "heavy" infantry

FEUDAL ERA ROSTER

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Strengths: Powerful knights, well-rounded professional troops
Weaknesses: Weak peasant/levy troops, weak, rare missile troops

If you have any information about Frankish (French) warfare from the 10th-11th centuries, including pictures, unit names, etc, post it here!

Osprey Images are not allowed.

[-V-]

Lothaire's son and/or heir is not Hugh Capet. Hugh Capet was a petty lord from Ile-de-France, and after the death of the last Carolingian, he was elected king because other powerful lords didn't want a new powerful carolingian to interfere with their business.

In your case, Lothaire's heir is Louis V, born in 967, so you can put him as a child aged 1 and set him heir.

Also, the Regnum Francorum wasn't a french-speaking country like the modern-era France. As a bastardized latin was the common tongue for gallo-roman low-class people, the upper-class, constituted of frankish nobles, was speaking what we called "Old-Frankish", just like "Old English" was speaken in Britannia.
Old Frankish was a germanic tongue from the same subclass as Flemish or Northern german. An example of Old Frankish (I don't know what it means) :
haşuşȳwas ann kusjam logūns
So, according to this, you should call Lothaire not Lothaire, but Lothar (sounds more german).

For settlements's names :
In the fourth century, gaulish towns changed their names. The latin names (ex : Durocortorum for Reims, Lutetia for Paris) were turned into the antic gallic tribe's name. For example, the location of Paris was occupied by a gallic tribe named "Parisii". The roman conquest established the settlement's name as Lutetia. Then after Rome's fall the town retake the old tribe's name and was called Paris. The same system is applied for Durocortorum, inhabited by the tribe Remi.

[BLIP99]

We know Hugh Capet wasn't a Carolingian, but having him as faction heir at game start is the easiest way to simulate the changeover to the Capetian dynasty.

Hugh has his own separate family tree which you will switch to if Lothair dies, simulating the switch to the capetian dynasty

But if you don't want to run with Hugh, just kill him or wait till he dies (he is older than Lothair) and then your son Louis will be your faction heir and the line of Charlemagne will continue!

Well, unless poor Louis dies prematurely....

If you have any better ways you can think of to simulate the switch, please share them with us! But otherwise thankyou for the info my friend

[-V-]

Oh, nice idea I didn't know about the heir switching.

And about frankish warfare :
There were cavalrymen drawn from the Visigothic refugees from Spain. Also, lombards were known as fantastic horseriders.
There was a differance between north and south : in the north, warriors were fighting for land granting, and in the south, there was permanent militias fighting for payment.

[Heathen Storm]

Oh, nice idea I didn't know about the heir switching.

And about frankish warfare :
There were cavalrymen drawn from the Visigothic refugees from Spain. Also, lombards were known as fantastic horseriders.
There was a differance between north and south : in the north, warriors were fighting for land granting, and in the south, there was permanent militias fighting for payment.

Hello mate - thank you for commenting.

So my recent thoughts on the foster are this;

They will start with somewhat outdated Old Frankish units, focusing more on mobile medium to heavy cavalry, but have very weak infantry troops. After they unite the northern and southern lands, however, they will gain access to slightly more professional infantry and heavier knights.

For the advantages and disadvantages of the faction;
Advantages:
-Excellent cavalry
-plenty of ways to expand
-trade and agriculture bonus

Disadvantages:
-fragmented state
-very low quality infantry levies
-Can't field large amounts of troops
-must unite nation to gain their full military potential

what do you think?

[-V-]

Agreed on the advantages, these three points are exactly the Frank's advantages at the time.

But in the disadvantages, I don't think I'll say "Very low quality infantry levies", as the southern levies were urban militiamen with a little roman tradition.
I'll say also "Must rely on foreign mercenary troopers", as there was lot of foreigners in the frankish army (Basques, Visigoths, Frisons, etc...)

[demagogos nicator]

Althought, there were historicaly no such a uniting of nation in this period I consider it gameplay-wise to be good idea for the reform triger in the mod

[Meelis13]

Althought, there were historicaly no such a uniting of nation in this period I consider it gameplay-wise to be good idea for the reform triger in the mod

some other factions werent united as well at time period (Estonia for example)- lets face it, Total war games are as sweet because they let you recreate or rewrite history

[Heathen Storm]

Agreed on the advantages, these three points are exactly the Frank's advantages at the time.

But in the disadvantages, I don't think I'll say "Very low quality infantry levies", as the southern levies were urban militiamen with a little roman tradition.
I'll say also "Must rely on foreign mercenary troopers", as there was lot of foreigners in the frankish army (Basques, Visigoths, Frisons, etc...)

I know, ijust meant they have poor quality infantry in the north and better in the south.

Althought, there were historicaly no such a uniting of nation in this period I consider it gameplay-wise to be good idea for the reform triger in the mod

Eh, by uniting I mean regaining their former lands. At this point the only allied duchies to Lothar was the duchy of Champagne (IIRC). All others were in open rebellion of him.

[BLIP99]

Eh, by uniting I mean regaining their former lands. At this point the only allied duchies to Lothar was the duchy of Champagne (IIRC). All others were in open rebellion of him.

I can see why people might be getting confused about what you are trying to say Heathen, so maybe "regaining their former lands" could be better explained as "reasserting the king's hegemony over the entirety of France and its vassals."

At this time the king didn't really "own" much more than his capital and a few royal domains, the rest was just duchies and counties that pledged allegiance (or not ) to the current king, and other than that, they just fought one another

[druzhina345]

Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana, from Saint-Sever SW France, before 1072

The Four Horsemen & a larger image of The Four Horsemen
Monstrous Cavalry & a larger image of Monstrous Cavalry
Ten Kings and their Army & a larger image of Ten Kings and their Army
Victory of the Lamb
Kings mourning about Babylon
Eschatological Combat

MIRROR SITE:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana, from Saint-Sever SW France, before 1072
The Four Horsemen & a larger image of The Four Horsemen
Monstrous Cavalry & a larger image of Monstrous Cavalry
Ten Kings and their Army & a larger image of Ten Kings and their Army
Victory of the Lamb
Kings mourning about Babylon
Eschatological Combat

druzhina345
Illustrations of Soldiers

[druzhina345]

The 'Life of St. Aubin'. Made in Angers, France.

Saint Aubin defends Guérande, end of the 11th century & a large image
MIRROR: Saint Aubin defends Guérande, end of the 11th century & a large image

druzhina345
Illustrations of Soldiers

[Heathen Storm]

It's curious to me that many of these images show infantry (or at least dismounted warriors). From what I know of Frankish warfare they relied very heavily on milites - mounted armored warriors - and their infantry were mostly peasants and feudal levies.

[druzhina345]

It would be difficult to judge troop proportions based on stories of an imagined future combat (the Apocalypse) and a single event (St Aubin defends Guérande). You aren't going to have cavalry riding Lions!
So these are most useful for costume and arms/armour.

druzhina345
Illustrations of Soldiers