Ancient Symmerian army
| Ancient Symmerian army | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 246 BCE - 1305 CE |
| Part of | Symmerian Empire |
| Opponents | Kydonian League Bastarnae Galanian Kingdom ancient Ruvelkan Kingdoms Acrean Empire Sabrian Empire Bosrei Rideva Empire Sardaranian Empire |
| Battles and wars | Sabrian Wars Symmerian-Ridevan War Sundering Wars Campaigns of Orestes II Symmerian Conquest of Quenmin Discovery Wars Symmerian-Hannashka Wars Seyhad Wars |
The Ancient Symmerian army were the land forces of the Symmerian Empire from the 3rd Century BCE to the 14th Century CE. Originally based on the military practices of Ancient Symmeria, the army eventually grew exponentially with the empire itself, adopting the fighting styles and methods from across Siduri as they were incorporated into the Symmerian Realm.
Unlike the army of the Acrean Empire, the Imperial Ridevan army, and the Sabrian Legions, the Symmerian army was largely non-professional with soldiers raised through mass conscription from across Symmerian territory. As the most populated of the four empires, Symmerian subjects were called to arms upon the outbreak of hostilities and returned to their homes after the fighting had ended. During peacetime, the Symmerians relied on a small number of professional formations and garrisons to safeguard their empire known as the agrosphylaxoi, or realm-guards. The various provinces of the empire were expected to be able to provide a certain number of troops to the empire for war, and Archons were tasked with maintaining suitable rosters of troops to be made available upon request. Mass conscription meant that most Symmerian armies were composed primarily of non-Symmerians, who usually accounted to less than 10% of the total army size. This reliance on other ethnic groups and cultures, known as the Epikouros, to supply troops remained consistent Symmerian policy until the fall of the empire.
The Symmerian army was instrumental in the expansion of the Empire, facilitated by military conquest. Over the course of the Empire the army engaged in combat with virtually every major power of ancient Tyran. At its peak in the 8th Century, the Symmerian army was likely composed in excess of one million soldiers. Symmerian generals, known as strategoi, envisioned warfare as a science and viewed it in highly technical terms with a preference for victory through cleverness and innovation in the twin concepts of 'taktika (tactics) and Stratègika , (strategy).
Essential to its success, the Symmerian army also proved instrumental to the eventual dissolution of the empire. Widespread conscription en masse, coupled with repeated, costly wars depopulated much of the empire's most significant regions, while disruptions to the economy led to famines and financial shortfalls. Following the Crisis of the Ninth Century the army spent much of its efforts suppressing revolts and engaging in civil wars against breakaway provinces, leading to widespread devastation and loss of life. The army effectively dissolved following the conquest of Symmeria by the Adamdar Empire, ending the over 1,000 year reign of the largest army of antiquity.
Organization
A pre-modern fighting force, the ancient Symmerian army was structured on the existing political state of the Empire. Military rule was ultimately subject to the will of the Symmerian King (Basileus), whom all Symmerian professional soldiers swore allegiance to. Symmerian 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 Symmerian 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 Symmerians , and often included with this was the task of maintaining military forces available for service for Symmerian campaigns. While the Symmerians 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 Symmerian 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 Symmerians , 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 Symmerians themselves followed a more structured system of organization. The most basic unit of a Symmerian 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 Symmerians 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 Symmerian language.
Formations
The standard field force of the Symmerians was centered around a pike phalanx, known as the Phalangitès. This force, usually around 10,000 strong, often represented the only major Symmerian 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 Symmerians saw the phalanx as a powerful offensive tool of its own right, and Symmerian 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 Siduran steppe 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 Symmerians 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 Symmerian pike phalanx would advance, retreat, and fight as a single group, and would endeavor to remain together for as long as possible. The Symmerians 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 Symmerians 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.
Strategy and tactics
The Symmerians saw war as a clash of competing organizations and formations, to be won by the side that was better organized, more clever, and better prepared army. The Symmerians envisioned war in a very technical manner that was won and measured in cleverness and wit. Symmerian generals, or strategos, championed themselves as creative and intelligent planners who won their battles based on personal ingenuity and innovation. Generalship was an art that could be taught and learned as any other skill. The Symmerians ascribed victories and defeats towards success and failures in those departments, rather than in emotive or spiritual terms such as drive, perseverance, or bloodlust. The qualities a Symmerian general was supposed to embody were best reflected in the terms taktika (tactics) and Stratègika , (strategy).
Strategy to the Symmerians was not just forward planning and logistics, but relentless pursuit of new methods of war and battle. Trickery and deceit were considered the mainstay of innovative generalship. Achieving new technical means of warfare, new formations, fighting styles, weapons, and maneuvers, was considered the mark of a great general. As the empire grew larger and the enemies Symmeria faced grew pore potent and numerous, the Symmerians gradually began viewing war not just as a series of battles but a campaign (Strateuma) that was to be accomplished over a significant amount of time. This change in the military reality required a change in mindset that saw Symmerian generals come to see war in a more all-encompassing notion.
Taktika referred to the employment and utilization of soldiers and formations on the battlefield, both prior to and during a battle. Unlike the Acrean Empire, the Symmerians did not standardize the equipment and tactics of their soldiers; levys from across the empire were armed and fought in the manner befitting their culture. A Symmerian general was expected to learn how to utilize these forces effectively; a key element of taktika was employing ones' varied forces so as to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Positioning ones forces for effective performance on the battlefield was often considered one of the hallmarks of a general general, and Symmerian commanders would spend hours arraying their forces so as to maximize their effectiveness. The Symmerians were not expected to maintain any specific battle plan or plan of attack for their armies and they were instead expected to be molded and formed into a manner best befitting the situation.
Foreign troops
As the Empire expanded, the Symmerian Army increasingly reflected the multi-ethnic and multicultural nature of Symmerian territory. Acquiring soldiers from foreign nations was commonly employed by the Symmerians at an early time in their history, and the practice continued to grow over the centuries until most of a Symmerian 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 Symmerians extended to any non-Symmerians , to include other Syaran tribes. These troops were known as the Epikouros, literally auxiliary, and came from across the realm.
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 Symmerians 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.
Sidruan steppe tribes 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 Sidruan steppe folk often formed the bulk of Symmerian cavalry, especially during the conquest of Quenmin.
The Quenminese provided a wide variety of troop types to the Symmerians , most notable polearmed infantry, archers, and cavalry. When Ruvelkan heavy infantry were in short supply the Symmerians 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 Symmerian armies during Sabrian Wars, and on more than one occasion Symmerian 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.
Mercenaries were frequently employed by the Symmerians , 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.