I hope I’m right in believing (and communication at the Forum bears me out) that many MTW/VI fans (I’m not an exception) asked themselves: Are Jobbagy called that way because they do their job with a bag? Why does militia abound in sergeants having no corporals or, say, lieutenants on the staff? Is Alan mercenary cavalry called so because their captain’s name is Alan? Is Ghazi infantry related to the city of Gaza? And, to crown it all: Billmen, you say… Who the (beep) is Bill anyway? Or do they fight only after someone pays their bills? And suchlike questions. Or maybe fans (including myself) were fascinated by the quaint and exotic names of Futuwwa, Nizari, Faris and the like. In a word, fans were curious but not to the extent that would lure them into any systematic search for explanations. For such people, whose curiosity was less than laziness, I’m sorry, reluctance I should say, I offer this piece of research. Well, research is too proud a word for what follows further, it looks more like a college student’s project. Moreover, my part was more that of a compiler than a scholar. The information offered is by no means exhaustive, it should be treated as a landmark for those who would like to dig deeper. Yet, before you can read it I would like to make two reservations.
Reservation 1. The information that follows is not complete and irrevocable truth. If any inaccuracies are detected, I will do my best to introduce corrections (if I consider the arguments solid) or supply the entry under discussion with an alternative point of view.
Reservation 2. As English is not my mother tongue, I allow for some stylistic, syntactic or lexical mistakes. Provided any such inadequacies are spotted, preferably by authentic speakers, they will be rectified.
MTW/VI UNIT NAMES
Names of MTW/VI units may contain one (e.g. Jobbagy), two (e.g. Trebizond Archers) or three (e.g. Alan Mercenary Cavalry) elements. These elements fall into several semantic Groups. Sometimes the same element may be referred to different Groups. In this case the respective entry appears once (in the Group that is considered the most appropriate) with its possible references to other Groups explained. The element which is being explained is given in bold italics.
1. Elements related to the weapon members of the unit wield.
Here belong many elements containing names of weapons (or persons who wield them) that do not require any explanation for an average modern person, such as spear, lance, sword, pike, javelin, dart, halberd, shield, crossbow, arbalester, archer.
E.g. Spearmen, Lancers, Swabian Swordsmen, Pikemen, Spanish Javelin Men, Irish Dartmen, Swiss Halberdiers, Round Shield Spearmen, Crossbows, Arbalesters, Archers. Other elements need elucidation being mostly the names of medieval contraptions operated by the respective unit, thus little known (as I believe) to contemporaries at large.
Arquebusiers – Soldiers operating the arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus) or "hook tube", an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. In distinction from its predecessor the hand cannon, it has a matchlock. Like its successor the musket, it is a smoothbore firearm, but it is lighter and easier to carry.
Ballista – The ballista was an ancient missile weapon which launched a large projectile at a distant target. It used two levers with torsion springs, the latter consisting of several loops of twisted skeins. Early versions ejected heavy darts or spherical stone projectiles of various sizes for siege warfare.
Billmen – Soldiers wielding a bill, a polearm used by infantry in Europe in the Viking Age as well as in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. It was a national weapon of the English, but was also common elsewhere, especially in Italy. The bill is similar in size, function and appearance to the halberd, differing mainly in the hooked blade form.
Bombard – The bombard is a large-caliber, muzzle-loading medieval cannon or mortar, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls. Bombards were usually used during sieges to hurl various forms of missile into enemy fortifications.
Catapult – The catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices. It is a generic term, the kinds of catapult being ballista, mangonel, trebuchet and some others.
Culverin – The culverin was a medieval cannon, adapted for use by the French in the 15th century, and later adapted for naval use by the English in the late 16th century. The weapon had a relatively long barrel and a light construction. It fired solid round shot projectiles with a high muzzle velocity, producing a relatively long range and flat trajectory.
Demi-Cannon – The demi-cannon was a medium sized cannon, similar to but slightly larger than a culverin and smaller than a regular 42lb (19kg) cannon developed in the early 17th century. The barrels of demi-cannon were typically 11ft (3.4 m) long, had a calibre of 6 inches (15.4 cm) and could weigh up to 5600lb (2540 kg). It required 18 lb (8 kg) of black powder to fire a 32 lb (14.5 kg) round shot. The demi-cannon had an effective range of 1600ft (490 m).
Demi-Culverin – The demi-culverin was a medium cannon similar to but slightly smaller than a regular culverin developed in the early 17th century. Barrels of demi-culverins were typically about 11 feet (3.4 m) long, had a calibre of 4 inches (10 cm) and could weigh up to 3,400 pounds (1,500 kg). It required 6 pounds (2.7 kg) of black powder to fire an 8-pound (3.6 kg) round shot (though there were heavier variants firing 9-pound (4.1 kg) or 10-pound (4.5 kg) round shot). The demi-culverin had an effective range of 1,800 feet (550 m). Demi-culverins were valued by generals for their range, accuracy and effectiveness. They were often used in sieges for wall and building demolition.
(Mamluk) handguns – Soldiers operating a handgun or a hand cannon, an early form of firearm. It is the simplest type of early firearm, as most examples require direct manual external ignition through a touch hole without any form of firing mechanism. The hand cannon was widely used until at least the 1520s in Europe and Asia, where it was mostly supplanted by matchlock firearms.
Longbows – Soldiers using a longbow, a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to the height of the person who uses it). It allows its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow so that they are circular or D-shaped in cross section. English use of longbows was effective against the French during the Hundred Years' War.
Mangonel – The mangonel was a type of catapult in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castle's walls. The exact meaning of the term is debatable, and several possibilities have been suggested. It may have been a name for counterweight artillery (trebuchets), possibly either a men assisted fixed-counterweight type, or one with a particular type of frame. It is also possible that it referred to more than one kind of engine, in different times or places, or was a general term.
Mortar – The mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.
Naptha Throwers – the correct form is Naphtha. The word normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering the lightest and most volatile fractions of the liquid hydrocarbons in petroleum. Naphtha is a colorless to reddish-brown volatile aromatic liquid, very similar to gasoline. Historically, it was a probable ingredient in Greek fire (together with grease, oil, sulfur, and naturally occurring saltpeter). In Ukrainian naphtha means “crude oil”.
Organ gun – also known as a ribauldequin, a rabauld, ribault, ribaudkin, was a medieval volley gun with many small-caliber iron barrels set up parallel on a platform, which, when fired, were somewhat akin to machine guns of modern times. When the gun was fired in a volley, it created a shower of rapid iron shot. They were employed, specifically, during the early fifteenth century, and continued serving, mostly, as an anti-personnel gun.
Pavise Arbalesters / Crossbows – The pavise is a large convex shield of European origin used to protect the entire body. It was also made in a smaller version for hand to hand combat and for wearing on the back of men-at-arms. It is characterized by its prominent central ridge. The pavise was primarily used by archers and crossbowmen in the medieval period, particularly during sieges.
Serpentine – Used synonymically to the culverin.
Siege Cannon – Also known as the "battering cannon". It was mounted upon a two-wheeled siege or "travelling" carriage that could be moved about in field terrain. The siege cannon was intended to destroy walls.
Trebuchet – The trebuchet is a medieval siege engine sometimes called a "counterweight trebuchet" or "counterpoise trebuchet" in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the "traction trebuchet", the original version with pulling men instead of a counterweight. The counterweight trebuchet appeared in both Christian and Muslim lands around the Mediterranean in the twelfth century. It could fling projectiles of up to three hundred and fifty pounds (140 kg) at high speeds into enemy fortifications. Occasionally, disease-infected corpses were flung into cities in an attempt to infect and terrorize the people under siege, a medieval form of biological warfare. Trebuchets were far more accurate than other medieval catapults.
2. Elements related to the amount of armour of the unit members.
These elements include such words as light, heavy, armoured.
E.g. Italian Light Infantry, Golden Horde Heavy Cavalry, Armoured Spearmen.
3. Elements related to the way the unit fights.
These elements inform whether the unit members fight mounted or on foot and include such words as foot, infantry, (dis)mounted, cavalry.
E.g. Turcoman Foot, Saracen Infantry, Mounted Sergeants, Dismounted Nobles, Lithuanian Cavalry.
Here I also refer elements specifying the kind of mount the unit members ride (horse or camel).
E.g. Mamluk Horse Archers, Berber Camels.
4. Elements related to the natural area (ecoregion) the unit (allegedly) comes from.
Here belong two elements – desert and steppe.
E.g. Desert Archers, Steppe (Heavy) Cavalry.
5. Elements related to the geographic location the unit (allegedly) comes from.
These elements are mostly toponyms naming countries, regions of countries, deserts and cities.
Abyssinian Guard – Abyssinia is the former name of Ethiopia.
Almohad Urban Militia – The Almohad Dynasty (the name is connected with Arabic al-Muwahhidun, "the monotheists" or "the Unitarians" – see also Muwahid) was a Moroccan Berber-Muslim dynasty founded in the 12th century that established a Berber state in the Atlas Mountains of north-western Africa, in roughly 1120. Between 1130 and 1170, the Almohads extended their power over all northern Africa as far as Libya, modern Portugal and southern Spain. In 1170 the Almohads transferred their capital to Seville. This element does not by itself name any country, but it is a constituent of the name Almohad Caliphate and thus by synecdoche denotes the medieval polity, which may justify its presence within this Group.
Armenian Heavy Cavalry – Armenia.
Bulgarian Brigands – Bulgaria.
Byzantine Infantry / Cavalry / Lancers– The Byzantine Empire.
Genoese Sailors – Genoa is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria.
Golden Horde Heavy Cavalry / Horse Archers / Warriors – Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire.
Highland Clansmen – The Highlands is a historic region of Scotland culturally distinguishable from the Scottish Lowlands.
Irish Dartmen – Ireland.
Italian Light Infantry – Italy.
Khwarazmian Cavalry – The correct form is Khwarezmian. Khwarezm, or Chorasmia, is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, the center of the (indigenous) Khwarezmian civilization and a series of kingdoms.
Viking Landsmenn – In German der Landsmann means “a countryman, compatriot, man from one's own country”.
Lithuanian Cavalry – Lithuania.
Nubian Spearmen – Nubia is a region along the Nile, in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.
Ottoman Infantry / Sipahi / Sipahis of the Porte – the Ottoman Empire also known as The Sublime Porte, Ottoman Porte or High Porte. “Porte” is a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire, by reference to the High Gate of the Divan (court).
Polish Retainers – Poland.
Rus Spearmen – (Kievan) Rus' was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, populated by Slavic tribes.
Saharan Cavalry – The Sahara a large desert which covers most of Northern Africa.
Sherwood foresters – Sherwood forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood.
Spanish Jinettes / Javelin Men – Spain.
Swabian Swordsmen – Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in Germany. Its borders are not clearly defined. It is normally thought of as consisting of Württemberg and the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia.
Swiss (Armoured) Pikemen / Halberdiers – Switzerland.
Trebizond Archers – Trebizond (Turkish Trabzon) is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province.
Turcoman Foot / Horse – The correct form is Turkoman. Turkmenistan. Historically, all of the Western Turks have been called Türkmen or Turkoman. So, it is quite possible that the corresponding location is Turkey. Curiously, the Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia, now extinct.
Welsh bandits – Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west.
6. Elements related to ethnic affiliation of the unit members.
It is sometimes difficult to say whether in an element the country the unit comes from or ethnic origin of its members is meant. In such doubtful cases the element is placed within the previous Group if it refers to the country/region/city existing nowadays or historically widely known. Otherwise it is explained in this Group. Admitting arbitrariness of this approach I nevertheless claim that fewer people of today have heard of Khazar Kaganate than of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, Khazar Royal Cavalry is mention in this group while Ottoman Sipahi in the previous.
Alan Mercenary Cavalry – The Alans or Alani were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD, considered to be ancestors of the modern Ossetes.
Arab Infantry – Arabs are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world which is located in West Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds.
Avar Nobles – Avars were a nomadic people that conquered the Hungarian Steppe in the early Middle Ages.
Bedouin Camel Warriors – Bedouins are a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group. Specifically the term refers only to the "camel-raising" tribes.
Berber Camels – Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River.
Celtic Warriors – Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages. They had expanded over a wide range of regions: the British Isles, France and The Low Countries, much of Central Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy.
Khazar Royal Cavalry – Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the territory comprising much of modern-day Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus, parts of Georgia, the Crimea, and northeastern Turkey.
Murabitin Infantry – The correct form is Murabtin (singular Murabit). They are commonly understood as either Arabized Berber or Arab Bedouins of western Egypt and eastern Libya. In the narrow historic sense, the Murabtin formed a layer within this ethnicity with a lower social status often described as clients or vassals. If we adopt the latter approach, this element may be placed within Group 7 (see below).
Pictish Cavalry / (Mounted) Crossbows – Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Medieval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland.
Saracen Infantry – Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam. The last statement makes it possible to include this element into Group 8 (see below).
Saxon Huscarles – Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern descendants are generally included in the Low German, Dutch, Frisian and English peoples.
Slav Warriors / Javelin Men – Slavs or the Slavic people are Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Eastern and Central Europe. This term represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds.
Szekely – Szekely are a subgroup of the Hungarian people living mostly in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, Romania.
Varangian Guard / Vikings / Viking Carles / Huscarles / Landsmenn etc. – both refer to the same ethnic group. The term Vikings is customarily used to refer to the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century. The Varangians or Varyags were Vikings, who from the 9th to 11th centuries ventured eastwards and southwards along the rivers of Eastern Europe, through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, connecting Scandinavia with Jerusalem, Constantinople and Baghdad.
7. Elements related to the social stratum unit members belong to.
Some elements here are quite clear (Viking Thralls, Peasants, Feudal Knights, Khazar Royal Cavalry, Mounted Nobles). Other elements may require elucidation.
Boyars – A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes, from the 10th century through the 17th century.
Viking Carls – in Old Norse karl means "a man, a non-servile peasant". The word has the same root as the Anglo-Saxon term churl or ceorl.
Chivalric (Foot) Knights / Men-at-Arms / Sergeants – Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. This definition makes the name Chivalric (Foot) Knights redundant since being a knight presupposes being chivalric by default.
Highland Clansmen – The word clan in Scottish can mean “offspring, children, or descendants”. Each clan was a large group of people, theoretically an extended family, supposedly descended from one progenitor and all owing allegiance to the clan chief. It also included a large group of loosely-related dependent families all of whom looked to the clan chief as their head and their protector. Since in Scotland clans represented the units into which the population was divided, clansmen are included into this Group. But as clans were generally identified with geographical areas originally controlled by the chiefs, and sometimes with an ancestral castle, they may be considered ethnic groups, thus falling within Group 6 (see above).
Ghulam Bodyguards / Cavalry / Royal Knights – Ghulam (plural Ghilman) is translated from Arabic as “a slave” and denotes slave-soldiers in the Ottoman and Persian Empires. Curiously, the ghilman are also credited with producing a strongly homosexual sub-culture which left literary traces in Persian poetry.
Jobbagy – A jobbagy in Hungarian means “a serf”.
Polish Retainers – Retainers are characteristic of Late Middle Ages when the gentry began to think of themselves as the men of their lord rather than of the king; thus retainers are nobles performing military, political, legal, or domestic service in return for money, office, and/or influence.
8. Elements related to faith or religious organization unit members belong to.
Here may be included elements pertaining to the (alleged) spiritual qualities of the unit members, their confessional affiliation or membership in a religious organization. Some of them I assume to be quite clear (Fanatics, Muslim Peasants, Order Foot Soldiers), while others require explanations.
Futuwwa – is a term that has some similarities to “chivalry” and “virtue”. It was also a name of ethical urban organizations or "guilds" in medieval Muslim realms that emphasised honesty, peacefulness, gentleness, generosity, avoidance of complaint and hospitality in life.
Hashishin – The word means “assassins” in Arabic. They were an order of Nizari Ismailis, particularly those of Syria and Persia that existed from around 1092 to 1265. The name Hashishin or "users of hashish" was originally derogatory and used by their adversaries during the Middle Ages. The presence of the entry within this group is justified if we view the people of the unit as the ones professing the Nizari faith. If the standpoint takes into account the assassin aspect, then the entry can be referred to Group 9 (see below).
(Foot) Knights Hospitaller – The Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of Hospitallers, were a group of men attached to a hospital in Jerusalem that was founded around 1023 to provide care for poor, sick or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the Western Christian conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, the organisation became a religious and military order and was charged with the care and defence of the Holy Land. Following the conquest of the Holy Land by Islamic forces, the Order operated from Rhodes, over which it was sovereign, and later from Malta.
Joms Vikings – The Jomsvikings were a possibly-legendary company of Viking mercenaries or brigands of the 10th century and 14th century AD, dedicated to the worship of such deities as Odin and Thor. If we take into account their mercenary aspect we might place them within Group 9 (see below), and if their brigandage is the standpoint – within Group 10 (see below).
Muwahid Foot Soldiers – A muwahid is an Arabic word which signifies a person who declares the singleness of God – a monotheist (see also Almohad).
Nizari – Also known as Ismaili, is a path of Shia Islam, emphasizing social justice, pluralism, and human reason within the framework of the mystical tradition of Islam. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam. In the 11th – 13th centuries, the Nizari Ismailis captured and inhabited many mountain fortresses within the Persian territories, posing a strong military threat.
Knights of Santiago – The Order of Santiago or the Order of Saint James of Compostela was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Spain, Santiago (St. James the Greater), under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.
Knights Templar – The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar. They were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders. Officially endorsed by the Catholic Church around 1129, the Order of the Temple became a favored charity throughout Christendom, and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades.
Teutonic Knights / Sergeants – The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was a German medieval military order. It was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured. Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, since they also served as a crusading military order during the Middle Ages. Unlike most orders, it had a state of its own formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century. It included the lands which are now Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and north-eastern Poland.
9. Elements related to “military specialization” or “qualification” of unit members.
Some elements have a more general (warrior, soldier) or a more specialized (guard, bodyguard, raider, mercenary) meanings, which are in both cases quite clear.
E.g. Celtic Warriors, Order Foot Soldiers, Abyssinian Guard, Royal Bodyguard, Viking Raider Cavalry, Alan Mercenary Cavalry.Others may require some explanation as many of them are indigenous units peculiar to some medieval state or culture.
Pronoiai Allagion – The allagion was a Byzantine military term designating a military unit. It first appeared in the mid to late 10th century, and by the 13th had become the most frequent term used for the Byzantine army's standing regiments, persisting until the late 14th century.
Almughavars – The almughavars were originally Spanish mercenaries recruited from the rugged sheep herding peoples of the Pyrenean Mountains. They were a common feature of the wars between the Christian and Muslim states of 13th Century Spain, and during the 14th Century they went on to ply their “trade” eastwards across the Mediterranean – fighting in Sicily, Greece and Anatolia.
Berserkers – Or berserks were Norse warriors who are reported in the Old Norse literature to have fought in a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury. Most historians believe that berserkers worked themselves into a rage before battle, but some think that they might have consumed drugged foods.
Bonnachts – A bonnacht is an Irish mercenary in the employ of the Anglo-Norman or Scottish lords in Ireland.
Druzhina cavalry – The druzhina (literally a "fellowship") in the history of Rus was a retinue in service of a prince. The druzhina was composed of two groups: the senior members, later known as boyars, and the junior members which constituted the prince’s personal bodyguard and were common soldiers. The druzhina organization varied with time and survived in one form or another until the 16th century. Curiously, in modern Ukrainian druzhina means “wife”.
Faris – Faris was a name for a Muslim warrior during the Middle Ages, something like a "horseman" or "knight". It is connected with Furūsiyya, historical Arabic term for knightly martial exercise that included the arts of war and hunting, equestrianism, tactics and strategy, and certain games like chess.
Fyrdmen – A firdman is an English militiaman of the Saxon period; often a land worker called to arms in support of the king or a local lord. The fyrdmen were usually armed with either swords or spears.
Gallowglasses – The gallowglass or galloglass were an elite class of mercenary warriors who came from Norse-Gaelic clans in the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland between the mid 13th century and late 16th century. They were the mainstay of Scottish and Irish warfare before the advent of gunpowder, and depended upon seasonal service with Irish chieftains.
Gendarmes – A gendarme was a heavy cavalryman of noble birth, primarily serving in the French army from the Late Medieval to the Early Modern periods of European History. Their heyday was in the late fifteenth to mid sixteenth centuries, when they provided the kings of France with a potent regular force of heavily armoured, lance-armed cavalry which, when properly employed, could dominate the battlefield.
Ghazi Infantry – Ghazi is a title given to Muslim warriors or champions. It may be used out of respect or officially. Muslim champions, such as Saladin, may have this title added to their name (Ghazi Saladin) out of respect.
Hobilars – or hobelars were English light horsemen, usually unarmored and generally recruited to protect Northern England from Scottish raids and used for skirmishing. They originated in 13th century Ireland, and generally rode hobbies, a type of light and agile horse.
Saxon / Viking Huscarles – The correct form is huscarls. In medieval Scandinavia and in Anglo-Saxon England after its conquest by the kingdom of Denmark in the 11th century, husecarls (which literally means "house men") were either non-servile menservants or household troops in personal service of someone, equivalent to a bodyguard to Scandinavian lords and kings. In England, the royal housecarls had a number of roles, both military and administrative.
Janissary Archers / (Heavy) Infantry – The Janissaries (meaning "new soldiers") were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards. The force was created from Christian boys levied from conquered countries in the 14th century and was abolished only in 1826.
Spanish Jinettes – The correct form is Jinete. It is a Spanish word meaning "horseman", but in some cases this is applied to the horse, the rider or both. Originally, it meant a type of light cavalryman, proficient at skirmishing and rapid maneuver.
Kerns – A Kern was an Irish soldier, specifically a light infantryman during the Middle Ages. Kerns notably accompanied bands of the mercenary Gallowglasses as their light infantry forces, where the Gallowglasses filled the need for heavy infantry.
Kataphraktoi – A cataphract (the Greek Kataphraktos, plural Kataphraktoi), was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe. Historically the cataphract was a very heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and steed draped from head-to-toe in scale armor, while typically wielding a lance as their weapon.
Mamluk Cavalry / Handguns / Horse Archers – A Mamluk (translated as “owned”) was a soldier of slave origin. Mamluks constituted a specific warrior class, lasting from the 9th to the 19th century AD. Over time, mamluks became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies. If we take into account the social layer Mamluks originated from, they may be referred to Group 7 (see above).
Chivalric / Feudal Men-at-Arms– Man-at-arms (also called armsman or coistrel) was a medieval term for a soldier, almost always a professional. It was a term relating to service as a fully armoured heavy cavalryman. It could refer to knights or noblemen, or to members of their retinues, who were well-equipped and well-trained when serving as armoured cavalrymen. The terms knight and man-at-arms are often used interchangeably, but while all knights certainly were men-at-arms, not all men-at-arms were knights.
Militia Sergeants / (Almohad) Urban Militia – Historically militia means the entire able-bodied population of a community, town, county, or state, available to be called to arms.
Chivalric / Feudal / Gothic / Mounted / Teutonic Sergeants – In medieval European usage, a sergeant was any attendant or officer with a protective duty.
Ottoman Sipahi / Sipahis of the Porte – Sipahi was the name of several Ottoman cavalry corps. Sipahi refers to all mounted troops and the word was used almost synonymously with cavalry.
Turcopoles – In the crusades, turcopoles (from the Greek "sons of Turks") were locally recruited mounted archers employed by the Christian states of the Eastern Mediterranean. The crusaders first encountered turcopoles in the Byzantine army during the First Crusade. These auxiliaries were the children of mixed Greek and Turkish parentage. In the crusader states the turcopoles were not necessarily Turkish or mixed-race mercenaries. They were more lightly armoured than knights and were armed with lances and bows to help combat the more mobile Muslim forces. They served as light cavalry: skirmishers, scouts, and mounted archers. This latter interpretation justifies the inclusion of turcopoles within this Group, but if we adopt their original ethnic affiliation they may as well be included into Group 6 (see above).
10. Elements related to occupation/profession of unit members.
Here mostly belong such easily understood elements as bandits, brigands, woodsmen, foresters, sailors.
E.g. Bulgarian Brigands, Genoese Sailors, Sherwood Foresters, Woodsmen, Welsh bandits.
A remark must be made here on the two-fold character of the elements foresters, woodsmen and peasants. If we understand a forester as a person who takes care of the forest (something like a gamekeeper), and a woodsman as a person who cuts trees, then these elements fall within this group. If we interpret these elements as denoting people who live in the respective locations (forest/wood-dwellers), then they must be probably placed within Group 4 (see above). Peasants are also a poser. If we treat them as a layer of medieval hierarchy, then they should be placed within Group 7 (as they are).
If peasants are thought of as people who are engaged in agricultural activities, then their place is within this Group.
Only one element here requires explanation.
Pronoiai Allagion – Pronoia (plural pronoiai, the Greek for "provisions") refers to a system of land grants in the Byzantine Empire. Pronoiai was essentially a license to tax the citizens who lived within the boundaries of the grant. A pronoiar would likely be able to collect trade revenue and part of the crop harvested on the land, and could also hold hunting rights and transportation rights.
11. Elements related to the epoch of (medieval) history.
Feudal (Foot) Knights / Men-at-Arms – Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the ninth and fifteenth centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour. Feudal means “characteristic of feudalism”, thus may be roughly associated not only with the social system (in which case this element should be placed within Group 7 (see above)), but with the corresponding period of history, which justifies its presence within this Group.
Gothic (Foot) Knights / Sergeants – The word Gothic is of Italian coinage and was used by the Italians of the later Middle Ages to designate all buildings of Northern Europe without reference to any of modern distinctions of period or style. The word Gothic simply meant to Italian comprehension "Germanic" in the large sense, or in modern understanding – medieval. It was first used after about 1530 and meant something like “barbaric”. Today by Gothic we mean the period between the thirteenth and the sixteenth centuries, known by its peculiar art and, especially, architecture.
12. Elements which name the vessel the unit sails.
As ships are not only the weapon of the respective unit but also its means of transport, it is possible to consider them a separate Group. All of the ship names (except Boat as the most general term) require elucidation.
Baggala – A baggala (baghlah, bagala) is a large deep-sea dhow, a traditional Arabic sailing vessel. It is a type of dhow with one or more lateen sails primarily used along the coasts. It may have a crew of approximately thirty seamen.
Barque – A barque (barc or bark) is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.
Boom – A boom is a medium-sized deep-sea dhow. This type of dhow has two masts with lateen sails, a stern that is tapering in shape and a more symmetrical overall structure than other dhow types. The Arab boom has a very high prow, which is trimmed in the Indian version.
Caravel – A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward. Caravels were much used by the Portuguese for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries in the age of discovery.
Carrack – A carrack (or nau) was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. Carracks were ocean-going ships: large enough to be stable in heavy seas, and roomy enough to carry provisions for long voyages. They were the ships in which the Portuguese and the Spanish explored the world in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Cog – A cog (or cog-built vessel) is a type of ship generally built of oak that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. This vessel was fitted with a single mast and a square-rigged single sail. Cogs were mostly associated with seagoing trade in medieval Europe, especially the Hanseatic League, particularly in the Baltic Sea region.
Curragh – A currach (sometimes anglicised as "Curragh") is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. The currach has traditionally been both a sea boat and a vessel for inland waters.
Dhow – A dhow is a traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails. It is primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India and East Africa. Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty people, while smaller dhows typically have crews of around twelve.
Drakkar – A drakkar is a kind of longships used by Vikings. A rather late invention (11th century), these ships were used primarily as warships. According to the historical sources the ships' prows carried carvings of menacing beasts, such as dragons (whence comes its name) and snakes, allegedly to protect the ship and crew, and to ward off the terrible sea monsters of Norse mythology. Yet, no true dragon ship has been found by archaeological excavation.
Dromon – A dromon (in Greek it means "a runner") was a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 6th to 12th centuries AD. It was indirectly developed from the ancient trireme and was usually propelled by both oars and sails. The dromons had a central tower near the main mast, from which the marines could use their bows and arrows or throw spears and other projectiles. Dromons were frequently equipped with flamethrowers that discharged Greek fire and catapults capable of hurling 10 kg projectiles up to 250 meters.
Longboat – in its proper sense, it is an open boat to be rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, kept on a large vessel for various uses. So, it would be correct to associate the unit name with a longship, a naval vessel made and used by the Vikings from Scandinavia and Iceland for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare between the 9th and 13th centuries. The longships were always built as a one-level construction with rows of oars on both sides covering almost the entire length of the ship. Later versions sported a rectangular sail on a single mast. The ship's shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only one metre deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over portages. While longships were used by the Norse in warfare, they were troop transports, not warships. The kinds of the longship include, among others, drakkars and snekkjas.
Fire Galley – A fire galley is a short-range vessel used to defend against other ships.
Galley – A galley is a ship that is propelled by human oarsmen, used for trade and warfare. Galleys dominated naval warfare in the Mediterranean Sea from the 8th century BC to the development of effective naval gunnery in the 16th century. Medieval Mediterranean states, notably the Italian maritime republics, including Venice, Pisa, and Genoa, used galleys until the ocean-going men-of-war made them obsolete.
Gun Galley – A kind of galley furnished with guns.
Snekkja – A snekkja, meaning “thin and projecting,” was typically the smallest longship used in warfare with at least 20 rowing benches. A typical snekkja might have a length of 17 metres (56 ft), a width of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft), and a draught of only 0.5 metres (1.6 ft). It would carry a crew of around 41 men.
War Galley – There were no properly speaking “war galleys”. Any galley used in warfare can be considered a war galley.
13. Unidentified.
Jarnbardir – the name of a boat which I have failed to find. Perhaps it is in some way connected to Jarnbard – a lava area (an area of solidified lava) in western Iceland. Drone believes that the name is connected with the Norse Jarn which means "iron" thus making the Jarnbardir a longship with a metal ram.
