The Kingdom of Zagwe
Background
Before the Solomonids defined the image of Ethiopia for nearly a millennia an Agaw dynasty dominated the Ethiopian highlands, erecting monumental churches and carrying on the legacy of Aksum. Medieval Ethiopia is shrouded in as much mystery as its Christian northern neighbors in the Sudan. An isolated mountain kingdom surrounded by hostile powers that aggressively resisted all foreign incursions. Ethiopian warfare revolves around the yeoman peasant farmer, a loyal fighter who is able to march great distances barefoot at the behest of his emperor. Ethiopian armies are light, reliant on guerilla tactics and skirmishing to grind the enemy down. While they are light in comparison to all other powers, their speed, endurance and bravery make them a enemy not to be underestimated.
A Note on Ranged vs. Melee Units
Most Ethiopian units, like in Makuria, are both ranged and melee, starting as skirmishers and being able to fight in melee if need be. Hence in this roster dividing units into ranged and melee is a slight misnomer, as most units can fill both roles easily, albeit a little less than units more strongly specialized for one role or the other in other factions.
Early Era
General:
Negusa Nagast Ras
The king of Ethiopia maintains a travelling capital, moving from region to region throughout the year. It is then also fitting that his bodyguard be as mobile as his palace.
Melee Infantry:
Aqaytat
The Aqaytat were the closest to professional soldiers in the Ethiopian state, a term that would eventually grow to mean the very royal bodyguard of the king himself.
Hadar
The Hadar were sent to the frontiers of the Ethiopian state to settle and pacify. Ethiopian army regiments were settled in military colonies as a mean to garrison, ensuring royal control of the area, and as a way to provide livelihood for the regiment.
Highland Angada
The Habesha tribes, or Angada, formed a shock element of the Ethiopian army. Comprised of the young men of the region, they were light and able fighters beyond the rest of the infantry force. Regiments in the Ethiopian Army were commonly organized from a single tribe, and the commanders or Nagast grew from the tribal chief
Spear Sarawit
The sarawit are organized levies that form the backbone of the imperial army. Särawit is the plural form of särwe, meaning troops or a military leader. Soldiers in Amdä Ṣǝyon's military regiments were known by the name of särawit. They were divided in two main parts: the royal court army and provincial regiments composed of infantry and cavalry corps. The term was used since the Aksumite era.
Ranged Infantry:
Bow Sarawit
While not as prestigious as the javelin, the bow is valued for its role on the battlefield. Bow and Arrow were one of the principal weapons of the Ethiopians, and they were proficient on it. However, the Ethiopians does not have archery tradition as strong as Nubia in their north;and Al-Umari noted that Ethiopian arrows were smaller than their Islamic adversaries.
Melee Cavalry:
Heroic Horsemen
The mounted aristocracy is as revered in Ethiopia as it is in the Sudan. Though while their northern neighbours fight as heavy horsemen, here battles are fought with the javelin, thrown with brutal accuracy and sureness of heart.
Horse Sarawit
The cavalry sarawit form the flying wings of the Ethiopian army, pelting the enemy with javelins before riding them down in a rout.
High Era
General:
Hara Sagarat
Melee Infantry:
Spear Sewa
When the territory of the medieval Christian kingdom expanded, the organisation of the military regiments evolved from regionally dominated military troops to professional soldiers, called the č̣äwa military corps or “men at arms”.Instituted by Zär’a Ya‘qob as the Royal standing army, The Sewa garrisons were stationed as a military colony, and earned their living from the gult, the right of receiving a part of the royal tribute from the land
Jan Infantry
Highland Angada (High)
Gondarian Infantry
Ranged Infantry:
Bow Sewa
Melee Cavalry:
Horse Sewa
Gondarian Sewa
Late Era
General:
Tarasmba
The songs in honor of the kings alluded to the establishment of a military regiment of ṭaräsmba at Mǝṣǝwa, in the province of the baḥr nägaš, during the reign of King Yǝsḥaq. This military corps was rarely mentioned in medieval Ethiopia, but they were famous as bodyguards of the 17th-century kings.
Melee Infantry:
Spear Sewa (Late)
Jan Infantry (Late)
Balage Levy
Shotelai
Swords were originally rare in Ethiopia, mostly imported from abroad. Amda Seyon recognizes this disadvantage on armament, and formed a separate unit armed with swords in 1332. Shotel were the Sickle-swords of Ethiopia, which shape enables it to hook and stab in a curve and focus the force of a chop into a single point.
Ranged Infantry:
Bow Sewa (Late)
Melee Cavalry:
Horse Sewa (Late)
Gondarian Sewa (Late)
Work In Progress
Credits
LinusLinuthorax & Alejandro Sanchez for their incomparable store of knowledge on medieval Africa and endless willingness to provide resources.
the MK1212 dev team for their resources and feedback
the Ancient Empires team for their excellent model resources, especially their hide shields.
Toto, for providing the soundtrack to this factions development.
CA for making the game that makes this possible
Good job. Buen trabajo.
Where was Gondar when...
Isengard was besieging Helms Deep
the Titanic has sunk
Omg looks cool,relase it already lol
I need to find the time to work the stats database. The Volga Bulgaria and Makuria haven't been integrated by me, the bottleneck is in my plate.
Also Dontfearme says he want to polish both Makuria and Zagwe roster, and add few Dahlak units. Dahlak was a Muslim sultanate and had key position in the Red Sea trade. So, expect Muslim version of shared Sudanese and Ethiopian infantry units borrowed from Makurian and Zagwe roster, but better equipped due to its trade connections.
Good job guys!! :O :D
As usual, great job ^^
Where can we download this mod?
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Superbly rendered civilization. However it's advanced units can have real trouble against the Arab neighbors. I had recruit mercenaries to make up for that shortfall.