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Military of the Morsian Empire (From 20,000 BBY onwards) |
Structural history |
Rutilarian reforms · Farranaxian reforms · Reforms of 3,920 · Cracian reforms · Unit types and ranks · Equipment · Legions (Canon · Legends) · Navy (Canon · Legends) |
Campaign history |
Wars and battles (Canon · Legends) · Civil Wars and rebellions (Canon · Legends) |
Strategy and tactics |
Infantry tactics |
Borders and fortifications |
Castellum · Castra · Escensio · Finibus Galacticus (Finibus Septemtrionis Galacticus (Finibus Otega ad Qiilura · Finibus Thanium ad Ashicus · Finibus Meram ad Quelii · Finibus Kanz ad Raioballo) Finibus Coruscanticus · Finibus Teraab ad Trax · Finibus Meridionali Galacticus (Finibus Chommell ad Brema · Finibus Arkanis ad Cadavine · Finibus Lambda ad Bothanicus)) |
Under different political systems |
Royal Morsian Army · Morsian army of the Dictatorship Morsian army of the First Republic · Imperial Morsian Army (Canon · Legends) |
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The Morsian Army was the land arm of the Morsian people, and while it underwent many changes over its lifespan, it always remained recognizable and based itself around a central concept of heavy infantry domination. Established in the late life of the Morsian Kingdom in around 16,700 BBY, the Morsian Army underwent many different reforms and changes throughout its life under different regimes. With over 15,000 years of history, the Morsian Army changed to meet needs and tactics of the time, however it remained rooted to its central values of the legion structure as well as the cornerstone of elite heavy infantry.
Royal Morsian Army (up to c.16,690 BBY)[]
The Morsian Army began a short time before 16,700 BBY, however it was little more than a band of militia who were given whatever weapons could be found at the time and some basic training on how to hold them. Following the Battle of Malagus, king Caesar Tarqui'in reformed the militia into an army of 300 swordsmen who were better trained and armed than the militia. The army had no officers and it was down to the older soldiers of the swordsmen to lead the others. The new army fought in the Siege of Favarae where it was wiped out, but inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking Sicc'orax Republic forces.
After the success of the new swordsmen, Caesar once again reformed the army, birthing the Royal Morsian Army. Three legions were raised, containing 1,000 men. These men were heavy infantry legionarii, arranged into ten cohorts of 100 men commanded by a centurion. A legatus commanded the legion with a secundus legatus as his second in command. With a basic officer hierarchy in place as well as the initial legion structure laid down, the Royal Morsian Army was the foundation upon which all other versions of the army would be built upon.
Morsian army of the Dictatorship (c.16,690 BBY - c.16,115 BBY)[]
Under the Morsian Military Dictatorship, the army underwent radical reform in the first part of its new life. The dictatorship came into existence during the First Morsian-Sicc'orax War, so any reformation or restructuring was at the back of their minds while the war was being fought. However the war and military experience gained from fighting the Sicc'orax caught the attention of Gaius Rutil'iar, ex-legate of the 1st legion who had fought in the army part of the war. He identified several weaknesses with the army and sought to remedy them.
Following the end of the war, he embarked on the Rutilarian reforms which, among other things, expanded and restructured the army. Alongside the raising of new legions, which doubled the standing number, he expanded the amount of men serving in them from 1,000 to 1,500. He also created new units for the legions which aimed to make them more flexible and better deal with the more lightly armored and faster units of their tribal neighbors. A new combat system was developed, the triplum linae, which sought to utilize these new units. There was a back line of 500 legionarii heavy infantry, a middle line of 500 mediares medium infantry and a front line with 500 luxarii light infantry. These classes allowed for flexibility during a battle, where the lighter units could more quickly respond to a changing battlefield.
In the later era of the dictatorship the army was once again expanded to total ten legions, twelve by the eve of the death of the dictatorship. These legions all followed the structure laid down by Gaius, however over the course of the Second Morsian-Sicc'orax War war, individual legates had added or changed unit compositions to counter the forces of the Sicc'orax and their vassal the Xikk'lac Tribe. Some legions now included spearmen, while others had a mounted attachment. Two auxiliary legions were raised, the 1st and 2nd auxilia which not only included mounted units but also bowmen. Marines had been created for the navy which brought the power of the legions to the sea, and a special formation of legionaries named the Morsian Guard had been created to guard both the Morsian Senate and ruling dictator. By the end of the dictatorship, organization and standardization within the army was beginning to break down both from the prolonged war and casualties sustained from it but also the waning power of the dictator.
Morsian army of the First Republic (c.16,115 - 15,997)[]
The army at the beginning of the Republic was in very poor shape. Following the end of the Fourth Morsian Civil War as well as the widespread famine and disease outbreaks occurring all over Morsian lands, the army had been decimated with barely half of the legions left standing and those that were being severely undermanned and under equipped. For nearly a decade after the end of the civil war, the army was barely functional and would have been severely inadequate to protect the fledgling First Morsian Republic should it have been attacked. However, once the situation had been stabilized, the army could slowly be reformed and rebuilt.
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