Essosi Armies

[Cozur]

I'm very curious about the armies of Essos, especially the free cities. We know how the Dothraki are equiped and organized, and how they fight. We got a fair idea about the armies of Ghis, Unsullied and the 3 year serving men in the legions of New Ghis.

But I'm rather curious about the composition of the armies of the free cities and Qarth etc. I know they use sellswords, but what about their own "native" armies. Are they equipped like the Westerosi armies, are they like the armies of Slaver's Bay, like the Dothraki, or something else entirely?

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

It seems to me that the majority rely on either sell-swords and slaves to form the armies, with a small contingency of guards on top of that. There isn't much mention of 'native' armies as you've stated.

[mor2]

We know how the Dothraki are equiped and organized

what do we know of Dothraki tactics because reading through the Dothraki military thread I could only find information based on the assumption they use some adaptation of Mongol model.

for that matter I cant say we know much about any of the armies tactics/compostion other than the westerosy (and dornishmen, who mostly use light cavalry, double-curved bows and spears).

[Cotter_Pyke]

Doesn't Rob mention that the free cities have standing armies as opposed to his levies??

[Stefan_Sasse]

Perhaps you find some answers here:

http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2011/06/09-war-of-five-kings-daenerys/index.html

[PSHorton]

The slave cities are analogous of carthage , which relied purely on mercs. Also,I see quarth and asshai as oriental nations, which in our world were not organized like the west

[Cozur]

The slave cities are analogous of carthage , which relied purely on mercs. Also,I see quarth and asshai as oriental nations, which in our world were not organized like the west

Carthage in no way relied purely on mercenaries.

[mor2]

Well I am really interested to know more on Essosi militarise(dothraki include), so far the only thing I can contribute I have updated in the Unsullied entry.

[Damar]

I think Robb or someone else mentioned the Free Cities having standing armies.

[mor2]

when you can have as many slave as you can breed and feed, it makes it easier to do so. for example Qohor use only Unsullied guards (thou it's the most costly type of slaves around).

[PSHorton]

Carthage in no way relied purely on mercenaries.

The vast majority of their troops in the second Punic war were drawn from Iberia and Gaul.maybe they weren't strictly mercs but not a native standing army in ANY way

[voodooqueen126]

Carthage in no way relied purely on mercenaries.

You know it bugs me that Assha is sitting smack back where Korea should be, but why does Melisandre have red hair? Hardly very Asian.

[PSHorton]

Its a fantasy world, ppl have all kinds of weird hair color. Its still designed after the real world. Valyria and volantis are much like Rome, bravos is like Venice etc etc

[Black Crow]

If we take it that Essos and the Free Cities are based on the Italian city states and Imperial free cities, there is likely to be a dualistic system of native and mercenary armies.

City states have always relied upon Citizen Militias for their defence and providing that's all they're called upon to do than could be quite effective, being well equipped and reasonably well trained. Their weakness of course is that they generally don't want to stray too far from home and when they do are usually pretty much focussed on getting back again. Therefore said City States also had a tradition of hiring mercenaries for any force projection, or as Clausewitz put it; "War is the continuation of Diplomacy by other means".

Therefore if, just for the sake of argument Dany were to come steaming up the Demon Road through Valyria to invade Essos she would find the core of each city's army made up of concerned citizens - usually spearmen and crossbowmen, supplemented to a greater or lesser degree by any sellsword companies they might have contracted with.

[mor2]

iirc, most of the free cities really extensively on slaves, for anything from cleaning up the streets to guarding. so it more likely that the large portion of it's armies would consist of slaves not concerned citizens and completely unreliable (unless they are unsullied).

using sellsword companies is given considering essosi history with the dothraki. as for the rest about thier equpiment and training, that just to much on the guess work side, I doubt that the none inland city states has anything resembling an army.

btw regarding crossbows, are they in use on Essos as well or only in the seven kingdoms?

[Black Crow]

I'm using Continental European precedent here which GRRM is evidently familiar with, hence the concept of citizen militia for defence and mercenaries for offence. In terms of armies you'd probably find that City A can defend itself quite adequately against City B, but that both A and B would find it hard to muster an army capable of fighting a major battle against an outsider.

As to crossbows; historically they have always been popular with civic militias as they have access to the necessary technical back-up and don't require the life-long practice needed to become a good longbowman - I've been shooting a longbow for the past 20 years and still regard myself as so so.

[dragginstoned]

Volantis has a standing army definately. It was mentioned in one of the Griff chapters that a triarch had brought a sizeable army to near the encampment of the golden company and was "demanding to know their intentions".

[PSHorton]

I believe he took like five thousand slave soldiers

[BrosBeforeSnows]

Carthage in no way relied purely on mercenaries.

True, they did not rely PURELY on mercenaries, and depending on your definition of "mercenary", they may not have relied on them very much at all. The Berber, Iberian, and Celtic troops who fought for Carthage were technically under their sphere of influence, similar to auxiliary troops in the Roman army. Carthage did, however, employ mercenaries in the traditional sense of the word as well, but they by no means formed the backbone of their army. They were generally used as scouts and expeditionary forces. But if you consider the Carthaginian troops to be mercenaries, then so were all the Gauls, Germans, Batavians, Britons, Syrians, Egyptians, etc... who fought for Rome throughout the course of their history.

[mor2]

I have been trying to assemble and Armament entry, about the various equipment used in the world of ice and fire and came a cross the term 'lobstered metal', wtf is this?!