After the previous Florence showcase, this time we're looking at a more northern state: the prince-bishopric of Liège.
Liège
Liège was not a county, duchy or kingdom - it was a prince-bishopric. The ruler of Liège was the prince-bishop, who wields both secular and religious power over his lands. Although the prince-bishopric was located at the fringe of the Holy Roman Empire, and far removed from the Italian centre of the Western Church, it formed a spiritually innovative centre in Europe. It was here that the important festivity of Trinity Sunday was first popularized, it was here that the movement of he beguines first took root and it was here that the feast of Corpus Christi was invented when a Liègeois mystic had the celebration revealed to her in a mission.
Rhenish Knights approach the prince-bishop in front of the Episcopal Court and the Liège monument,
the Saint Lambert Cathedral.
The religious innovation was partly caused by the productive socio-economic situation of, in particular, the city of Liège itself. But the highly developed economy of the region also caused internal turmoil. As in nearby Flanders, the craft guilds competed with the older ministerial elite, installed by the prince-bishop, and the prince-bishop himself. The main bone of contention in many conflicts was the legal position of the prince-bishop. As he presided as the high judge at the supreme legal authority in the bishopric, the tribunal of the palace, he could in practice pass verdict on his own actions, something the guilds considered unfair. They proposed a different high court, the tribunal of XXII, consisting of 22 representatives who were to serve as the highest legal authority. The legal conflict gave rise to civil war.
The armies of the two factions were very different. The rebels, known as the Haidroits for their opposition to the prince-bishop's legal invulnerability, relied mostly on the guilds of the various cities of the bishopric and used polearms to stave off enemy cavalry. The prince-bishops, on the other hand, tended to rely on mercenary knights from the area between the Maas and Rhine rivers, the Rhenish Knights. The bishop's armies in particular were known for their savage plundering of rebellious villages. Both armies deployed Mercenary Longbowmen in addition to their regular force. Both armies could also profit from the renowned iron workers of Liège, allowing for the relatively cheap armouring of troops.
Rebel troops, consisting of Haidroits, Halberd Militia and Mercenary Longbowmen,
are attacked by an army of Lancers and Guard Lancers.
Liège was not only involved in civil wars - they also played a pivotal part in the lead-up to the battle of Bouvines in 1214, participated in the Hundred Years War, fought with the duchies of Brabant and Guelders, faced the armies of the Burgundians Philip the Good and Charles the Bold as well as the Austrian duke and later emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. Like Flanders, Liège was an attractive battleground for neighbouring countries.
Unique Units:
Haidroit (Halberd militia with a bonus against knightly units, requires Tribunal of XXII)
Rhenish Knight (regenerating cavalry, requires Tribunal of the Palace, Mercenaries)Beguine (priest)
Unique Technologies:
Corpus Christi (Relics generate double income)Company of the Green Tent (Haidroits +3 attack, +20 hit points, improved bonuses)
Team Bonus: Priests +10 hit points
Characteristics of the civilisation:
· Blacksmith technologies are 20% cheaper
· Troopers +20 hit points, +1/+1 armour
· Spear infantry +1 range
· Priests can convert
· Priests and Beguines heal from twice as far
· Faith free
· Court Clergy free
· War Cog more expensive, takes longer to construct
· Has access to Episcopal Court
Policy Decisions
Tribunal of XXII (enable Haidroit, Spearmen +2 pierce armour)Tribunal of the Palace (enable Rhenish Knight; Rhenish Knights +5 attack vs. militia units, Troopers +5 attack vs. buildings, +5 attack vs. buildings in 15th century)
Liège is only one of many new countries in Age of Chivalry: Hegemony. Keep your eyes on this page to keep updated on the mod's progress.
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