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HomeHome / Total War SAGA: Thrones of Britannia / West Seaxe Usurpers / Units / Earl's Spearmen
Earl's Spearmen West Seaxe UsurpersWest Seaxe Usurpers Spear Infantry

Earl's Spearmen

Powers granted to carry out royal business requires the muscle of bona fide warriors.

As the kingdoms of Britain expanded, royal deputies were needed to deal with the routine business of the land on behalf of their kings. Such men were referred to as ealdormen in the early Saxon period, but by the eleventh century the title was superseded by Scandinavian influence and they came to be referred to as earls and jarls, with the latter term used more in places more populated by Danes. An earl or jarl was not necessarily just a royal official, but could also be an upper-class man with land, estates, and a military retinue, likely by virtue of being descendant of a family that had previously ruled as kings, but subsequently had their lands absorbed into a larger kingdom.

Being well-to-do men, earls could fund the training and equipment for their own bands, so they were often made up of more elite soldiers than those who merely fought in the fyrds. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Earl's Spearmen

Unit Name

Earl's Spearmen

Main Unit Key

eng_earls_spearmen

Land Unit Key

eng_earls_spearmen

Naval Unit Key

vik_draca

Soldiers

160

Category

Melee Infantry

Class

Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost

750

Recruitment Cost

750

Upkeep Cost

200

Melee Skill

35

Melee Damage

32

├ Melee Weapon

vik_spear

├ Melee Base Damage

22

├ Armour-piercing Damage

10

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Attack Against Cavalry

25

├ Attack Against Elephants

0

└ Attack Against Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

24

Melee Defence

65

├ Base Defence

35

├ Shield

vik_medium

└ Shield

30

Armour

27

├ Armour

vik_mail_long

├ Armour Defence

27

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

100

├ Man Entity

vik_inf_med

├ Man Health

100

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Morale

47

Abilities

Earl's Spearmen
  • Shield Castle
    "Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
    Units cannot move in this formation.

Attributes

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

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses
Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Trained Spearmen Cost 150 Upgrade From Thegn Spearmen
Upgrade
Required Technology Master Spearmen Cost 150 Upgrade To Mailed Spearmen