Kingdom of Mercia (Age of Charlemagne) Melee Infantry

Fyrd Axemen

The 'fyrd' was, in the simplest terms, a levy of ordinary farmers - 'freemen', in the parlance of the times, meaning those not tied to a lord as vassals. The infrequent but bloody struggles between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during the early Middle Ages, and the Viking threat that followed, meant that the process of levying troops to fight was still necessary. If people are fighting for their very homes and livelihoods - not just a distant figurehead of a monarch - they tend to have a sense of purpose and urgency. Courage can come later, bolstered by massed ranks in the mean time, as can proficiency - there was rarely much time set aside for training amateurs before a battle. Originally, every able man was recruited to fight but this revealed a flaw in that if a war or struggle became protracted, or if too many people died, then there would be nobody to work the fields at its conclusion. To this end, the Anglo-Saxons developed what we now call the "select" system, where only those deemed most able would be chosen to join the fyrd. The remainder would stay at work, creating a surplus of provisions and equipment for both the marching army and those left behind in order to sustain the realm and improve the army's chances of victory. In practice, the majority of men were not levied, so many were expected to service the war machine in other practical ways. The fyrd were called upon on many occasions during the years of the Viking invasions, most famously to fight the Norwegian king Harold Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, just weeks before the cataclysmic Saxon defeat at Hastings.

Unit Name Fyrd Axemen

Main Unit Key cha_eng_fyrd_axemen

Land Unit Key cha_eng_fyrd_axemen

Naval Unit Key cha_longship_transport

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 250

Recruitment Cost 250

Upkeep Cost 75

Melee Attack 37

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon cha_axe

├ Melee Base Damage 12

├ Armour-piercing Damage 20

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 28

Melee Defence 28

├ Base Defence 3

├ Shield cha_round

└ Shield Defence 25

Armour 6

├ Armour cha_cloth

├ Armour Defence 6

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity cha_infantry_light

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 32

Abilities

• Shield Wall
  The unit moves into a close formation and raises shields.

Attributes

• Resistant to Fatigue
  Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 100 Upgrade To
Requires Buildings
Lv. 0	Muster Hall (cha_bld_barracks_1) Level 0 Barracks (cha_bld_barracks_2) Level 1 Royal Barracks (cha_bld_barracks_3) Level 2

Garrison Buildings
x 1	Muster Hall (cha_bld_barracks_1) Level 0 Barracks (cha_bld_barracks_2) Level 1 Garrison Encampment (cha_bld_garrison_2) Level 1 Garrison Quarters (cha_bld_garrison_3) Level 2
x 2	Royal Barracks (cha_bld_barracks_3) Level 2

Faction Availability
Age of Charlemagne	Kingdom of Kent (Age of Charlemagne) Kingdom of Mercia (Age of Charlemagne) Kingdom of Northumbria (Age of Charlemagne) English Rebels (Age of Charlemagne) English Separatists (Age of Charlemagne) Mercian Separatists (Age of Charlemagne) Kingdom of Wessex (Age of Charlemagne)