Thardic Army
Disclaimer: This is a derivative work discussing Hârn or Hârn World, originally created by N. Robin Crossby. No assertion of copyright to Hârn or Hârn World is made by producer or the publisher of this work.
Descriptions of Harn have a strong militaristic undertone, revealing the gamist-tactical tendencies inherent in most FRPG products of the 70s and 80s – and partially even today. Many of those who utilize Harn products have strong opinions as to how the armed forces of the Harnic realms are organized, and how they function.
As a special case among the Harnic armies, the army of the Thardic Republic especially has been a topic of interest. Typically, the polemic has been moving between a model based on the legions of the ancient Roman Republic, and a model based on medieval feudal musters. Another axis in the discussion is the evaluation of the Thardic army in comparison to the feudal armies of Harn. Some want to see the Thardic army as the best organized and most efficient army on Harn, while others want to interpret the Thardic army as having more in common with the feudal armies on Harn.
Thus far the most comprehensive organizational interpretations have been strongly biased toward the “Roman” (by Rebecca Downey et al.[1]) and “efficient” (by Roy Denton [2]) ends. While waiting for the designer’s notes in the forthcoming Victory, Destiny! strategy game (by Tuomo Aimonen), we can entertain ourselves with a closer look at the sources themselves. What information do we possess of the Thardic army. What implications does this information have?
Land Holders in the Thardic Republic
All military forces are depending on men, and in all pre-modern agrarian societies men are depending on cultivated land. The ability of a realm to muster troops is invariably connected to the system of land control and cultivation. Thus the starting point in understanding the Thardic army must be the system of land ownership and land holding in the Thardic Republic.
On Tharda 10 it is written that roughly 85% of all land is owned by 66 prominent clans. On Tharda 18 there is a list of these 66 prominent clans. When their land is summed up we get 641,610 acres of cultivated land. On Tharda 10 it is written that the six Thardic legions are prominent landholders. On Tharda 11-18 we have a list of all the Thardic provinces, districts and holders of land. Comparing the holders with the list of the 66 prominent clans, we can see that there are no other clans holding land mentioned in Tharda. Lands not held by the 66 prominent clans are held by the legions and the Agrikan order of Eight Demons. Adding up this land we get 99,860 cultivated acres for the legions and 4,520 cultivated acres for the Eight Demons. Thus the Thardic land is held as follows:
| Holder | Acres | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 66 prominent clans | 641,610 | 86.0% |
| Legions | 99,860 | 13.4% |
| Eight Demons | 4,520 | 0.6% |
| Total | 744,990 | 100.0% |
According to this the 66 prominent clans hold 86 % of the land. This is clearly the ”roughly 85%” mentioned above, so there are no gaps in this data. These are all the land holders holding cultivated land there are in the Thardic Republic.
It may be assumed that smaller clans are included in the 66 prominent clans. On Tharda 10 it is written: The named clan will typically own 60-80% of the surrounding land, the balance being held by client freemen. Here we have a slight discrepancy. The 66 prominent clans were supposed to own about 85% of the land, but in the same time it is said that they own only 60-80% of this 85% of land. It seems that the entry about the 85% should read hold roughly 85% of the land instead of own roughly 85% of the land.
The client freemen form the less prominent Thardic land owning clans and families. If we assume that they own (very roughly) about 30% of the cultivated land held by the 66 prominent clans, Thardic land ownership looks as follows:
| Owner | Acres | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 66 prominent clans | 449,127 | 60.2% |
| Client freemen | 192,483 | 25.8% |
| Legions | 99,860 | 13.4% |
| Eight Demons | 4,520 | 0.6% |
| Total | 745,990 | 100.0% |
This is as close as we can get to the Thardic land owning pattern. In the following, we need to drop out the Eight Demons, because they don’t de facto belong to the Thardic Republic, and thus are not part of the Thardic recruitment pattern. It is highly improbable that the Eight Demons present any troops for the Thardic army.
Thardic Legions: number of men
On Tharda 7 it is written that the six legions and the Red Guard have a total full-time strength of 1,160 foot and 380 cavalry (knights). Reserves of approximately 4,500 foot and 820 knights also exist, one quarter of whom will be on three month active duty at any time. Thus the Thardic Army can be ordered as follows:
| Troop type | Full-time | Active reservists | Passive reservists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 380 | 205 | 615 | 1,200 |
| Infantry | 1,160 | 1,125 | 3,375 | 5,660 |
| Total | 1,540 | 1,330 | 3,990 | 6,860 |
Thardic army has 585 active cavalry and 2,285 active infantry, in together approximately 2,870 men. No other interpretations based on the source are possible.
However, the proportion of Thardic men in military service is stupendous. The population of the Thardic Republic is 104,000 (or 104,775 according to the households listed in Tharda module). The proportion of adult men capable of military service in pre-modern agrarian societies ranges from 25 % to about 30 %, resulting in a number of 26,000–31,400 for Tharda. 2,870 men would mean that 9–11 % of the Thardic adult male population is in military service at any time. A full muster in Tharda would result in 22–26 % of the Thardic adult male population in military service.
For a pre-modern realm not in a middle of war, such numbers are incredible, being more than the percentage of fighting men in early 20th century Terran states during World War I and II. Unless the Thardic legionaries are involved in major farming and building operations to support themselves and make profit for the legions, they are a huge drain of reserves of the realm. It is questionable if the Thardic economy can support such a number of troops. Thus the major discrepancy in the Thardic army as written in the sources is its huge size.
Thardic Legions: organization
From Tharda 10 we can see that the standing army of the Thardic Republic is composed of 116 companies assembled into 23 cohorts, which form the 6 legions and the Red Guard.
With 2,870 men in service this would mean that a typical Thardic company has some 25 men. As a typical company is supposed to have some 20 men, this would mean that the Thardic companies would generally be overstrength. With military units, typically the opposite holds true. Thus it is possible that only the footmen are organized into legionary companies, which would result in almost exactly 116 companies of 20 men. The cavalry may be organized into separate contingents. Thus a Thardic cohort of six companies (like those of Telen, Imrium and Stimos) would have 120 infantry, and 30 cavalry most probably assembled as the commander’s personal guard and rapid deployment force.
Thardic Recruitment
Thardic Army has two ways of recruiting its soldiers (See Tharda 7): 1) from the clans according to the acreage and 2) from voluntary enlistment. The recruitment pattern based on acreage has been a source of constant problems. Different interpretations develop different amounts of troops, and nothing seems to fit the general number of men given for the Thardic army. In the following, two different interpretations have been given, to show two different but possible ways of recruitment.
Intensive recruitment: troop numbers based on land ownership
In this interpretation the clans are subject to intensive recruitment. The recruitment pattern given on Tharda 7 is read as meaning that free clans owning land are expected to either pay the Legionary Tax and/or give men to the legions as follows:
| Land owned | Recruitment |
|---|---|
| Less than 300 acres | only the Legionary Tax (1d per acre per year) |
| for every 300 acres | one infantryman, or 300d Legionary tax |
| for every 600 acres | one light cavalryman, or 600d Legionary tax |
| for every 1,200 acres | one knight, or 1,200d Legionary tax |
| for any excess acres | the Legionary Tax (1d per acre per year) |
Combining the land holding pattern and the recruitment pattern, we get the following number of troops supported by the clans:
| Troop type | Great clans | Client clans | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 1,497 | 641 | 2,138 |
| Light cavalry | 748 | 320 | 1,068 |
| Knights | 374 | 160 | 534 |
These are hypothetical maximums. Since clans usually do not own lands that can be neatly divided by the recruitment acreage for each troop type, the actual number of troops recruited in this manner is substantially lower than presented above. (For example, the number of knights available from the great clans is actually only about 350.) Also, most client clans do not hold enough land to support a knight, and there are an unknown number of minor clans unable to support a light cavalryman or even an infantryman, because they hold less than 600 or 300 acres of land respectively. Thus especially the client clans will give to the legions much fewer men than presented above.
In addition, on Tharda 7 it is written: Clans always have the option to refuse a grant of yeomanry or knighthood, and pay the Legionary Tax instead. Nowhere is it stated how many of the clans decide to do this and in what extent. Thus the recruitment pattern based on the acreage gives no clear information as to how many soldiers the system actually helps to recruit. But surely the numbers are less than the hypothetical maximums presented above, and in the case of the client clans, numbers amounting to only a fraction of those presented above are likely.
For example clan Ostardas holds 6,030 acres, of which they own perhaps 70 %, i.e. 4,221 acres, the 1,809 acres being the property of their clients. Based on the acreage, the Ostardas clan should support three knights, seven light cavalrymen and 14 infantry, the remaining 21 acres leading to a legionary tax of 21d. For every man refused the Ostardas have to pay the legionary tax according to the acreage. The client freemen farming the 1,809 acres are divided into several clans, many of them owning less than 300 acres and thus not being able to give men to the legions. We might guess that one of the client clans owns enough land to support one light cavalryman and two infantrymen, and two of the remaining client clans own enough land to support one infantryman each. For the excess acres, only legionary tax is paid.
In total the client freemen should give to the legions one light cavalryman, four infantrymen, and 609d legionary tax – even if the total acreage might have suggested one knight, three light cavalrymen, six infantrymen, and a legionary tax of 9d. Again, this is only the maximum, because the client clans able to support a yeoman might still choose to pay the legionary tax according to the acreage instead of giving a man to the legion.
Keeping all of the above in mind, we may make some hypothetical assumptions: 1) Great clans actually produce only some 93 % of the numbers of troops generated on the previous page (the percentage is based on the difference in theoretical and actual numbers of knights given above); 2) Client clans produce troops as follows: 10% of the land owned by minor clans produces knights, light cavalry and infantry; 20 % produces light cavalry and infantry; 30 % produces only infantry; and 40 % only pay Legionary Tax. Thus we get the following numbers of Thardan soldiers recruited from the clans:
| Troop type | Great clans | Client clans | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 1,392 | 385 | 1,777 |
| Light cavalry | 695 | 96 | 791 |
| Knights | 346 | 16 | 363 |
With all the problems and probabilities given, this interpretation of the Thardic recruitment pattern would still generate (almost) all Thardan cavalry forces and a substantial proportion of the infantry force. This system also supports the notion that the Thardic cavalry is mostly composed of light cavalry.
In addition, this interpretation of the Thardic recruitment pattern would also be comparable to the recruitment pattern in most feudal realms on Harn. Theoretically, feudal realms muster approximately one knight, one light cavalryman (squire), and two yeomen (infantry) per 1,200 acres of cultivated land. To this must be added the poorly trained and badly equipped militia – about 20–25 strong in a typical manorial village of 1,200 acres. Because the feudal acreages are not neatly divided by 1,200 and 600, the actual number of professional soldiers remains smaller. Compared to the feudal musters the Thardic recruitment pattern is not too intensive for the population to bear. However, there is a distinct difference in the troops recruited: Thardic specialty lies in trained and numerous infantry and light cavalry, whereas the number of knights is proportionally somewhat smaller. There seems to be no equivalent of village militia in the Thardic republic.
Selective recruitment: troop numbers based on volunteers
On Tharda 7 it is written that for every similar number of acres above the minimum owned by a clan, they must equip another soldier. This can be interpreted so that the clans owe to the legions only the heaviest type of troops, meaning that the Ostardas, for example, should support 3 knights only, while their client clans should support one light cavalry and two infantrymen.
This interpretation would mean that the great clans only produce knights, as do minor clans with at least 1,200 acres of land. Minor clans with 600-1,200 acres would produce one light cavalryman, while minor clans with 300-600 acres would produce one infantryman. We may make a hypothetical assumption: 10% of the land owned by minor clans produces knights, 20 % produces light cavalry, 30 % produces infantry, and 40 % only pay Legionary Tax. If we bear in mind that the number of knights produced by the great clans is actually only some 347, we get the following numbers of Thardan soldiers recruited from the clans:
| Troop type | Great clans | Client clans | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | - | 192 | 192 |
| Light cavalry | - | 64 | 64 |
| Knights | 347 | 16 | 363 |
Because many clans hold more than the exact number of acres (300, 600 and 1,200), the numbers are actually much smaller. In addition, some choose to pay the Legionary Tax instead, lowering the number of all the troop types still. What is evident, however, is that this interpretation will inevitably lead to a situation where the Thardic recruitment pattern only helps to recruit the knights.
This kind of enlistment system produces a very small amount of light cavalrymen and infantry, meaning that most cavalry and infantry are volunteers. Because hundreds of knights are not just waiting to be recruited in south-western Harn, this means that the Thardic cavalry must be – again – mostly composed of light cavalry.
A big question mark in this interpretation is the number of infantry. Why would the Thardic Republic use this kind of recruitment for the infantry, if more than 95 % of the infantry will anyway be made up of volunteers? Obviously this kind of system will not save any assets. Two possibilities come into mind: 1) the leaders of the infantry companies need be respected members of clans, meaning that several hundred infantry need to be enlisted straight from the clans. 2) The enlistment of infantry from the clans is an archaism, doomed to disappear completely in near future.
Recruitment from legion land
One should also note that the legions may follow the recruitment system expected from the clans. If this holds true, the 99,860 acres of cultivated land owned by the legions will also give soldiers to the legions. As there are six independent legions in Tharda, there are six independent recruitment pools. Following the intensive recruitment pattern, we get the following number of troops:
| Legion | Land held | Knights | Light cav. | Infantry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerium Legion | 20,210 | 16 | 33 | 67 |
| Coranan Legion | 29,000 | 24 | 48 | 96 |
| Kom Legion | 11,100 | 9 | 18 | 37 |
| Shiran Legion | 18,360 | 15 | 30 | 61 |
| Eidel Legion | 18,970 | 15 | 31 | 63 |
| Ramala Legion | 2,220 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Total: | 99,860 | 80 | 163 | 331 |
Thus the legions would support 80 knights, 163 light cavalry and 331 infantry. Contrary to the clans, we may assume that the legions do not pay the legionary tax, but always choose to raise fighting men instead of money.
If we follow the selective recruitment pattern, we first need to decide what troop type the legions should want to recruit from their lands. This is very hard to decide, as each legion may have its own preferences, partly tied to the pool of recruits the legion is able to get from the local clans. But to maximize the number of recruits, we will assume that the legions recruit infantry only. The number of infantry recruited in this way is equal to the number of infantry in the column above.
Combining the numbers of recruits from legionary land with the two different interpretations of the Thardic recruitment patterns given above, we get the following absolute maximum numbers for Thardan soldiers recruited on the basis of land ownership:
| Type | Intensive | Legions | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 1777 | 331 | 2108 |
| Light cavalry | 791 | 163 | 954 |
| Knights | 363 | 80 | 443 |
| Type | Selective | Legions | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 192 | 331 | 523 |
| Light cavalry | 64 | - | 64 |
| Knights | 363 | - | 363 |
It seems that if the legion land is used for recruiting according to the intensive recruitment pattern, the legion recruits would give room to a number of clans that decide to pay legionary tax instead of supporting a knight or a light cavalryman. (With the legion cavalry, the total number of cavalry would rise from about 1,155 to about 1,400, meaning that the cavalry recruited from the clans should be some 200 less.) The impact of infantry recruited from the legion land would not be very important.
The advantages of the selective recruitment pattern will remain as obscure with the legion recruitment as they were without it. Most legion cavalry and infantry would still be volunteers, and volunteer cavalry would be almost totally light cavalry, as neither the volunteering individuals nor the legions have the assets to equip them(selves) as knights.
Passive reservists
The number of passive reservists given on Tharda 7 is 615 cavalry (knights?) and 3,375 foot, a total of about 4,000 reservists. On Tharda 10 it is written: It may be assumed that every settlement has reservists equivalent to one infantryman per 200 acres. Around legion forts the proportion could be as much as one infantryman per household. Checking through the acreages in Tharda, we get the following pattern for reservist infantry:
| On land held by the clans | 3,142 | (maximum) |
| On land held by the legions | 499 | (minimum) |
| Total: | 3,663 |
Because the number of passive infantry reservists is clearly given as roughly 3,400, the total is too large. The numbers for the clans are, again, only hypothetical maximums, as the acreage at many places is not neatly dividable by 200. On the other hand, the number for the legions is probably only a minimum, as some of the legion forts have very high proportions of recently settled reservists. A situation with about 2,500 passive reservists on clan land and about 1,000 reservists on legion land might be more accurate – but still hypothetical, of course.
It may be noted that there is no mention of reservist cavalry. If we don’t want to present any hypotheses, we have to accept that we simply don’t know where the cavalry reservists are.
Conclusion
The Tharda module states very accurately the number of full-time and reservist troops the Thardic legions have. The source also tells how the pattern of recruitment in Thardic Legions theoretically works. However, the source does not tell how the recruitment patterns actually function, i.e. how many troops are recruited from the clans, how many troops are recruited as volunteers, and do the legions support troops from their land. Thus the source does not give a ready system for recruitment, but instead gives guidelines that could produce a number of different actualisations of the recruitment pattern.
Based on the source, two conclusions are evident:
- Thardic army has at most perhaps 450 knights, and probably no more than 400,
- Most of the Thardic infantry join the army as volunteers.
In addition, it remains vague how the Thardic Republic is able to finance its standing army. At least the legion tax is totally insufficient.
Within these margins, all kinds of Thardic recruitment patterns can be devised (p-Harn). In this respect there are no discrepancies in the source, just missing information.
References
- Rebecca Downey, The Thardic Republic. Pax Tharda. For a full list of authors, see Pax Tharda's Copyright Information
- Roy Denton (2005) Thardic Military Generator. Alienage / Files.
Appendices
Excursion 1: Where is the Thardic light cavalry?
Thardic army has 1,200 cavalry, but there can be at most some 450 knights, and probably the number of knights is only some 400. Clearly, the Thardic cavalry is mostly made up of light cavalry.
On Tharda 7, where the actual number of full-time and reserve troops is given, there is no mention of light cavalry. For the full-time troops a number of 380 cavalry (knights) is given, either indicating that all the 380 cavalry are knights, or that knights are included into the number of 380 but do not compose the whole force. For the reservists, a number of 820 knights is given. This may be understood as pointing to an interpretation where also the number of full-time cavalry should be understood to be composed solely of knights.
However, if we look at the hypothetical absolute maximums of different troop types that can be recruited through the system based on acreage, we either get 954 light cavalry and 443 knights (intensive recruitment), or 64 light cavalry and 363 knights (selective recruitment). In the latter case, if we assume the legions concentrate on producing light cavalry instead, the number of light cavalry would be 227. (Here it is assumed that the legions are subject to the recruitment system.) It is clear that if the total number of full-time and reservist cavalry (1,200) is interpreted to present a force of knights only, it is simply too large.
It seems much more probable that the number of full-time and reservist knights given on Tharda 7 should be read as the number of full-time and reservist cavalry, i.e. both light cavalry and knights, and that the proportion of light cavalry should be larger than the proportion of knights, either because the recruitment pattern produces more light cavalry, or because many volunteers are equipped as light cavalry. An additional possible interpretation might be that a large part of the Thardic cavalry is actually fast infantry that ride horses while marching, but not in battle, like the English thegns mostly did.
A possible pattern (very rough one), based on both the actual numbers of full-time and reservist cavalry and the recruitment patterns of cavalry (one knight per two light cavalry) might be:
| Cavalry type | full-time | reservist | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Cavalry | 255 | 545 | 800 |
| Knights | 125 | 275 | 400 |
| Total: | 380 | 820 | 1,200 |
This pattern assumes that one third of the clans at most decide to pay the Legionary Tax instead of supporting a light cavalryman or a knight, and that the legions do not equip those voluntarily enlisted as cavalry (and that not many horsemen enlist voluntarily). This is all very rough and hypothetical, but would present a system that is approximately in harmony with everything written on Tharda 7 and Tharda 10.
(Of course, this system is not in harmony with the 380 full-time and 820 reservist knights serving in Thardic army. If these entries are read literally instead of interpreted, the model presented here is total nonsense. But in that case, we know very little of the Thardic light cavalry, and do not have a source to support the number of knights. The Thardic recruitment pattern supports about 450 knights at most, and it is clear that another 750 knights are not available for the Thardic army as volunteers – or that the Thardic concept of knight radically differs from the general concept.)
Excursion 2: How is the infantry recruited?
The Tharda module gives a number of 1,160 full-time and 4,500 reservist infantry for the Thardic legions, all together 5,660 infantry. (There should also be a large number of retired infantry.) However, if we sum up the hypothetical absolute maximums of infantrymen recruited through the system based on acreage.), we get a number of about 2,100 infantry. It becomes evidently clear that infantrymen are recruited mostly as volunteers. On Tharda 7 it is written:
Other persons may voluntarily enlist in a legion. Such recruits are required to equip themselves, or be equipped by the legion as light foot. Many join the army in hopes of social advancement, or to escape the drudgery of their existence.
Clans have the option to pay Legionary Tax instead of supporting a (foot)soldier, and probably some clans decide to do this. In addition, the number of infantrymen derived through the system based on acreage is hypothetical absolute maximum. Together these notes probably lead to a number of 2,000 infantry at most recruited through the system based on acreage. This means that close to 4,000 Thardan full-time and reservist infantry have enlisted voluntarily. If we follow the other interpretation of the recruitment pattern based on acreage (4.2 above), at most some 500 infantry can be recruited, meaning that more than 5,000 Thardan full-time and reservist infantry have enlisted voluntarily.
Thus voluntary recruitment is normal for the infantry.
This pattern of recruitment seems to point towards an interesting legionary culture, where the infantry is a mix of clan members and adventurers/ragtag from the low end of society, while the cavalry is mostly composed of respected clan members. Thus the cavalry is probably mostly loyal to clans while the infantry is mostly loyal to the legions, i.e. their leaders. This dichotomy might add an interesting nuance to Thardic military life and politics. In a crisis situation, who will support whom – what kind of forces can the faction leaders muster?
Excursion 3: Thardic military and the Occupation Generation Table (OGT)
The population of the Thardic Republic is 104,000 (or 104,775 according to the Tharda module). The proportion of adult men capable of military service in pre-modern societies ranges from 25 % to about 30 %.We will use the number of 27 % here (it fits very well, at least for the infantry, as we will see). This results in a number of 28,300 adult men capable for military service in Tharda. The OGT gives the following percentages for military in a feu/imp society. Rounding to the closest five, we get the following number of military professionals in Tharda:
| Profession | Percentage | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Legionary | 3.0 % | 850 |
| Man at arms | 0.8 % | 225 |
| Mercenary | 1.0 % | 285 |
| Sapper/Archer etc. | 0.3 % | 85 |
| Swordmaster | 0.1 % | 30 |
| Gladiator | 0.1 % | 30 |
| Knight-bachelor | 0.3 % | 85 |
| Enfoeffed knight | 0.1 % | 30 |
| Total: | 5.7 % | 1,620 |
These numbers are to be understood as full-time fighting professionals. However, not all of them work for the Thardic army. First of all, gladiators should not be counted as members of the Thardic army. Also, most of the swordmasters probably serve as individual teachers for individual gladiators and upper-class youths.
Then there is the large number of mercenaries. Should they be left as is, serving the merchants & other individuals who need soldiers that are not part of the standing army, and have freedom of movement instead of being positioned in units and forts? Most probably they should. The men-at-arms, on the other hand, could be either better equipped legionaries (perhaps medium foot) or members of the private guards supported by the most prominent clans in Tharda. In the following, I will include their number in the legions, assuming that private guards are included in the number of mercenaries (and gladiators and swordmasters).
With all the notions above, we are left with the following numbers of Thardans actually in the army:
| Profession | Number |
|---|---|
| Legionary | 850 |
| Man at arms | 225 |
| Sapper/Archer etc. | 85 |
| Knight-bachelor | 85 |
| Enfoeffed knight | 30 |
| Total: | 1,275 |
If we interpret the legionaries, the men-at-arms and the sappers/archers as infantry, and the knight bachelors as knights, we have a force of 1,160 full-time infantry and 115 full-time knights.
For the infantry, this is exactly the number of full-time men in the Thardic army (1,160 footmen). These would be the full-time legionaries who have decided to make the army their career, and do not plan to move to the reserve before they have served the required 20 years. These men will very probable have children while serving in the army. This is the reason for the proportions of Thardan military class given as parent occupation, as all Thardic reservists pursue non-military occupations in their civil life.
The number of full-time knights, 115 (or 30 %) out of the 380 cavalry (knights), supports reasonably well the interpretation where one third of the Thardic cavalry would be knights. Again, the reservist knights will pursue other “careers” in civil life (probably forming up an important part of the bailiffs, “barons” and patrician clanheads). However, about two thirds of the Thardic full-time cavalry – possibly the number of light cavalry – don’t seem to figure in the OGT.
As is usual, the results of the OGT must remain questionable.
Excursion 4: Playing with the OGT and the (active) infantry companies of the Thardic army
While questionable, the OGT is also suggestive. What if we try to combine the number of Thardic infantry companies (116) with the percentages given for different unit types, as derived from the OGT (in excursion 3)? The result might look like this:
| Troop type | percentage | Companies | Reservists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legionary (light infantry) | 73.2 % | 43 | 58? | 101 |
| Man at arms (medium infantry) | 19.5 % | 11 | ? | 11 |
| Sapper/Archer etc. (archer) | 7.3 % | 4 | ? | 4 |
| Total: | 100.0 % | 58 | 58? | 116 |
In this scenario the active troops of the Thardic army would be composed of about 100 companies of light infantry, about a dozen companies of medium infantry and less than half a dozen companies of archers.
One should, however, question the military capacity of the reservists. They may well be off less fighting value than the regular legionaries, and should be perhaps listed as militia. On the other hand, some reservist companies may be equipped as medium infantry, and some may serve as archers. If we assume that about half as many reservists have the equipment the standing companies have, the following pattern for the Thardic active army emerges:
| Troop type | Companies | Reservists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legionary (militia) | 0 | 28 | 28 |
| Legionary (light infantry) | 43 | 22 | 65 |
| Man at arms (medium infantry) | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| Sapper/Archer etc. (archer) | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Total: | 58 | 58 | 116 |
This pattern would suggest that the Thardic army is no more powerful than the feudal armies of the neighbouring kingdoms. The Republic can muster only some 450 fully trained and fully equipped infantry (medium infantry and archers), while the decisive force in the battlefield will be formed by members of the (plutocratic) nobility serving as knights. Masked in republican order and efficiency, a normal army based on the socio-economic capacity of the Tharda region emerges. The major difference is the large number of Thardic light infantry. Compared to the feudal militia, these troops are more skilled and better disciplined.
This pattern would explain the political situation prevailing in the Tharda region, where no realm – Thardic Republic included – has the military supremacy.