Ancient Symmerian army
| Ancient Makedonian army | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 556 BCE - 1305 CE |
| Part of | Makedonian Empire |
| Opponents | Kydonian League Bastarnae Galanian Kingdom ancient Ruvelkan Kingdoms Acrean Empire Sabrian Empire Bosrei Rideva Empire Sardaranian Empire |
| Battles and wars | Sabrian Wars Makedonian-Ridevan War Acrean-Makedonian War Campaigns of Orestes II Makedonian Conquest of Quenmin Makedonian campaign against Æþurheim |
The army of the Makedonian Empire was one of the most significant military forces of antiquity. Over the course of its existence the Makedonian Army expanded from a small royal guard in the 6th Century BCE to the predominant force of arms of Tyran by the 7th and 8th Centuries CE. The army went into decline in both size and capability following the Burning Plague, though it continued to play a prominent role during the Fall of the Makedonian Empire.
By the time of Orestes II the Makedonian army had been refined into a powerful and flexible power employing a wide variety of tactical developments synergized in a manner of which was an early predeccessor to combined arms warfare. Based around a pike phalanx composed of professional Makedonian soldiers, the army was further augmented by a fleet of heavy and light cavalry, and a wide variety of various skirmishers and infantry. The Makedonian Army increasingly reflected the diverse nature of the Empire as it expanded; at it's zenith the actual amount of Makedonians in a standing army on the battlefield could number as few as 10% of the formation. The Makedonians extensively employed levy soldiers and conscripts from across their tributary states, in addition to foreign mercinaries, during their campaigns, where they often formed the majority of soldiers fighting under the Makedonian banner. Foreign troops were usually mustered based on their specialty and employed accordingly. At its peak sometime around the 7th and 8th centuries, the Makedonians could call upon over a million armed troops from across their empire, though this never occurred.
The Makedonian Army continued to serve as the primary military force of the Makedonian Khanate after the Arkoennite conquest of north-west Siduri, though it largely faded from history aferwards and was afterwards subject to the Rioni Union.
Organization
A pre-modern fighting force, the ancient Makedonian army was structured on the existing political state of the Empire. Military rule was ultimately subject to the will of the Makedonian King (Basileus), whom all Makedonian professional soldiers swore allegiance to. Makedonian rule over its satraps was carried out by Viceroys appointed by the Royal Court, who were also responsible for maintaining military forces within their respective domains. This included both a Makedonian garrison, which could vary from a few hundred to several tens of thousands, and local levy forces. Under the Viceroy were typically local rules who were required to organize tribute and trade to the Makedonians, and often included with this was the task of maintaining military forces available for service for Makedonian campaigns. While the Makedonians did not attempt to pursue local professional military forces of their client states to prevent rebellions, local leadership were often tasked with maintain rosters of available manpower to be conscripted in the event of war.
Mobilization of local levy troops was typically declared with a Royal Proclamation delivered by messenger from Parilla. The Viceroy was given a number of troops he was expected to dispatch to a common assembly area, and in turn local subordinates were tasked with supplying the necessary manpower. Troops could be drawn up from either local forces or from the reaches of the Realm depending on the nature of the campaign; local rebellions may have precluded drawing on nearby sources of troops for fear of their loyalty, thus necessitating drawing in reserves from unrelated regions.
The standard Makedonian army on the battlefield typically numbered between 50,000-70,000 troops of all types, not including slaves, servants, or camp followers. Armies as large as 100,000 or more could be fielded for rare occasions, although the logistics required to support such a force were immense. Officers were almost always Makedonians, assisted by subordinates from each respective unit. The commanding general, the Strategos, was typically accompanied by a body guard of several dozen to more than a hundred cavalry.
The organization of levy troops was typically left to the decision making of their commanders, while the Makedonians themselves followed a more structure system of organization. The most basic unit of a Makedonian army was the stiochos, equivalent to a modern day squad of roughly 8-16 men, although the name directly translates to file and refers to the rows in which the Makedonians marched. Above the "file" were the "sworn", or enomotia made up of a handful of files with the usual total number being 32; roughly equivalent to a modern army's platoon. Above the "sworn" was the "band", or lochos which consisted of several enomotiae. The total number of enomotiae varied considerably depending on the role and situation of the troops and thus could range from 100 to 500 men, equivalent to a modern day company or battalion. Above the lochos was the taxis, roughly equivalent to a regiment. The taxis usually numbered around 1,000-1,500 men and was commanded by a polemarchos; multiple taxies could form an army led by a strategos. This was a reversal of the traditional Kydonian model in which the strategos commanded the taxis while the ploemarchos commanded the army as a whole. It is uncertain why this difference existed, though it is possible it originated as a linguistic difference between Kydonian and the Makedonian language.
Formations and tactics
The standard field force of the Makedonians was centered around a pike phalanx, known as the Phalangitès. This force, usually around 10,000 strong, often represented the only major Makedonian force in the army. The Phalangitès were the most well trained and drilled soldiers of their day. The phalanx required expert maneuvering and coordination in order to succeed on the battlefield, both to perform as an attacking force but also defend against enemies. Contrary to popular conceptions of the phalanx as a slow moving mass that simply served to pin an enemy in place while the cavalry charged the flanks, the Makedonians saw the phalanx as a powerful offensive tool of its own right, and Makedonian pikemen were relentlessly drilled in order to ensure they were capable of carrying out complex battlefield maneuvers, such as maintaining force cohesion while advancing in the face of missile fire, reacting to enemy cavalry, or crossing over a bridge through a river. The most elite of the Phalangitès were known as the Pezhetairos, and were most often associated with the pikemen who accompanied Orestes II on his campaigns.
The cavalry, or Hetairos, played a major role in almost every battle of the Empire. Although the name could be applied to any equestrian unit, the term Hetairos over time came to refer to heavy cavalry, typically Galanian horsemen from central Syara, or Arkoennite lancers. Heavy cavalry was often used in extensive maneuvers meant to shape the enemy force into a position where the phalanx could then deliver the decisive blow, however the role could often be reversed with the heavy cavalry landing the final charge meant to break the enemy. Additional cavalry, including lighter mounts or camels, were identified as Hippikon, although the exact terminology varied from region to region. Cavalry was typically stationed on the wings of the main body of infantry.
Infantry, known generically as Pezikon, came in a wide variety and across the breadth of the Empire, from heavy Ruvelkan infantry to lighter Mansuri and Erani foot soldiers. Heavy infantry could usually be found on the flanks of the phalanx to protect it; these were more often than not identified as the Hypaspistès. Lighter infantry served in a variety of roles, from skirmishing, supporting the cavalry and infantry, to scouting and disrupting the enemy's advance. Known as the Euzonos, they often lacked armor or large weapons in favor of javelins and short swords. Actual dedicated skirmishers were known as Gymnès, and often came from Mansuriyyah, Knichus, or Scitaria. Peltasts, armed with a large wooden shield and a small arsenal of javelins, were often responsible for peppering an advancing force with missiles to break up their attack before heavier infantry stepped in to engage.
The Makedonians had a deeply corporate form of warfare that emphasized group combat above the individual. Leaving the phalanx to pursue one's own glory was an immediate cause of shame and derision from the rest of the unit. In battle the Makedonian pike phalanx would advance, retreat, and fight as a single group, and would endeavor to remain together for as long as possible. The Makedonians often believed that victory in battle was based on which side presented a more ordered and unified front, and eschewed individual and championship combat in exchange for fighting amid close-rank battle lines. Once engaged in battle Makedonian commanders tended to act very aggressively, aiming at spoiling or disrupting the maneuvers of the enemy by closing in with the pike phalanx while cavalry disrupted enemy actions with frequent charges and assaults.
Foreign troops
As the Empire expanded, the Makedonian Army increasingly reflected the multi-ethnic and multicultural nature of Makedonian territory. Acquiring soldiers from foreign nations was commonly employed by the Makedonians at an early time in their history, and the practice continued to grow over the centuries until most of a Makedonian army on the battlefield came from different regions across Siduri and sometimes Eracura. The decline of the Empire slowly brought the number of foreign born soldiers in the army down, though the concept of foreign soldiers for the Makedonians extended to any non-Makedonians, to include other Syaran tribes.
Syarans frequently served in the Makedonian army, typically with Scitarians as skirmishers or light infantry while Galanians provided heavy cavalry. Ruvelka, among the first lands conquered by Makedon and one of the last to be lost, provided heavy infantry borne out of Ruvelka's many mountain kingdoms. Ruvelkan infantry, armed with longswords and battleaxes, often took up the flanks of the phalanx and were such a common occurrence in the Makedonian army that Promachos (front fighter) became a common nickname for Ruvelkans in Makedon.
Mansuriyyah, conquered by Orestes and later expanded upon by subsequent Makedonian kings, provided a wide variety of forces. Among the most common were light cavalry and skirmishers. Prized were camelry, as the Makedonians discovered that camels frightened horses and attempted to use them to counter enemy cavalry. Erani heavy infantry, known as Amrtaka, were occasionally employed to support the phalanx or as a personal guard.
Arkoennites were most commonly used as cavalry, both as horse arches (Hippotoxotès) and heavily armed lancers (Holosidèros). Horse archers were often utilized as scouts and skirmishers, meant to drive away other light infantry while lancers were often used as shock cavalry meant to break apart enemy infantry formations. After their conquest by Orestes II Arkoennites often formed the bulk of Makedonian cavalry, especially during the conquest of Quenmin.
The Quenminese provided a wide variety of troop types to the Makedonians, most notable polearmed infantry, archers, and cavalry. When Ruvelkan heavy infantry were in short supply the Makedonians often made extensive use of Quenminese halbediers to protect the flanks of the phalanx, while Quenminese bowmen and later crossbowmen were considered the premier archers of their day. Quenminese soldiers often formed the bulk of Makedonian armes during Sabrian Wars, and on more than one occasion Makedonian writers referred to the wars as the "wars of Quenmin".
Warriors from Knichus often served as cavalry and light infantry, and played a prominent role in the Second Sabrian War. It was common for Knichan tribesmen to also be used as scouts and skirmishers, especially in rough and difficult terrain.
Mercinaries were frequently employed by the Makedonians, especially from regions beyond their control. Nordic infantry were often bought especially in campaigns against the Bosrei and the Viking raiders of Æþurheim, while Ridevan mercenary elephant riders were coveted for their power and terror, especially against opponents who were unfamiliar with the Ridevan breeds like the Acrean Empire.