Vlandia
vlandian Culture
Feudal western kingdom with strong heavy cavalry and crossbowmen.
Unknown
vlandian
0 units
Military Overview
Strengths
- •Powerful heavy cavalry with couched lances available from both common and noble troop lines
- •Dedicated crossbowmen branch provides early access to well-equipped ranged troops with shields
- •All infantry options include polearms, reducing vulnerability to enemy cavalry charges
- •Economically balanced home region with dense settlements and strong production
Weaknesses
- •Complete absence of horse archers limits tactical flexibility
- •Light cavalry units are fragile and require careful deployment to minimize casualties
- •Reliance on crossbows reduces mobility and sustained fire compared to bow-equipped factions
- •Limited horse farms in Vlandian territory may require foreign sources for mount replacement
Recommended Strategy
Vlandian forces excel at delivering powerful combined arms assaults. Establish a defensive line with pike-wielding sergeants to blunt enemy cavalry charges, backed by billmen to finish wounded enemies and crossbowmen on elevated ground providing suppressing fire. Once the enemy's advance stalls, launch a devastating cavalry countercharge to shatter their formation, then advance your infantry to capitalize on the chaos. The synchronized volley fire from crossbowmen combined with the shock value of heavy lancers creates a formidable one-two punch on the battlefield.
The Battle of Pendraic
When King Derthert, great-grandson of Osric Iron-Arm, ascended to power, Vlandia maintained a fragile alliance with the Calradic Empire. His predecessor had negotiated this arrangement in exchange for imperial recognition, receiving a ceremonial crown as a gesture of goodwill.
In the spring of 1077, when Sturgian raiders struck the empire's northern borders, Emperor Neretzes demanded that Derthert honor his pledge and march alongside imperial forces against the Sturgians and Battanians. Derthert hesitated, prompting the Emperor to publicly denounce him and all Vlandians as cowards.
Enraged by this insult, the Vlandian barons forced Derthert's hand. The kingdom maintained the pretense of alliance until the decisive moment. At the Battle of Pendraic, Vlandian forces played a crucial role but suffered the heaviest casualties of any faction, with numerous knights falling to Imperial cataphracts. Many lords and barons still harbor resentment toward Derthert for these losses. The king himself refers to Pendraic as "a battle with no victors."