AOK:CAVALRY

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This unit class covers all mounted melee units and heroes that fight from horseback, camelback or on elephants. Units are generally equipped with a sword, or scimitar. For a full list of units arranged by class see AOK:List of units.

All historical notes in italics are taken from the game manual.

Contents

Scout Cavalry

  • Hit Points: 45
  • Attack: 3
  • Armor: 0/2
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Medium

"The importance of fast horse units for scouting had been learned in Ancient times and caried forward into the Middle Ages. Even Middle Age armis built around heay knights maintained a force of lightly armored scout cavalry to act as the eyes of an army on the march. Scout cavalry employed horses bred for stamina and speed. They would range far in advance and along the flanks of an army to gather information about enemy movements. Scout cavalry were less useful in battles because the men wore light armor and had light weapons. They were very useful however, once an army was defeated and routing. Then scout cavalry were effective in running down fleeing survivors and capturing equipment wagons and prisoners."

Light Cavalry

  • Hit Points: 60
  • Attack: 7
  • Armor: 0/2
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast

"As Middle Age armies grew larger and campaigned further afield, the importance of scouting grew. Many civilizations developed light cavalry, an improvement on scout cavalry, for this role. Light cavalry were better trained and better equipped for fighting. In battle they could be used to hassle or charge enemy infantry or support their own knights in a charge. Light cavalry wore only light armor and a shield and fought most commonly with a spear. Civilizations that could not afford extensive armor for warriors, such as the barbarians in th East, put large contingents of light cavalry into the field."

Knight

  • Hit Points: 100
  • Attack: 10
  • Armor: 2/2
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast

"The knight was a heavily armored and mounted warrior who achieved certain minimums in training and position in Middle Age society. When made a knight, a warrior was often given land to support his military expenses in return for a pledge to serve his lord on campaign for so many weeks each year. By parcelling out land in this manner, a lord controlled a hierarchy of soldiers that could be clled upon when needed. Knights spent most of their time fighting, or training for fighting. They practiced war in tournaments, fighting for prizes or honors. Because few others could afford the equipment and training for war, knights dominated Middle Age battlefields for centuries. The evolution of new tactics featuring pikemen, longbowmen, crossbowmen and primitive handguns brought the dominance of heavy cavalry to an end."

Cavalier

  • Hit Points: 120
  • Attack: 12
  • Armor: 2/2
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast

"There was a hierarchy along knights based on feudal rank and fighting prowess. A lowly knight might achieve great social standing through battlefield commendation, tournament victory or marriage. Elite knights were made members of important orders, such as the Order of the Garter or the Golden Fleece. Such elite men were known as "Chevaliers" or cavaliers. the first cavaliers were selected for their political power and fighting prowess. As the centuries passed, the orders became more of a social elite."

Paladin

  • Hit Points: 160
  • Attack: 14
  • Armor: 2/3
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast

"The ultimate fighting knights were paladins, the cream of the cavalier class. Paladins were champions for their lord and orders of knighthood. These men were of the highest social class and elite warriors. They often made up the personal bodyguard of a great king and were sworn to protect his life with their own."

Camel

  • Hit Points: 100
  • Attack: 5
  • Armor: 0/0
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Attack bonus vs. cavalry

"The camel was a useful mount for warriors in the desert regions of the world because it could move quickly across sand and go for long periods without water. In addition, horses shied away from the presence of camels. The Saracens made good use of camels during the Crusades; camel riders would appear out of the desert to raid Crusader outposts and caravans, then escaped back into terrain horses could not cross."

Heavy Camel

  • Hit Points: 120
  • Attack: 7
  • Armor: 0/0
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Attack bonus vs. cavalry

"The heavy camel was an especially experienced warrior and rider who wore some armor. They were used by desert civilizations of the Middle East who fought against archers from the Byzantine Empire and horse archers raiding down from the steppes of Asia."

Cataphract

  • Hit Points: 110
  • Attack: 9
  • Armor: 2/1
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Byzantines Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. infantry

Elite Catphract

  • Hit Points: 150
  • Attack: 12
  • Armor: 2/1
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Byzantines Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. infantry

"The Byzantine army carried on many of the old traditions of the Roman Empire into the Middle Ages. This was a professional force that was well trained and well led. Officers studied tactics and command. The army was organised into formal units that kept their traditions for centuries. The best units in the Byzantine army were partially armored cavalrymen called cataphracts. They fought with several weapons, including the bow and sword. With plains to the East and North of their empire, the cataphract was ideally suited against the unarmored cavalry of their enemies. The Byzantine army went into decline partially because it lost the plains of Asia Minor from which it had drawn both horses and men to serve as cataphracts."

War Elephant

  • Hit Points: 450
  • Attack: 15
  • Armor: 1/2
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Slow
  • Special: Persians Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. buildings

Elite War Elephant

  • Hit Points: 600
  • Attack: 20
  • Armor: 1/3
  • Range: 0
  • Speed: Slow
  • Special: Persians Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. buildings

"The last civilization to employ war elephants was Persia, who got their elephants from India. The war elephant was a powerful complement to an army, especially against troops with no experience against them. They were very difficult to kill, but remained difficult to control also. If they could be directed into an enemy formation, the enemy almost always fell back in disarray."

Mameluke

  • Hit Points: 65
  • Attack: 7
  • Armor: 0/0
  • Range: 3
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Saracens Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. cavalry

Elite Mameluke

  • Hit Points: 80
  • Attack: 8
  • Armor: 1/0
  • Range: 3
  • Speed: Fast
  • Special: Saracens Unique Unit; Attack bonus vs. cavalry

"The mamelukes were slaves trained as warriors by various Arab leaders, partially because early believers in Islam would not fight each other. Slave warriors got around this ban. The mamelukes were well trained and highly motivated. A mameluke army from Egypt won a rare victory against the Mongols in Syria, turning these barbarian horsemen back from the Nile and North Africa. In time the mamelukes rose up against their Arab rulers and took control themselves. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in the 18th Century, he defeated a mameluke army at the Battle of the Pyramids."

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