Northymbre Melee Infantry

Danelaw Axemen

The warriors of the Danelaw were part of the powerful Danish military aristocracy that dominated the areas of Britain in which the Vikings settled during the ninth century. There had been several confrontations between the fyrds of King Alfred the Great and Danish forces up until then, culminating in the agreement which saw the Danish warlord Guthrum withdraw his forces from Wessex in the autumn of AD 877. In doing so, a portion of his Great Heathen Army settled down in the eastern part of Mercia, laying the origins of the Danelaw, the region where distinctively Danish laws held prominence in the local courts. Legal traditions aside, Danish military customs were also well entrenched in the area as Guthrum, initially unsatisfied with his army’s unfulfillments, remained poised for potential renewed attacks on Wessex.

The settled Danes shared out the land for the purposes of agricultural subsistence, but still retained their strong Scandinavian warrior traditions. For some, the one-handed axe would have been the weapon of choice, since swords were costly and axes would have been already widely available as domestic tools. Various adaptations of axes were used in battle, such as the smaller throwing francisca made famous by the Franks, and the slightly larger versions primarily used as part of axe-and-shield war getups. Axes granted a unique form of damage output – although swords were ideal for slashing and stabbing, an axe could hack and chop with relatively less effort, and in the right hands was particularly useful for piercing armour, decapitation, and dismemberment.

Unit Name Danelaw Axemen

Main Unit Key dan_axemen

Land Unit Key dan_axemen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 350

Recruitment Cost 350

Upkeep Cost 80

Melee Skill 25

Melee Damage 26

├ Melee Weapon vik_axe_levy

├ Melee Base Damage 11

├ Armour-piercing Damage 15

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 26

Melee Defence 55

├ Base Defence 25

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 5

├ Armour vik_cloth

├ Armour Defence 5

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_med

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 28

Abilities

• 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]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• [[col:yellow]]Raider[[/col]]
  This unit may set buildings on fire, cause more fire damage with torches and capture faster than other units.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Recuitment Requirement
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade From

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Bedeborg Djurby East Engle Grantebru Heimiliborg Hellirborg Holdrness Hylrborg Ledeborg Northymbre East Engle Usurpers Northymbre Usurpers Steinnborg Veidrborg