Which is the most powerefull Faction and why?

[cutepuppy]

The Hundred years war was one long string of small English archers focus armies beating French cavalry armies several times their size.

No, it wasn't. I agree that from 1340 (seabattle of Sluys) to 1360 (treaty of Brétigny) the English gained some great victories, even the civil war in Britanny was favourable for english armies. But in the period 1370-1380, the French under constable bertrand de Guesclin developped the right tactics to counter the English, who lost most of their conquered territories (they only held calais and a small coastal strip in aquitaine). In fact the english kings had never less territories in France during the middle ages (until 1453) than in that period. This situation continued (also due to dynastical troubles in england) until 1415, when Henry V was able to invade a torn up France (mainly due to the dynastic struggles between armagnacs and burgundians over the regency for a mad king).

The underdog won for over four centuries, from the Norman conquest to the loss of the final English footholds. The first time the English lost a land battle in the Hundred Years war was 1421 90 years after it started!

Do you even know how the English gained their territories in France? Until the second quarter of the 14th century, the English didn't conquer 1 square mile of French land (OK, I may be exaggerrating a bit for dramatic purposes).
William the conqueror acquired the county of Maine by his marriage with Mathilda of Flanders. When Henry Plantagenet, count of Anjou became king of England, they gained the county of Anjou. His marriage with Eleonore of Aquitaine assured the english the control of aquitaine and Auvergne. Henry II also took control of Britanny by marrying his son to the heiress of the duchy.Not much fighting for taking control of about 50% of the French kingdom, don't you think?

OK, the English did win the Battle of Brémule in 1119 (ever heard of this one, Aracnid?), but that was a french invasion in Normandy. Richard I was also quite succesful in some small battles and skirmishes against Philip August, but when richard died in 1199, it took Philip august only 5 years to conquer Normandy, Britanny, Maine and most of Anjou. When Philip August defeated a powerful English-Flemish-German coalition in 1214 at the battle of Bouvines, and his son (the future Louis VIII) defeated another english army at the same moment, the English lost almost all of their holdings in france, except from a big part (not the whole) of Aquitaine. In 1216 the French prince Louis was even proclaimed king of England (admitted, it only lasted for 9 months). The 13th century saw a further decline of English holdings in France, and when constable Raoul de Nesle invaded Aquitaine in 1295, the English lost almost all they still had. King Edward I reacted by sending an army to Aquitaine and another one the Flanders (which was a French county, but sided with the english, due to the importance of english wool for flemish cloth industry). The army in Flanders counted approx. 7800 soldiers (of which more than 5000 welsh, mainly LBM). Both of the English armies barely saw any action, because the French armies were so powerfull that they could hold the English armies in check. In 1297 the English signed a peace aggreement with the French that was very favourable for the French. It would take until 1325 before the english could reclaim a bit of the lost territories in Aquitaine, under the leadership of Oliver Ingham. They were, however, quickly abandonned after another peace treaty with the french.
12 years later the so called 100 years war started.



Oh yeah, the most powerfull faction should be a faction with the economical means to support large, well equipped and trained armies. I think the germans, turkish and egyptians are close contenders for that. (in MTW1 I think it was spain or the byzantines). Can't say anything usefull before playing the game