Gleve and Gleevners

Part of Armies of Juhnvechteya

A gleve is the smallest military unit in the Joran cultural sphere (1),which accompanies a knight in times of war. These units form companies, either of mercenaries or in the retinue of wealthy nobility, as well as most armies. The gleve is not a formation, but rather a means of raising and determining the number of men capable of wielding weapons.

A gleve is based around a single knight, man-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, who takes the title of Gleevner. The smallest gleve consists of a gleevner and two sergeants or mercenaries, usually two spearmen or a spearman and an archer.

It is common for at least half the gleve to be mounted for mobility, though only the gleevner and a minority of his retinue will be expected to fight on horseback; the rest dismount to fight on foot, though the mounted men may join them on the ground, dependent on the situation.

Depending on the wealth of the gleevner, the size of the gleve may range from the size described above, up to and beyond ten soldiers and the gleevner. A gleve will typically also include at least one squire or page for every three men, who will look after the Gleevner’s horses (2), while other soldiers may bring their wives or families for that task.

A ten-man gleve will usually consist of the gleevner, one or two mounted sergeants, two or three foot-sergeants, and several armed servants, along with several noncombatant pages, cooks, and other servants who tend to the gleve and it’s equipment.

Due to the number of noncombatants, a gleve can seem deceptively small. A gleve of 10 soldiers may easily become a large operation, with the potential to include one or more wagons, a dozen or more horses and oxen, and more than 25 persons, combatant or otherwise. 3

Gleve are organized into companies, which usually consist of ~100 gleve of various sizes, which are led by a captain, who may be either a knight, ritter, baron, or higher title, dependent on the size and status of the company. A company may include upward of 300 soldiers, with more than 600 followers. 4

Multiple companies of gleve are employed in the largest scale wars, while smaller-scale conflicts may feature only a single company on each side. 5

### Notes

1 the gleve, while indigenous to Joraje and the surrounding regions, is likely inspired by the similar “Lanze” employed by the Cinelli. It was likely encountered by the Jorans by way of one of the many free companies that often find employment in the armies of Joran and Vechtese lords.

2 each man in a gleve is likely to have at least one horse, most often a pack horse, though the gleevner and his mounted warriors are likely to also have riding horses and war horses

3 it should be noted that the noncombatant servants and followers, including the women, do often go into the field with the gleve, to support them, treat their wounds, and recover loot for the outfit. They are almost always armed to defend themselves and their allies, usually with a simple sword.

4 the followers of a company will be far more varied than a gleve, as the larger group allows for more economic gain. Among the followers will be smiths, armorers, tailors, ladies-of-the-night, merchants, doctors, surgeons, who all cater to the various “needs” of the company, as well as the families of the soldiers.

5 usually, only a county and larger realm could support a company. In cases of baronial and ritter conflict, one can expect to see only a dozen gleve at most.