Factions
There are several factions in this mod. That are;
- County of Flanders (Graafschap Vlaanderen)
- County of Frisian (Graafschap Fryslân)
- Prince-Bishopric of Liege (Prinsbisdom Luik)
- Republic of the United Netherlands (Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden)
- Kingdom of Spain (Koninkrijk van Spanje)
- De Geuzen (De Geuzen)
And some more more minor factions, such as the bandits and others;
- Outlaw Beggars
- Council of Troubles, aligned to the Kingdom of Spain (Raad van Beroerten)
But a list is also not that enlightening to the people. So first I will describe the factions in shot.
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders is not the area we call Flanders, situated in Belgium. The County of Flanders was one of the most prosperous factions of that time period. Their large trading made a large fortune for them, and so they were the richest in medieval Europe.
But since the invasion of the Spanish, their long build up capital and cities were destroyed, and afraid for prosecutions, they fled to the northern cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht and more in the Republic of the United Netherlands.
With their heavy cavalry they can trample any enemy. Because of their large prosperity they could easily afford heavy armoured horses, and train their riders on a high level. These riders are quite rare though. They mostly counted on their musketeers and additional infantry.
County of Frisian
The County of Frisian is an area that is situated in the north of the Netherlands. They fought a lot for their freedom and independence in the 10th and 12th century.
At this point, they still were no part of the United Netherlands, and had their own Count. The Frisians did not support Alba in the beginning of his invasion, and were determined to get him out as soon as possible.
,_1622,_book_illustration.JPG "Lange Pier")
A legend that is still around, was that Lange Pier fought against the Spanish, with a sword that was as tall as a man. As you can see in the picture above.
The Frisians have infantry to fear. With their two-handed zweihanders they can easily bring down cavalry and other infantry.
Prince-Bishopric of Liege
The Prince-Bishopric of Liege is now the area situated in the centre of Belgium. It's capital was Luik, and was governed by the Prince Bishop Gerard of Groesbeek. Their minor support to the Spanish made them unpopular with other countries, so they had to fight them as well. However, the Prince Bishopric eventually changed his alignment, and joined forces with the other countries to kick the Spanish out.
The real sharpshooters. They could hit a fly from a 50 metre distance with their, for that time, accurate muskets (figure of speech). With their large range and high accuracy, they were fearful soldiers on the battlefield and in sieges.
Republic of the United Netherlands
The Republic of the United Netherlands is now the area of the more central provinces of the Netherlands. So North and South Holland, Utrecht, Gelderland etc.
The Republic was formed to make a stand against Alba, and try to keep him out of their territory. Their combined efforts worked eventually, and even allowed them to live a Golden Age in the 1700's.
This faction relied on both infantry and musketeers. With their pikemen and musketeers they form ranks to withstand enemy attacks.
Kingdom of Spain
The Kingdom of Spain started with prosecuting protestants when they started to rebel and riot. Also extreme taxes and dictatorship were the cause of the long rebellion.
The Kingdom of Spain possessed a lot of land in that time in the lowlands. But due the rebellion, they lost a lot and sent a of soldiers and mercenaries to the lowlands to suppress the uprising rebellion.
The real soldiers of that time. Compared to this kingdom, the other factions were just a bunch of farmers with some weapons in their hand. The strict discipline made this army on of the most fearful of its times. Their long lances could withstand any cavalry attack, and their skilled infantry and musketeers could deliver a very hard punch.
De Geuzen
De Geuzen were the real rebels that first started by attacking Spanish cities and ships. They did not want to align themselves with any faction, because they fought their own battle. De Geuzen consisted most out of civilians, workers, farmers, dishonoured nobles, criminals and so on. most of them were a victim of the destruction the Spanish caused, and so they wanted to come back at them.
Their troops are a bit of every faction, so you cannot always see the difference between a Geus, and a Spanish troop. However, the Geusen infantry should be taken seriously. With a severity at how they fight, they could defeat any enemy.
Minor factions
Outlaw Beggars
There were also Beggars that just went to plunder the lands, and just hunted down everyone. These were mostly protestants that did not care for religion, and just wanted to kill Spanish and Catholic people. In those times they were also hunt down as bandits.
Council of Troubles
The council of troubles is a special case. This was an independent court, or institution by the Spanish, that was meant to convict political prisoners more fast. Their reputation was not a good one. A lot of people were convicted by death by this council, and their soldiers are the elite of the Spanish.
As a player of the mod, you do not want to wish that these guys are chasing you down for your head.
