Lance (militia)

A lance is the smallest unit in the army, ten men fighting as a group. Each lance has an informal commander called Chosen. First used by the Imperial Army, it was later adapted to be used by militia instead of professional soldiers. Yet, out of all Free Duchies the formation as it is described here is commonly used only by the Duchy of Roria.
Each man is required to serve in one of the lances. They exist in all settlements, except for the smallest ones. However, one significant change in the lance's structure was made compared to the imperial one. Initially created as a well equipped and trained group of soldiers with a combat specialization, it was such no more. New lances consist of men wielding whatever they can get. They often don't have swords, lack good armour. Archers and cavalrymen are mixed together with infantry. This flaw of that structure is so evident that "temporary lances" are used sometimes in order to create a monotone force. Most commonly, they are used when creating cavalry groups, implemented by taking people out of different lances. Obviously, this system yields to the old lance system.

Composition

Manpower

Normally, a lance consists of ten men living in the same settlement. One of them is chosen by his comrades to lead them. However, a lance can have nine or even fewer men in it. That usually happens after suffering losses.

Weaponry

Each man should have some sort of armour, a bow, spear, secondary weapon and two shields, a kite one with enarmes and a round one with central grip. Wealthy men usually use mail armour, a sword and a dagger while the poor ones can only afford a gambeson and an axe. Another good measurement for the lance's wealth is the number of mounted fighters it is able to provide. There are even some lances where every man has a horse.

Vehicles

The richest men in the lance are expected to have a horse. However, horses are expensive, and sometimes there is no man rich enough to afford it. In such situations, an entire lance can decide to buy a horse together. It is most commonly used by the chosen as he is often the best fighter in the lance.

Structure

The chosen commands the lance both in training and on the battlefield.
Five to fifteen lances, depending on the population density in the area, form a banner under the commander of a bannerman, in number of which the military strength is usually measured. The bannerman is appointed by their liege, be it either duke or baron, and is charged with organizing the joint training for the banner to find as a unit, as well as leading it onto the battlefield.
The biggest unit in the army is a company, numbering from 300 to 500 men, though it can go as high as 700. The captain of the company is always part of its liege's retinue, usually accompanied by a few of his fellow retainers. Their job is to defend the biggest settlement in the area, as well as fight back any minor threats.
The naming of a unit goes as follows: the companies are named after the settlements they protect (e.g., Harwood company), while the lances and banners named numerically in according to the company they are part of (e.g., the second banner of Harwood company, the third lance of the second banner of Harwood company).

Tactics

During big battles, each lance is a small part of the shield wall, for which they use their kite shields. However, if conditions are not suitable for proper shield wall, a round shield is used during the battle. Most common examples of this include fighting in the forest, assaulting a settlement, defending or attacking a caravan. The shield wall tactic still plays an important role, but mostly a defensive now. Under such conditions, men prefer to fight in loose formations, moving on the Chosen's orders and protecting each other. This is when the lance system really shines out.

Training

Each lance has to train in both individual fights and the shield wall. Kids start training at the age of seven, fighting each other with wooden swords and shields. At the age of ten, they start to learn how to use a spear and fight together, forming so-called 'child lances'. Such lances first train as a part of the shield wall among their brothers and fathers when they turn twelve years old. Finally, at the age of fourteen, a kid leaves a child lance and joins a real one. In bigger settlements, a child lance often becomes a real lance after its members reach maturity. This creates the deepest connection between comrades, often going on for the rest of their lives.

Logistics

Logistical Support

Each man in a lance carries a week worth of rations with themselves. Thus, they don't have any problems with mobility. The only exceptions are places with low presence of clean water. In such cases, the lance has to stay close to the army wagons where supplies are carried.

Upkeep

Everyone is responsible for maintaining his weapons and skills in good shape. Food for the long campaign is provided by the commander of the army. It is usually taken from the food reserves created in most defenced settlements across the country. There is no payment for the service.

Recruitment

Aside from every man fighting, there is also an important tradition about how lances are composed. All the men in a lance, especially in big settlements, are usually roughly of the same age group. That is, youth can only join the lance of experienced soldiers if there is no man of their age who is able to do so. Of course, relocating a man from one lance to another is consisted a bad thing to do, unless there is a lot of incomplete lances in the settlement. Many smaller villages even prefer to leave the lance with nine or eight men rather than to do either of those things.

History

The concept of lances was first introduced after the formation of the Human Empire. It was the final step from feudal levies to a fully professional army. Before, there were only massive units under the command of their lieges. Those knights and nobles would argue among themselves about who should command and what to do. Not anymore. A strict, vertical hierarchy was formed, with thousands of lances being at the bottom of it. Lances, who were able to make quick decisions on their own or act as parts of a banner. Lances, giving the oath in the name of the emperor himself. That allowed the army to become both more flexible and independent of the nobles.
For decades lances were a foundation of the Imperial Army, sworn to the emperor to carry his will. However, after the emperor's demise and the collapse of the human empire, this system was soon abolished, at least in the Free Duchies. Nowadays, the only country with a lance system is the Duchy of Roria. The lance formation didn't go through much change to this day. Yes, it is nowadays used by the militia, not by professional soldiers. Of course, this reduced the flexibility of the lance and personal skill of the soldiers. It became much less standardised, worse equipped. But it is still a very effective formation with a whole lance valued much higher than just a sum of its men. That is especially true for those Rorians who choose to earn gold by guarding caravans.

Historical loyalties

In imperial times, each man has given an oath of loyalty in the name of the ruler. However, due to the strict hierarchy, there was also a very strong bond between a man, his subordinates and his commander. After the lance system was adapted to be used by the militia, it once again became loyal mostly to their direct liege.

Type

Militia

Founding

857 AE

Overall training Level

Trained

Assumed Veterancy

Experienced

Used by

• Duchy of Roria