Saxons are great

[Dark_horse_spirit]

Just wanted to say that the non Roman Empires in IBFD are the best balanced and graphically pleasing. I am currently playing the saxons and this faction rocks. Didn't the Saxons actually excell in the art of horse breeding, After all this is the land where the Belgian was first introduced to warefare wasn't it. The crusaders actually used the belgian in there campaigns....other than this this mod is great..thx

DHS

[beatoangelico]

from the little I know saxons did field cavalry, but they were still overwhelmingly infantry-based, and in britannia the anglosaxons continue to use old-fashioned heavy infantry organized in shield walls while on mainland Europe cavarly has become the central force of armies.

[Riothamus]

Just wanted to say that the non Roman Empires in IBFD are the best balanced and graphically pleasing. I am currently playing the saxons and this faction rocks. Didn't the Saxons actually excell in the art of horse breeding, After all this is the land where the Belgian was first introduced to warefare wasn't it. The crusaders actually used the belgian in there campaigns....other than this this mod is great..thx

DHS

As beatoangelico stated the Saxons were mainly infantry oriented but they had great reverence for the horse and were at times in history to have been known for horsemanship. Julius Caesar's used the Germanic mercenary cavalry and they had an impact on the out come at the battle of Alisia. Hengest and Hosa, the Anglo Saxon legendary leaders also have a ring of a horse reverence. The 6th and 7th centuries begin to show Saxon burials of warriors buried with their horses.

In Britain, a reason for not using cavalry was that on the coastline it wasn't advantages to breed horses. Marshlands that would impede cavalry movements were prominent around there early settlements. It is thought although that the Saxons did bring horses over but they were mainly used for carrying and transporting goods from village to village. It is believed that Saxon nobles did ride on horses. Dressed in full armour but dismounted to fight on foot. I tend to think after the Saxons were able to spread out of their initial enclosures, they would have used cavalry more often to raid and to skirmish deep within the British lands.

It wasn't until the 9th and tenth century on the Saxon mainland that they began to utilize the cavalry to their advantage. With their contacts with the Franks and their submission under Charlemagne 9th century they were introduced to horse breeding and the use cavalry that would soon have a major role in Saxon warfare.

[Dark_horse_spirit]

Thx,

That was interesting, I have always loved the horse aspect of the game. I now know a little more history about the horses that brought fame and wealth to our Saxon hunters of the day.

DHS

[Riothamus]

Thx,

That was interesting, I have always loved the horse aspect of the game. I now know a little more history about the horses that brought fame and wealth to our Saxon hunters of the day.

DHS

Your welcome,

Had to edit some of my post..some bad English on my part...and wasn't even drinking

[Jingles]

I'm not too bothered tbh about the lack of saxon horsemen, after all I think It helps simulate the fact (at least when invading Britain) that they hadn't worked out how to transport horses by sea. That's why they were shocked at how the normans did it when they invaded England. I'm not a hardcore historian on this era, so correct me if I'm wrong

[Draco Borealis]

Correct me If I'm wrong but heavy horses were breed in Flanders and Loreine the lands asociated with Franks not Saxons. Besides giving saxons the superior cavalery woud unbalance the game their bloody infantry is good enough thanks God for my cavalery becouse my milites stationares and pedites romanes can't hold the line against them for long. bristish legionares are good enough but you get them far later in the game.

[Ihatemonday]

Correct me If I'm wrong but heavy horses were breed in Flanders and Loreine the lands asociated with Franks not Saxons. Besides giving saxons the superior cavalery woud unbalance the game their bloody infantry is good enough thanks God for my cavalery becouse my milites stationares and pedites romanes can't hold the line against them for long. bristish legionares are good enough but you get them far later in the game.

+1

[Jingles]

Hehe, lovely saxon infantry, like a human battering ram. Even the Imperium Constintani can't withstand them in my campaign.

The picts gave me a spot of bother though, what with their bezerkers.

[HeroSK]

Agree on mod greatness..

I am not a historian but AFAIK, Saxons are famous with their unbrenchable "shiled wall", not their cavalry..

BTW, Sasanids are greatest...

[Dark_horse_spirit]

Hi,

THe Belgian is a ramming horse that is used to break the will of the enemy with one thunderous charge. This horse is not the biggest but the strongest. This horse weighs in at over 2 tons and was the closest thing that this era had to a MBT. The horse is called a Belgian for the simple reason that it was broken by the Belgai who are the original inhabitants of this area. The Flemish speaking people of later era saw no use for these horses other than farm help. Thier clumsiness and akwardness was never fully understood by the french speaking people. Yes this dopey Purebread is the reason for the great success that the Crusaders had against the muslim factions. I am suprised that no mod has used this horse yet.

DHS

[Dark_horse_spirit]

sorry, thats 2000pds, still alot of weight when considering the agility and jumping power that a horse has when in full gallop.

DHS