Military History during the Kyrenaian Middle Ages (942-1463)

The **Military History during the Kyrenaian Middle Ages** lasts from 942 to 1463,

The Rise of the Sultanate was finished by 942, the power established and fortified, but still in need of finding its inner order. From 942 to 1001, the Age of Fire aimed at exactly that, followed by the Sultans' Exile until 1265. 1265 also saw the establishment of the Elective Monarchy of today, the first Sultan being Mehmet III., who died in 1297, followed by Aisha the Headswoman. Between 1265 and 1463, the Sultanate lived through its First Golden Age, which ended in 1463 with the Siege of the Citadel, the Age of Sieges beginning.

## Cutoff-Year 1200

### Distinctive Troop Types

#### Cavalry

* Kyrenaian Mounted Archers: Kyrenaian Mounted Archers were the more local variation on the Marcach, fighting in a style known as *Altanaqul Alrimaya*, Mobility Archery. That meant riding small, light horses, wearing light armour, either fighting with the sabre from horseback or with the bow, long self-bows (one might call them longbows) on foot. Once they fired a few salvoes, they would remount and use the mobility of their horses to reach a comfortable distance to repeat the process. *Altanaqul Alrimaya* is practiced to this day as part of the Combat-Sports in Kyrenaia.

## Cutoff-Year 1300

The year 1300, as a cutoff year, serves Kyrenaian Historians very well. Since 1265, the Golden Age was in full swing and would be until 1463 (although it was in its last breaths after 1402), while with the death of Sultan Mehmet III. in 1297, the Sultanate had a new ruler, Sultana Aisha, the Ilkhana of Sarepta.

Known in later years as Aisha the Headswoman (she would rule until 1337), she ruled over a superpower of its time, a state, which was more of a loose coalition of people of similar culture and inclination instead of a nation. As such, strife was abound between the Ilkhans and Khans, reminding of the Exile. Much to the chargin of Sultana Aisha, their attention was focussed inwards - instead of outwards, something that Aisha changed with the help of her Admiral Redbeard, also known as Admiral Osman Ahmar, who was also rumoured to be her lover, and with his exploratory trips into the unknown.

There, with his first trip in 1300, the foundations for the colonial empires of the Kyrenaians were laid.

### Military and Society

By 1300, the image of soldiery had changed: While the professional and in many cases noble heavy cavalry was still decisive in battle, the lighter cavalry became more and more dominated by citizens - even if they lacked the professional training of the more professional soldiers, it was an important departure from the norm.

### Distinctive Troop Types

#### Infantry

* Speer Militia
* Helberd Militia
* Dismounted Kyrenaian Light Cavalry
* Tabardariyya.
* Axemen Militia: The more amateurish version of the Tabardariyya carries smaller, simpler axes and round shields,
* Crossbow Militia
* Desert Archers
* Javelinmen
* Warslaves

#### Cavalry

* Lancer Militia
* Kyrenaian Light Cavalry: Relying on Selkie-Mercenaries was well and good, but also expensive - so the Khans and Ilkhans began to raise an own breed of horsemen, which would develop into the Kyrenaian Light Cavalry, fighting with round shields and axes, using them from horseback to split the helmets of their opponents on foot. Unlike the Mounted Tabardariyya, which relied on the strength of their axes and charges, the Kyrenaian Light Cavalry utilized flanking moves and surprise and most often used to run the enemy down.
* Kyrenaian Heavy Cavalry
* Kyrenaian Mounted Archers: Kyrenaian Mounted Archers were the more local variation on the Marcach, fighting in a style known as *Altanaqul Alrimaya*, Mobility Archery. That meant riding small, light horses, wearing light armour, either fighting with the sabre from horseback or with the bow, long self-bows (one might call them longbows) on foot. Once they fired a few salvoes, they would remount and use the mobility of their horses to reach a comfortable distance to repeat the process. *Altanaqul Alrimaya* is practiced to this day as part of the Combat-Sports in Kyrenaia.
* Mounted Tabardariyya.
* Eadhra Yahmi/Maiden Guard
	+ Maiden Guard of Muaqab

### Mercenaries

#### Distinctive Mercenary Types

* Camel Lancers
* Camel Archers
* Marcach: Whenever they could be hired, the Khans, Ilkhans and Sultans relied on the mounted mercenaries, experts in mounted warfare and light cavalry tactics for centuries before and after. With their signature half-cuirasses and composite bows, soon adapted to the Kyrenaian Climate, the Selkie were a very distinctive force on any battlefield. But not only did they get paid by their Kyrenaian Lords, the mercenaries brought home with them sabres as a new type of weapon, Kyrenaian Tea Culture and other things, while they brought with them knowledge, stocks for good horses and new tactics in mounted warfare, amongst other things.

## Weapons

### Close Combat

Kyrenaians, over the centuries, developed a variety of weapons for close combat, from axes big and small over spears and lances to blades, some of which have and had a more cladestine application.

Of axes, only three models were in use: The Tabar, the large horseman axe, the smaller Fas Saghir (or little axe) and the tool axe (an axe used for chopping wood repurposed to chop humans).

#### Kyrenaian Sabres

Kyrenaian swords had always been curved in one way or the other, sometimes more extensively then at other times, used both by cavalry and infantry. The idea was, that a curved blade would allow to draw the edge of the blade against an opponent even while in close quarters, like the melee and the midst of battle, while also allowing only a small length of the blade to hit the opponent when slashing, concentrating the force of the slash.

## Armour

### Heavy Armour

Part of the heavy armour is the *Kulah Khud*, which is often worn by officers and cavalrymen. Made of steel, these bowl-helmets were usually high and pointed, although low and flat models were sometimes used as well, usually with a spike socket at the head, which signified the rank (golden spike means for example a Captain). An aventail was usually not attached, but a nose-guard was usual, in older models it was fixed, in newer models, it could be slid up- and downwards, with cheek guards being not unusual. What made these helmets recognizeable, however, were the rich decorations on them, from carvings and etchings to attachments like horns (making the wearer look like the devil).