Christian civs

Of Christendom, a cleric in the Latin West once lamented, "There is no country on earth so fractious nor so divided or violent as the Republic of Christ", deploring the fragmented and violent existence of Europe as well as the near-incessant state of seemingly fruitless internecine bloodshed which blights European Christendom - and which Saracen sages are quick to point out as proof that the Christian faith is one of blood and darkness, not holy light, and so clearly not the right path for humanity.

One thing is certain though: all this infighting may have had their toll in blood, tears and sweat; yet they have produced one boon for the survivors: Christian Europe with the exception of Byzantium may be no cultural powerhouse, yet she nevertheless is home to some of the world's finest fighting men the world has ever seen - a fact begrudgingly acknowledged by Saracen potentates, both in the Levant and Iberia, where the struggle for supremacy between Christian and Muslim is coming to a head. Being so deeply and sorely in need of defence against their neighbours and national rivals, many Christian communities often either sport doughty picked bodies of men capable of being turned into fearsome fighters, or are dominated themselves by warrior nopbles who, through the German-inspired feudal system that now dominates most of Christendom in a post-Roman Europe, have managed to amass the wealth and the time required to ply their craft as milites, or professional soldiers. Thus only the foolish or desperate will dare to face off any one of these Christian armies toe to toe, be it the valiant Germans or Russians and their armoured knights, or the Bulgars and Hungarians who never truly gave up the nomadic ways of horse and bow of their Asian ancestors.

And it would seem that now the fortunes of Christendom, long overshadowed by Muslim Asia, may well be on the mend: through a concerted effort, a gaggle of knightly warriors in past decades managed to wrest the lands of Palestine from the Saracens, bringing the holy city of Jerusalem back under Christian rule after Rome lost the region to the Muslims almost five hundred years ago. Still, this is but a small step: the rise of Christian nations from sociocultural backwaters to mighty kingdoms has yet to be proven complete, or even achieveable: in Egypt, a charismatic and skilled warrior named Saladdin has recently become vizier to Egypt's ailing Fatimid caliph; under his tutelage, Egypt is ever more than ready to take on the Crusaders in an epic rematch for glory, while Spain must endure the Moorish yoke. And the Muslims aren't the only threats - already, a group of heathen nomads, the Polovtsy, have managed to cross the Pontic Steppes and into Wallachia, where they now wreak havoc by involving themselves in quarrels between Christian princes. And correspondence with the Muslims and the Polovtsy has brought warnings of empires far larger and even more powerful than those of the Muslims .... there is no knowing if any of these Asiatic heathens may one day overrun the lands of Islam and then visit flame and ruin upon Europe, the same way as did the Huns or the Magyars only centuries before....

Faction highlights

Holy Roman Empire

Despite her muddled domestic politics, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation continues to remain Central Europe's dominant power. The Empire's powerful elite units, aided by her people's prowess in woodworking and early industrialisation, as well as access to a vast pool of cadres for military leadership among the feudal nobles of the Empire, allows her to prepare either for early raids on her foes or a late-game booming exercise as a prelude to world domination.

Hungary

Hungary, claiming descent from both the Hunnic hordes and Magyar tribes who ravaged northern Europe, has risen beyond her humbling by the Franks in the 10th century and is now one of Central Europe's greatest kingdoms - if not the greatest in all Christendom. Powerful cavalry and siege weapons, backed by the iron hand of Hungary's rulers have brought prosperity to the Magyars, and a first and final foretaste of Hell and damnation to those to oppose them.

Poland

A Slavonic-speaking nation ruled by an erstwhile Grand Duke, Bolesław III, the Poles now know great prosperity, and are protected by a formidable army focused on medium infantry, their existence is oft challenged by foreign interference - most notably by their western neighbours, the Germans. Yet, the greatest threat of all could be their disunity: should the now ailing Bolesław pass on, there is a fear the nation will be consumed by potential succession conflicts, undoing the work of the Grand Duke, as well as that of his forefathers.

Bohemia

Long a part of the German sphere as a subject state, Bohemia is a powerful duchy within the circuit of the Holy Roman Empire. Despite the immense wealth gained through trade and mining, Bohemia continues to yearn for true independence from German influence. In spite of limited options, her cheap infantry, strong castles, and river tolls generating wealth from settlements and towns may well hold the key to independence from the Empire - and ultimately, perhaps domination of Europe for Bohemia.

Venexia

Formerly a refugee colony in the middle of the Po estuary, Venexia has since then come a long way and now is a European power thriving through maritime trade with the Middle East and shipbuilding, relying on a military force consisting of archers, ships and mercenaries to keep her safe from her rivals, be they Christian or infidel.

Outremer

Founded more than a century before through the Princes' Crusade, Outremer (otherwise known as the Crusader States) has since then grown into a toehold of Latin Christendom in Asia, providing pilgrimage security whilst experimenting with Levantine trade, all made possible by Outremer's army, reliant on mercenaries and unique units like Lay Knights.

Eastern Roman Empire

True heirs to Rome, the Byzantines face the threats posed by jealous foreigners, like the Turks and Venetians who never cease to contest control of Asia and the Mediterranean. Reforms and administrative discipline under John II, the actual Roman basileios, have nevertheless created a civ that can leverage military to bolster New Rome's defences in the wake of Crusader and Saracen activity. Yet cultural and economic limitations persist, preventing true development and progress: is it not yet too late for Byzantium to know true glory as a genuine imperial power once more?

Bulgaria

Despite being a Byzantine theme, the despotate of Bulgaria continues to retains her language and individual cultural identity well within the greater ambit of Rome (but for how much longer?) Regardless, despite being Slavs, the Bulgarians are no strangers to Roman tactics and doctrine. In addition, their armies also play host to Turkic units, relying on strategic flexibility, including shrewd use of early-game raiding to further Bulgaria's goals.

Kievan Rus'

The Kievan Rus' are proficient in overland expansion, bolstered through strong military units and captalising on city placement to establish map control and area denial, but challenges aplenty yet exist: despite their vast trade and cultural advantages, noble infighting and invasions plague the lands of the Kievan Rus' and unless a resolution is found, all Russian potential will be squandered away, leaving the Kievan Rus' at the mercies of their neighbours, most notably the Polovtsy who have joined in the fray.

The East and Central European factions of Temüjin are geared primarily toward militarism - with some of the strongest knightly cavalry in the mod, and a near-lack of Wonders for most factions. Only the German HRE can be said to have any form of diplomatic clout owing to her access to 3 different Wonders. In addition they are often the most involved in politics at a Meeting House, owing to the number of units very dependent on Policies to be researched, to obtain new units.

Most notably:

Tier 1 Green: (all except Outremer) Levy Crossbowmen
Tier 1 Red: Cavaliero (Venexia only), Swordsmen (all)
Tier 2 Green: (Latins only) Berrovier, Urban Militia, War Cog (with Tier 3 Red, HRE & Poland only)
Tier 2 Red: (Latins only) Ministerialis (HRE, Poland, Bohemia only)
Tier 3 Green: Pavise Crossbowmen (HRE, Poland, Bohemia, Venexia only), Armed Supply Wagon (Outremer only)
Tier 3 Red: (all) Armed Merchant, Armed Merchant

Most Christian factions are dominated in the main by two things - heavy infantry, and elite heavy cavalry from the Nobles' Court, with only Venexia and Byzantium using a Mansion to recruit their own instead. The most common unit shared among all factions save possibly Kievan Rus' and Bulgaria is the knight - be it a Ministerialis (German-influenced nations), a Cavaliero (Venexia) or a Normand Routier (Outremer, Byzantium). Latin heavy cavalry - eg Lay Knights, Ministeriales, etc - have a propensity for crushing Barracks units, thus making them highly effective in taking away an enemy's main infantry force, should the opportunity pose itself - but there's a catch. The Latin chivalric order units trained from a Nobles' Court may be counted amongst the more powerful units of this mod, yet they have a weakness- like Peasant Levy, they cannot be directly commanded nor attacked by human players - forcing Latin factions to endure a layer of micro-management in battles in order to get the best out of these units. On the other hand, their prohibitive cost and their finnicky nature may well compel players using the Latin civs to consider instead using the cheaper but weaker Ministerialis (or its equivalents elsewhere) which have a lower multiplier versus Barracks units, but can be trained in vast numbers for flexibility's sake.