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  1. #1

    Default Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia


    Welcome to the fourth faction preview of RESTITVTOR ORBIS.

    Here we offer You a first look at the Kingdom of Armenia!



    - The Historical Background -


    After the destruction of the Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic Armenian state was founded in 190 BC, with Artaxias as its first king and the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty. At its zenith, from 95 to 66 BC, Armenia extended its rule over parts of the Caucasus and the area that is now eastern Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. For a time, Armenia was one of the most powerful states in the Roman East. It came under Roman control in 66 BC, and the Armenian people adopted a Western political, philosophical, and religious orientation. According to Strabo, around this time everyone in Armenia spoke "the same language."

    In the middle of the 1st century AD, a new royal dynasty - the Arshakuni ( or Arsacids ) - was established in Armenia. This dynasty was related to the royal family of the Parthian Empire, which bared the same family name. At this period Armenia and Parthia enjoyed a long period of peace and cooperation, until in 251 AD when the Sassanid dynasty came to power in Persia. Regarding Armenia as the ally of the overthrown dynasty, the Sassanids adopted an anti-Armenian policy, trying to eliminate the Armenian state and to assimilate the Armenian nation. Since the Armenian religion of that period bared similarities to both Zoroastrianism and Greco-Roman polytheism, in the realization of their anti-Armenian policy the Sassanids were trying to capitalize on the religious closeness. In order to deprive the Persians of this advantage, the Armenian king Trdat III in 301 AD declared Christianity the state religion of Armenia, thus making Armenia the first Christian state in the world, with Gregory the Illuminator as the first head ( Catholicos ) of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire 12 years after Armenia became officially Christian.

    In 337 AD, during the reign of Khosrov III, the Persian king Shapur II invaded Armenia, and during the following decades, Armenia was once again disputed territory between the Romans and the Persians.

    Armenia remained under the rule of Arsacid client kings until 428 AD when its last ruler, Artashes IV, was deposed by the Persian king, Bahram V.





    - The Units -


    Here's some samples of the new units:


    Among the Eastern peoples, foot archers are highly regarded. Archery is a key to win battles and training is hard and heavily emphasized. In both sieges and field battles foot archers have proven themselves again and again as decisive. They are to soften up the enemy before the elite cavalry are going to attack. In defence they are entrusted to stop enemy cavalry and infantry attacks. The archers have to shoot as many salvos as possible. For the enemy it is most important to close in as fast as possible and get to close combat, somewhat the foot archers are ill-suited for. These archers are of lower caste, but more respected than common levy warrior. Their equipment is better and they are more professional soldiers than the Rhamiks. Standard battle tactics are that they are deployed before the spearmen, firing from behind a wall of shields, retiring through them to avoid close combat.

    Sêlâbgandân-î Kôrdîg (Kurdish Javelinmen) are fleet-footed, tough skirmishers recruited from the harsh hill regions of the Sassanid Empire. They are recruited from among the independent Kurds, a people who have a long tradition of irregular warfare, as they do not accept foreign overlords easily. They are best employed to harrass enemies and thin their ranks with missile volleys before the main battle is joined. They are capable of fighting hand-to-hand, but this is not their strength and against anyone other than other skirmishers they will suffer disproportionate casualties. They carry little war gear other than their weapons, giving them their speed over rough terrain.

    The Rhamiks are the peasants of Armenian society. Called into service (or more probably pressed into it), they use their own equipment, javelins, swords, spears, and are given a good lesson in obedience to their betters before being pushed into a battle line. They are best employed to harrass enemies and thin their ranks with missile volleys before the main battle is joined. They are capable of fighting hand-to-hand, but this is not their strength and against anyone other than other skirmishers they will suffer disproportionate casualties. They carry little war gear other than their weapons, giving them their speed over rough terrain.

    Slingers are highly skilled troops who can bombard enemies with a hail of cruel and effective missiles. They are at risk facing light cavalry units who can ride them down. A sling is one of the simplest and oldest weapons in the world, but one of the hardest to use well. Any small object can become a deadly missile for a slinger, but most are given a bag of cast lead bullets (around 25 grammes in weight or so) which fly more reliably than stones picked up on the battlefield. Sling bullets might seem harmless, but when hurled at speed and with accuracy they can bring down the strongest man, or even a horse: a skull will crack when a slinger hits home! These tough mountain men have usually relied on their skills to put meat on the table all their lives. They are also capable of defending themselves, when they must, in hand-to-hand combat.



    Netadzik Gund: The Armenians, like the Sassanians, employed their archers to good effect, Though not the elite, unlike in Sassanian armies, they were well trained and fairly well equipped. The Armenians, as much as other civilzed army at the time, relied a lot on infantry and they had copied the fighting style and structure of the Roman Legions. These infantry are regular units composed of well trained and comparatively well equipped units. The social structure, however, would look upon these men as a lower class, though conversion to Christianity would have eased this social stigma somewhat. They can certainly fight but, are not the equals of their Roman counterparts. They are a professional corps of fighters who can be expected to stand in a battle line and behave with great courage and equipped with better weapons and armor than levies.

    Kentronakan Gund: The Kentronakan Gund (Central Soldiers/Units) were the elite infantry of the Armenians. They were used from Argishti I (785 BC) till the end of the Cilician Kingdom. Soldiers were equipped with heavy armour, long shields and long spears. In the Kentronakan Gund were soldiers from Royal lands, low ranking nakharars and bdeshks. They were chosen from among the bravest soldiers. They are a professional corps of fighters who can be expected to stand in a battle line and behave with great courage and equipped with the best weapons and armor.



    Azat Spearmen: Caught between two superpowers, the Romans and the Sassanids, the Armenians developed a military structure which is somewhat a blend of both the infantry heavy of the Romans and the cavalry heavy of the Sassanians. The Armenians, as much as other civilzed army at the time, relied a lot on infantry and they had copied the fighting style and structure of the Roman Legions. These infantry are regular units composed of well trained and comparatively well equipped units. The social structure, however, would look upon these men as a lower class, though conversion to Christianity would have eased this social stigma somewhat. They can certainly fight but, are not the equals of their Roman counterparts. They are a professional corps of fighters who can be expected to stand in a battle line and behave with great courage and equipped with better weapons and armor than levies.

    Azat Infantry: Even before encountering the Romans, the Armenians were fighting "Legionnaire style" thus the "Imitation Legionnaires" described by the Romans were not imitation after all. This fighting style (javelin and sword) is fairly common in the near east and is still the favored style of the Daylamites. They are a professional corps of fighters who can be expected to stand in a battle line and behave with great courage and equipped with better weapons and armor than levies.



    Ayrudzi Netadzik: Armenian Archer Cavalry are expert archers. Few enemies within arrow shot are safe! They can also fight hand-to-hand when they must, making them a double threat to enemies. The Armenians draw their fighting tradition from the Parthians, with their heavy cvalry, from the Romans, with heavy infantry, and from their steppe neighbors, with their archer cavalry, making them a very effective fighting force, so much so that they were highly regarded in both the Sassanian Armies and the Armies of Rome. These units, drawn from the peasantry, may not look impressive - or particularly clean - but this doesn't detract from their utility in battle. They should be seen as good all-round fighters, and as a result are a useful force for any warlord to lead. When they aren't shooting enemies, they can cut a few throats!




    Aspet-i Armeni Cavalry & Lancers: The Armenians fielded very excellent cavalry, with the Sassanids and Romans using them as mercenaries in their own armies. Few can withstand their ponderous lance charge! The Armenian Military has always been arrayed and equipped very similarly to their Parthian and later, Sassanid neighbors, it can also be said that the Parthians, and Sassanids were arrayed like the Armenians, since Armenians make up a large portion of the Sassanid army. It has to be noted that the Sassanids used a lot of Armenian cavalry among their ranks, among such a people who have a lot of Cavalry at their disposal, this fact alone speaks a lot about the quality of the Armenian horseman. Cataphracts are not the answer to every tactical problem. They are superb for breaking enemy formations, but they cannot be used for more 'traditional' cavalry duties such as pursuit and screening. They are an iron fist inside a spiked iron glove, ready to deliver their commander's punch to the enemies' collective throat!


    Nakharar Gund: Armenian nobles were arrayed and fought very much like their Sassanid neighbors, to whom they often times paid obeisance to, and oftentimes, for whom they fought. The Nakharar are heavily armored, riding armored horses, and armed with bows and lances. They can be used to rain down a hail of arrows, before they are commited to a lance charge. They are certainly very capable fighters and can be relied to obey commands and hold their ground as much as other professional corps.


    These soldiers are charged with the protection of the Zoravar (General). In battle, they are a heavily armed and armored elite, to be used at the moment of crisis. These Royal Guards are well trained, better armoured than almost every other soldier in the world, and brutally effective! Few other men can hope to stand against an attack by these super-heavy cavalry. The only thing that they have to fear - and this is true of all cavalrymen - is a unit of stalwart spearmen. Even a fully armoured horse will hesitate when faced with gleaming spearpoints. These men are best used as a mobile 'hammer' to smash slow or static enemy units. They are not suited to pursuing fleeing enemies or driving off skirmishers.



    Here's the Armenian officers with the general in the middle.




    - Screenshots -


    Here's some screenshots of the new units in action:























    - The Faction Icon -






    - The Battle Standards -






    - The Historical Portraits -



    Tiridates III was the son of Khosrov II of Armenia. When the latter was assassinated in 252 by a Parthian agent, Tiridates, while still an infant, was quickly taken away to Rome. There he was educated and became skilled in languages and military tactics. In 270 AD, the Roman emperor Aurelian engaged the Sassanids, who had now replaced the Parthians on the eastern front, and was able to drive them back. Tiridates, as the true heir to the now Persian-occupied Armenian throne, came to Armenia and quickly raised an army and drove the enemy out in 287. The Roman-Armenian alliance grew stronger, especially during Diocletian's reign. With the emperor's help, Tiridates pushed the Persians out of Armenia.

    The traditional story of the conversion of the king and the nation tells of how Gregory the Illuminator was a Christian convert who joined the Armenian army and worked as a secretary to the king. Christianity in Armenia had a strong footing by the end of the 3rd century, but the nation by and large still followed traditional polytheism. Tiridates was no exception as he too worshiped various ancient gods. During a religious ceremony, Tiridates ordered Gregory to place a flower wreath at the foot of the statue of the goddess Anahit in Eriza. Gregory refused, proclaiming his Christian faith. This act infuriated the king. His fury was only exacerbated when several individuals declared that Gregory was in fact the son of the traitor who had killed Tiridates’s father. Gregory was tortured and finally thrown in Khor Virap, a deep underground dungeon. There he remained for 13 years until Tiridates fell ill. The king was brought to Gregory, and was, according to legend, miraculously cured of his illness. Persuaded by the power of the cure, the king immediately proclaimed Christianity the official state religion. And so Armenia became the first nation to officially adopt Christianity. Tiridates appointed Gregory as Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

    The switch from the traditional Armenian religion to Christianity was, however, not an easy one. Tiridates often used force to impose the new faith upon the people and many armed conflicts ensued, because polytheism was deeply rooted in the Armenian people. The king worked feverishly to spread the faith and died, possibly due to poisoning, in 330.





    - Signature Banners -



    http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4821/banner001m.png


    http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9486/banner001b.png


    http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7275/banner002.png


    http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6850/banner002b.png




    - The Credits -


    The Team of INVASIO BARBARORVM - RESTITVTOR ORBIS, consists of:

    julianus heraclius - Mod Leader
    Joar - 2D art & textures

    A full and more detailed list of credits will be provided at the release of the modification.





  2. #2

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Excellent!
    'The Last Pagan Emperor'- An Invasio Barbarorum Somnium Apostatae Juliani AAR
    MAARC L 1st Place
    MAARC LXXI 1st Place

    'Immortal Persia' A Civilization III AAR

    Prepare to imbibe the medicine of rebuke!

  3. #3
    tomySVK's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Fantastic preview, with such amazing Armenians and Sassanids the splendour of the East rise again Well done the magnificient duo!

  4. #4

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Brilliant¡

    I don't really know if I want to crush or use them on the battlefield¡ Will be a pleasure winning them with legions or savarans and a wonderful army to command. Their equipment is trully amazing and magnificent, the Azats, the Aspeti-Armeni, the guardsmen...

    Thanks for making such a wonderful work¡

    And also it comes with a Joar's wonderful portrait...

    Left: artwork by the great Duncan Fegredo.

    A link to my Deviantart's account.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Man, those guys look great! Aspeti-Armeni Lancers are awesome.


    IB:Restitutor Orbis Signature courtesy of Joar.

  6. #6
    Diocle's Avatar Comes Limitis
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Wonderful work! fantastic units, portraits and all! I want to play RO now! It is a form of psychopathology, affects the sleep, dreams, it produces irritability, prostration, poor concentration at work and a continuous state of anxiety! I need my game about III century, please the situation worsens after every single previw!!!

  7. #7

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Quote Originally Posted by Diocle View Post
    Wonderful work! fantastic units, portraits and all! I want to play RO now! It is a form of psychopathology, affects the sleep, dreams, it produces irritability, prostration, poor concentration at work and a continuous state of anxiety! I need my game about III century, please the situation worsens after every single previw!!!
    With all these psychological disorders I now understand how you get you "Caligula" result in that Quiz...
    You are a worthy subject of study for Freud, Diocle!

    Left: artwork by the great Duncan Fegredo.

    A link to my Deviantart's account.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    OMG this is amazing. + rep.

  9. #9
    Constantius's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Excellent, whilst I don't have as many psychological issues as Diocle, I do never the less eagerly await this master piece


    Signature made by Joar


  10. #10
    Diocle's Avatar Comes Limitis
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Quote Originally Posted by Constantius View Post
    Excellent, whilst I don't have as many psychological issues as Diocle, I do never the less eagerly await this master piece

    This is only because of the Chelsea! Without Chelsea, you would have the same psychopathy of me!...I know you are dreaming only to destroy all the work of Diocles with your beloved Constantinus!!......or worse, in your complex mind, you could hide the intention to use, for the same malicious purposes, the treacherous dad of Constantinus,....Constantius Clorus!! (his skin was green because he was a distillate of betrayal and jealousy o.c.!)..........please julianus heraclius, I need to prepare the counter strategy against these evil projects!.....I need RO!

  11. #11

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Quote Originally Posted by Constantius View Post
    Excellent, whilst I don't have as many psychological issues as Diocle, I do never the less eagerly await this master piece



    Excellent work!
    The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. - G.K. CHESTERTON

  12. #12
    demagogos nicator's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Great job as always

  13. #13

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Nice . We are closing on the release at each preview .

    Envers et contre tous...et c'est tant mieux ainsi ! Ze political profile



  14. #14
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Amazing work, can not wait for the next preview!

  15. #15

    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Be quiet Diocle.

  16. #16
    SeniorBatavianHorse's Avatar Tribunus Vacans
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Amazing work and a wondeful preview of the Armenians! This mod is shaping up to be a fantastic piece of work and I can't wait to download it and sharpen my AAR pen!

  17. #17
    MorganH.'s Avatar Finis adest rerum
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    I love the great Armenian Empire and their conflicts with Parthia and later the Sassanids.

    Thanks IB R.O team for yet another amazing preview; +rep to the OP !

  18. #18
    Magister Militum Flavius Aetius's Avatar δούξ θρᾳκήσιου
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Hey bro that's pretty cool

  19. #19
    Legio's Avatar EMPRESS OF ALL THINGS
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Very nice!

  20. #20
    Blatta Optima Maxima's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Default Re: Preview IV: The Kingdom of Armenia

    Excellent. However, I must say I rather doubt the existence of a standing army loyal to the state. What the Armenians had, was rather more like really big private retinues for the more important clans.

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