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HomeHome / Total War: Attila / Kingdom of Charlemagne (Age of Charlemagne) / Units / Mounted Spearmen
Mounted Spearmen Kingdom of Charlemagne (Age of Charlemagne)Kingdom of Charlemagne (Age of Charlemagne) Spear Infantry

Mounted Spearmen

Spear and shield in hand, these men are best in melee, enduring the cut-and-thrust of battle.

Like other former barbarian kingdoms, the Franks inherited much of the Roman Empire's military and societal structure, not just its territory. Once again, cavalry was an aristocratic division as only wealthy landowners could afford horses and therefore provide cavalry during times of war. Elite cavalry, by extension, was drawn only from the most highly-skilled among them. They, more than any other, could afford not only the horse, but the mail and plate armour required; 'brunia' body armour was the single most expensive piece of military equipment of the age, costing more than the horse itself. Some took this to excess, adorning their armour with jewels and other finery, but Charlemagne was known to have criticised his noblemen for such ostentatious displays. In battle, Carolingian cavalry favoured a mass charge of spears to break the enemy quickly. This worked particularly well on favourable, flat terrain but led to problems on less-than-ideal topography. In fact, cavalry was still considered inferior until long after the Battle of Tours when, due to a failure in mobilisation, Charles Martel won the battle without any heavy horse at all. Standard Frankish horsemen were lightly armoured (wearing little more than padded cloth), carried spears and shields, and were best-suited for bringing home a cavalry charge and then, once involved in the fray, remaining to press the attack.

Mounted Spearmen

Unit Name

Mounted Spearmen

Main Unit Key

cha_fra_mounted_spear

Land Unit Key

cha_fra_mounted_spear

Naval Unit Key

cha_transport

Soldiers

160

Category

Melee Infantry

Class

Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost

650

Recruitment Cost

650

Upkeep Cost

195

Melee Attack

30

Melee Damage

32

├ Melee Weapon

att_spear

├ Melee Base Damage

24

├ Armour-piercing Damage

8

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Attack Against Cavalry

20

├ Attack Against Elephants

20

└ Attack Against Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

29

Melee Defence

57

├ Base Defence

32

├ Shield

cha_round

└ Shield Defence

25

Armour

53

├ Armour

cha_mail_long

├ Armour Defence

53

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

100

├ Man Entity

cha_infantry_heavy

├ Man Health

100

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Morale

47

Abilities

Mounted Spearmen
  • Spear Wall
    The unit moves into close wall formation.

Attributes

  • Expert Charge Defence
    This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
  • Disciplined
    This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
  • Hide (forest)
    This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses
Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Mounted Infantry Cost 120 Upgrade From Armoured Spearmen
Garrison Buildings
Mounted Spearmen x 1 Barracks
Barracks
(cha_bld_barracks_2)
Level 1
Royal Barracks
Royal Barracks
(cha_bld_barracks_3)
Level 2