Farfanes (Civ6)/Civilopedia

The use of mercenaries was quite accepted in the medieval world, and the Muslim states employed a wide variety. The Moorish caliphs of al-Andalus in particular used farfanes – mercenaries from the opposing Iberian Christian kingdoms – fighting in European fashion in dense formations, both mounted and afoot. The reasons for these Christian soldiers to fight under the banners of Islam were many. In some cases, as with the famed El Cid, it may have been because they had been banished or exiled from their homelands. Others may have been recent converts to Islam from among conquered peoples, or Christian slaves or prisoners-of-war promised freedom for service. Whatever the reason, the farfanes came to be feared among the Moors’ many enemies… and were well paid.