Militia

Summary

Militia are local men trained and armed in a basic manner by their liege lord. Superior to simple peasant levies, they receive training from knights in simple tactics and combat before being sent to guard their villages and towns against local bandits. In times of peace, they patrol and keep the peace among the common people. Acting as local lawmen, they most often stick to menial tasks like settling disputes amongst neighbors and clearing out taverns after closing. In times of war, they can be called upon to serve as troops in a lord's host. While certainly not the most formidable warriors, militia troops can reliably hold a shieldwall or plug gaps in the line at a moment's notice. Most often carrying spears and shields, they have been known in the past to be of great effect against cavalry charges when properly positioned. Lords that rely too heavily on their militia, however, often do not last long. A host of militia troops cannot hope to fend off enemy armsmen or knights for very long, and will need considerable support to prevent routing. Still, despite their common origins, militia have been used to great effect in past battles where they were often overlooked by their adversaries.

Composition

Manpower

Similar to peasant levy, the size of a militia regiment is largely dependent on the village or town it hails from. A small hamlet might have only two dozen milita available for service, while a town of several thousand might have two hundred.

Equipment

Being official troops in the service of their liege lords, militia are entitled to better equipment than their levy counterparts. Given gambesons and older pieces of armor, mostly helmets, militia are adequately equipped for the peacetime tasks they most often perform. While this level of equipment is more than sufficient against drunkards and vagabonds, it can do precious little to defend against most ranged and melee weapons found on the battlefield.

Weaponry

Militia are mostly issued worn spears and glaives, the leftover and unwanted weapons of armsmen and other guards in their lord's service. In addition to spears and other polearms, militia are also known to carry wooden shields, makeshift or otherwise, with them into battle. These shields, while certainly unable to deflect a knight's lance, will at least stop a few arrows or crossbow bolts before breaking to heavier blows from maces or hammers.

Structure

The commanders of militia regiments are chosen by seniority, with the longest-serving members granted command over their former neighbors. Most often a well-to-do commoner or craftsman, these militia commanders often have few skills suited to military leadership, and simply act as a mouthpiece for their lord's knights or armsmen. If their commander should fall, militia are known quickly rout, turning into little more than an unorganized mob with very little depth of command.

Tactics

Militia learn very basic tactics, such as the shieldwall, from their lord's knights. However, without regular drilling, these tactics are seldom executed with discipline and finesse when the order is given. After learning these tactics, militia return to their peacekeeping duties, often without any additional training or practice.

Training

The training of militia takes place over the course of several days, where a visiting knight of their liege lord gathers all local men together in an open space and gives simple lessons on spear thrusts and other basic combat tactics. When the training is done, the knight departs and reports to his lord that the local militia are now "trained" in the loosest sense of the word.

Overall training Level

Semi-trained

Assumed Veterancy

Recruit