Need TWC community help: Norwegian army from 1100 - 1500
Im researching military history about this period for a mod, and would be gratful if people have some input on this subject. How many of what type of unit really:
I know hirdmen was a small concentrated bodyguard unit of 40 men ā King/earl(Lendmann), but that it later grew in substansial size as a elite Men-at-arms unit.
I know that the Leidang (levy farmers) adopted the shield wall, that they used padded armour, a shield, a javelin + an axe or a sword. That they later would use mail armour, solid shield, a javelin(?) spear + a sword or a mace.
Planned Norwegian roster:
Settlement type: Building: early units first, then late units(some units have limited numbers of recruites available).
City units: Militia Barracks: Leidang(Early), Veidimenn(Early), Landevaernet(late), Armbrost Landevaernet(late), Svårdstaev Landevaernet(late) Town hall: Gestir, Huscarls(small recruite number), Småsvenner(very small recruite number), Hirdmenn(very small recruite number) Church: Fraelse(small recruite number)
Castle units: Barracks: Huscarls, Svårdstaev Landevaernet, Hirdmenn, Dismounted Ridder Archery range: Veidimenn, Armbrost Landevaernet Stable: Småsvenner, Ridder Church: Fraelse, maybe a mounted version of Fraelse(?)
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
First Planned Norwegian roster:
Early period
Leidang - Levy infantry
Veidimenn - Hunters
Huskarlar - Professional 2h heavy infantry
Gestir - Professional light infantry
Hirdmenn - General unit on foot (replaces NE bodyguard)/professional heavy infantry
Småsvenner - Professional light cavalry
Late period
Landevaernet - Levy infantry
Armbrost Landevaernet - Levy crossbow infantry
Svårdstaev Landevaernet - Levy pike infantry
Fraelse - Professional 2h heavy infantry
Dismounted Ridder - Professional heavy infantry
Ridder - Professional heavy cavalry
High period
I don't think I will be replacing any units as the functionalities are ok and does not make sense to replace only names (which would require unique unit slot anyways)
INFANTRY
Hirdmenn
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Well-equipped group of warriors, main body of king's retainers. During early period used as king's bodyguards fighting on foot, later becoming recruitable unit.
Type: Professional heavy infantry
Equipment: mail or lamellar armour, sword and a late kite shield. (Several findings of lamellar armour from this period from Gotland, Sweden)
Leidang
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Leidang was a public levy of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. Leidang forms the core of a typical Norwegian army.
Type: Levy spearmen
Equipment: Padded armour, spear and a round shield, occasional Norman helmet with noseguard and mail representing richer farmers.
Gestir
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A group of low born professional warriors. Historically they acted as a kind of police force, doing errands for the king, executing his justice and collecting his taxes.
Type: Professional light infantry
Equipment: Padded or mail armour, axe and a round shield.
Huskarlar
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Early bodyguards to Scandinavian Jarls originally dating back to Viking age. Ferocious professional warriors wielding two handed Danish axes. Huskarlar slowly disappeared later in Medieval times when there was no need for personal armies and Late Medieval society started to shape up.
Type: Professional heavy infantry
Equipment: mail and two handed axe.
Veidimenn
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A group of Norwegian hunters equipped with bows and multi layered armour. Ferocious in melee as they're equipped with two handed axes.
Type: Levy archers
Equipment multi layered armour, a weak bow and two handed axe.
Landevaernet
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Landevaernet was a public levy of Denmark and Norway during Union times (15th century onwards or so) and replaces Leidang. Troops consisted of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. Landevaernet forms the core of a typical Norwegian army.
Type: Levy spearmen
Equipment: Mail and padded armour, spear and a round shield, helmet.
Armbrost Landevaernet
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Landevaernet was a public levy of Denmark and Norway during Union times (15th century onwards or so) and replaces Leidang. Troops consisted of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. Landevaernet forms the core of a typical Norwegian army.
Type: Levy crossbowmen
Equipment: Mail and padded armour, crossbow, helmet.
Svärdstaev Landevaernet
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Landevaernet was a public levy of Denmark and Norway during Union times (15th century onwards or so) and replaces Leidang. Svärdstaev troops can be considered as experienced militia troops and are capable of forming spear wall.
Type: Levy infantry
Equipment: mail, occasional half plate armour wielding svårdstaev polearm
Fraelse
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"The Saved" were minor nobles and churchmen saved from paying taxes. Well equipped in medieval standards but less trained than Ridder they preferred fighting on foot.
Type: Professional heavy infantry
Equipment: Half plate wielding poleaxe
Dismounted Ridder
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There were only a couple of hundred dubbed knights in Norway, Denmark and Sweden each. Ridder were not experienced in mounted combat preferring to fight on foot in many occasions.
Type: Professional heavy infantry
Equipment: Half plate wielding maces
CAVALRY
Småsvenner
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Småsvenner are Scandinavian minor nobles. Due to difficult terrain and dense forests Norse were not experienced riders. They preferred local lightly build horse breeds when mounted.
Type: Professional light cavalry
Equipment: mail wielding spears, swords as secondary weapons
Ridder
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
There were only a couple of hundred dubbed knights in Norway, Denmark and Sweden each. Scandinavian terrain, many lakes and dense forest were not optimal for mounted fighting. Local smaller horse breeds were used thus ridder were seldom a match for their European counterparts.
Type: Professional heavy cavalry
Equipment: Half plate wielding polearms, maces as secondary weapons
--
Thorolf was thus armed. Then Thorolf became so furious that he cast his shield on his back, and, grasping his halberd with both hands, bounded forward dealing cut and thrust on either side. Men sprang away from him both ways, but he slew many. Thus he cleared the way forward to earl Hring's standard, and then nothing could stop him. He slew the man who bore the earl's standard, and cut down the standard-pole. After that he lunged with his halberd at the earl's breast, driving it right through mail and body, so that it came out at the shoulders; and he lifted him up on the halberd over his head, and planted the butt-end in the ground. There on the weapon the earl breathed out his life in sight of all, both friends and foes. [...] 53, Egil's Saga
I must tell you here of some amusing tricks the Comte d'Eu played on us. I had made a sort of house for myself in which my knights and I used to eat, sitting so as to get the light from the door, which, as it happened, faced the Comte d'Eu's quarters. The count, who was a very ingenious fellow, had rigged up a miniature ballistic machine with which he could throw stones into my tent. He would watch us as we were having our meal, adjust his machine to suit the length of our table, and then let fly at us, breaking our pots and glasses.
- The pranks played on the knight Jean de Joinville, 1249, 7th crusade.
This is the only forum I visit with any sort of frequency and I'm glad it has provided a home for RTR since its own forum went down in 2007. Hopefully my donation along with others from TWC users will help get the site back to its speedy heyday, which will certainly aid us in our endeavor to produce a full conversion mod Rome2.
Need TWC community help: Norwegian army from 1100 - 1500
Originally Posted by Finn
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