Glossary

Jonathan M Davidson

Introduction

Given below is a quick glossary of terms with approximate guide to Thardic pronunciation for non-English words (these are traditional in usage drawn from the Corani dialect).

Links are provided to other documents. These links are to fuller definitions of the terms, or to additional information about the entry. They are by no means the only references in the other documents (try using your browers search function to find other references).

Ars Aedificare: An ancient manual of construction techniques, detailing both military mechanics (forts and seige machines) and civil engineering. (Literal meaning the "Arts of construction").

Ars Res Militaris et Imperatoria: A manual which is one of the foundation stones of the Legions. It details military organisatiom, combat strategy and tactics. It is thought to date back to the Corani Empire. Its rediscovery and translation was one of the prime forces behind the creation of republican army in its current form. All command officers must study and follow the rules given within. (literal meaning the "Arts of the Military and the Commander/Dictator")

Auxiliari (AUX-il-AR-ee): The auxiliari are the lightest foot units within a cohort, they are the skirmishers and bowmen, where they are formed up into Compari. The common soldier within an Auxiliari unit has the rank of Milites Auxiliari, they are commanded by a Compartes. [cf Comparus]

Cohort/Cohors (co-HORT / co-HORS): A Cohort (plural Cohors) is the basic building block of the republican army. It is approximately sixty men strong. It is formed out of three maniples, two compari, one Tala and their commanding office a Tribertes. The term Cohort is also used to mean the combination of all units within a provincial district (in this usage it is a synonym for a Vellexation), or all the units in a religious fighting order: in this usage it basically just means a large military body. [cf Structure | Formations | Combat tactics]

Comparus / Compari (com-PAR-us / com-PAR-ee): A Comparus (plural Compari) is the basic unit into which Auxiliari are organised. A Comparus is nine men strong, consisting of eight Milites Auxiliari and their commanding officer the Compartes. Compari can either consist of bowmen, or skirmishers normally armed with javelins or slings. [cf Cohort Structure | Equipment | Combat tactics]

Compari Urbani (com-PAR-ee UR-ban-ee): The Compari Urbani are specialist units formed from the militia of Coranan and Shiran. They serve for only a short period of time each year. The Coranan units are all bowmen of journeyman status with the major guilds. The Shiran units are formed from barge and river boat crewmen. [cf Compari Urbani]

Company: The company is a new concept to the Thardic Republic. It is the combination of one reserve Maniple and one Compari, i.e. twenty foot soldiers. The two units in a company are called up at the same time and they serve together. [cf Structure]

Compartes (com-PAR-tees): The Compartes is the unit commander of a Auxiliari Compari. [cf Equipment]

Draft: Every estate within the republic must provided a certain number of reservists, the numbers and type of which depend on the size of the Estate. This draft is known as the Estate Draft. The men so drafted form the reservists within the Legions. The Draft for the year 720 TR involves 5,721 men. [cf Draft]

Equestrian: A social class within the republic. An Equestrian is a member of an Estate holder's direct household. The Estate holder is eligible to ride a horse to battle - in fact this is the traditional requirement. An estate suitable for a wealthy equestrian is considered to be 1200 acres in extent, however there is no real link between esquestrian social status and land. The lower orders of the equestrians, those that often fulfill the role of Milites tala, often have 240 to 360 acres. In fact the regeme of the Estate draft encourages the formation of small freeholdings within an estate to provide the required Milites Tala.

Estate: The Land held by a landholder from the republic. The equivalent of a feudal manor.

Estate Tithe: The estate tithe is a tax paid in kind by every estate within the republic. The rate for the year 720TR is two pennies ha'penny per acre. It will raise about 1.9 million pennies. [cf Taxation and Accounts]

Fabrica (FAB-ric-A): Milites Fabrica is a rank within the regular foot troops equivalent to the Milites Linari. Only troops serving in the regular Maniple (1st Maniple) within a Cohort can be Milites Fabrica. Basically all that this implies is that they have a special skill or craft for which the army is prepared to pay a slight bonus for. Militarily the ranks of Milites Linari and Milites Fabrica are totally interchangeable within a Tenaci. [cf Cohort Structure | Equipment]

Fort: A generic term for any fortified strongpoint garrisoned by one or more Cohorts. The smallest are a stockaded compound, the equivalent of a feudal manor, which is the most common meaning for the term, but it also includes keeps and castles. [cf Fort Helar]

Hearth Tax: A tax imposed by the legions on every household within the republic, for the year 720 TR it stands at 9 d per house for the year. The tax raises approximately 190,000 pennies per year. [cf Taxation & Accounts]

Javelin: Both Milites Linari and the Milites Auxiliari skirmishers are armed with two javelins each. These are small spears balanced for throwing. They have a large metalic head: it consists of a steel cutting point (like any other spear) which is joined to a thin (8mm 1/3 inch) half of lead, which in turn connects to a bronze spherical weight, that balances the Javelin for throwning, and has a socket for the wooden haft. The javelin is designed to be thrown at short range. If the javelin is impaled in an enemy shield, the impetus of the bronze weight will cause the lead shaft to bend and buckle. This prevents the javelin from being thrown back at the Republican troops and also it frequently is so entangled in the shield that the weilder has to abandon their shield.

Legatus (le-GAT-us / le-GAT-ee): A Legatus (plural Legati) is the commander in chief of a legion. It is a traditional term for the position of Provincial Marshal. The Legatus is a political appointment rather than a military post. The Legatus is assisted by his Milites Legati and by the Tribertes Primus. [cf Legion HQ | Equipment]

Legion: The legion consists of all the Cohorts (and other military units) within a province. Normally there are about twenty Cohorts in a Legion. A legion is commanded by the Legati. The Legions are: Coranan, Eidel, Gerium, Kom, Ramala and Shiran. The "Red Guard" is sometimes considered to be a legion. [cf Provincial Legions | Formations | Combat tactics]

Linari (LIN-AR-ee): The legions are famed for being built a round a strong battle line of foot soldiers. Cohors Linari are hence the units that make up the line; and the soldiers who make up the majority of the line are known as Milites Linari. [cf Cohort Structure Equipment: Regular Milites | Reserve Milites]

Maniple/Maniples (MANI-pull / MANI-pulls): A maniple is a unit that consists of two Tentaci and their commanding officer the Manus. It is thus eleven men strong. A cohort contains three maniples. [cf Cohort Structure | Combat tactics]

Manus/Mani (MAN-us / MAN-ee): A Manus (plural Mani) is the commander of a Maniple. This is the most junior an equestrian (a mounted soldier) officer rank. More senior ranks are Manus Primus, the most senior Manus in a Cohort, and Manus Legati, an assistant to the Legion's Legati. [cf Cohort Structure | Equipment]

Marching Camps: The legions make use of Marching Camps, one of which is made at the end of everydays march whilst a force is away from their base. The camp is based on a fortified (with ditches and pales) circular plan. [cf Marching camps]

Milites (mili-TES): The Milites is the common soldier within the army. The title dates back to when there where one thousand men in a legion. The basic ranks of a the Milites are: Milites Linari - footmen of the battle line (a Milites Linari with craft skills is known as a Milites Fabrica); Milites Auxiliari - light foot reservists, Milites Tala - cavalry men; Milites Primus the commanding trooper within a Tenaci. The Milites form over 87% of the republic's troops. [cf Recruitment | Pay Equipment: Regular Milites Linari | Reserve Milites Linari | Milites Tala Sagitorium | Milites Tala Gravis]

Primus/Primi (PRIM-us / PRIM-ee): This term derives from being the first amongst equals, the prime. The most senior Tribertes in a Legion is the Tribertes Primus, the most senior Mani in a Maniple is the Manus Primus, and the most senior Milites in a Tenaci is the Milites Primus.

Red Guard: is stationed in Caer Coranan. The Red Guard is charged with maintaining law and order within the city and the defence of the city in times of trouble. In fact, they mainly concern themselves with the security of the senate and the senatorial families. The Red Guard is formed from six Cohorts and seven Compari Urbani. [cf Red Guard | Equipment]

Regular: Some of the troops within the army are full time paid soldiers; these are the regulars. Each Cohort has one Maniple formed from regular troops and the senior officers are all regulars. [cf Recruitment]

Reserve: Most of the troops within the republic only serve for nine tendays at a time; these are the reserves. Each Cohort has two reserve Maniples, two reserve Compari and a reserve Tala. [cf Recruitment]

Scutage: A military tax. Those that owe service to the state but who do not serve must pay for a replacement to serve in their stead. This payment is known as Scuatage. The anual rates of Scutage are as follows: Equestrian 1,152d, Milites Tala 504d, Linari 234, Auxiliari 114d

Sexton (SEX-ton): The Sexton is the commanding officer of a Tala. He gets his title by being the "sixth man". The Sexton is effectively one of the two deputies to a Tribertes (The other being the Manus Primus). [cf Cohort Structure Equipment Tala Sagitorium | Tala Gravis]

Shortsword: The Thardic legions are unusual in that the bulk of their troops are armed with short thrusting swords, rather the the broad slashing swords popular with the neighnouring kingdoms. This reflects their fighting style: using a wall of tower sheilds to deflect enemy attacks and making quick thrusts between their shields at weak-points in the enemies defence.

Tala (TA-la): A generic term meaning "cavalry" or "cavalry man" and also a specific unit within a Cohort. All Tala are equestrians. A Tala within a Cohort is a squadron of five Milites Tala and their commanding officer the Sexton. In a more generic context you can get a troop type Tala, eg Tala Gravis, or a large mass of cavalry men called a Wing of Tala. [cf Cohort Structure | Combat tactics Equipment Tala Sagitorium | Tala Gravis]

Tala Gravis (TA-la GRav-is): These troops are the heavy cavalry of the republic. Armed with a lance and armoured with scalemail. [cf Tala Gravis | Combat tactics]

Tala Sagitorium (TA-la sag-i-TOR-ium): These troops are bow armed light cavalary, they are very adept at harassing enemy units of foot drawn up in close formation. [cf Tala Gravis | Combat tactics]

Tenacus / Tenaci (ten-ASS-us / ten-ASS-ee): This is the smallest unit of close-formation troops within the republican army. It consists of four Milites Linari/Fabrica and their commander a Milites Primus. A Tenaci traditionally shared a tent which is the derivation for their name. Two Tenaci and their commanding officer a Manus form a Maniple. [cf Cohort Structure]

Tribertes (tri-BER-tees): A Tribertes is the commander of a Cohort. A Tribertes Linari commands a normal cohort, whilst the Tribertes Primus is the most senior Tribertes in a Legion and the commander of the Cohort based in the Provincial headquarters. [cf Cohort Structure | Equipment]

Vellexation: A number of Cohorts drawn from one or more legions, but not a whole legion. It is used to describe a group of Cohorts put under a single command for a military manoeuvre, or move commonly to refer to all the Cohorts within a provincial district.

Wing: The term wing in a substitution of the Harnic word for a group of cavalry men, for the more traditional term Tala (which has the same meaning). Wing is used in the republic, and in this document, to refer to the unit formed when the Tala from every Cohort is drawn off to fight together. It is standard practice to group together all the cavalrymen within a legion of Vellexation in this manner when forming up for battle.

Alternative Army: [Overview-Structure][Equipment][Cohorts in Peace][Legions at War][Accounts][Cohort Composition][Draft][Troop Table][Glossary]

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