right now christian peasants in mtw2 rock. the only problem i see is their low morale but as far as animations they can hold their own against most infantry units in the game. not sure about a bogged down cav unit but id say they could own them too.

also i think the settlement castle thing should be blended together. just give cities multi-tiered walled systems. and the fort into fortress thing seems to make sense to me.

however id still like to know if those stakes surrounding the forts can kill horses or are they just there for looks?