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| {{Template:Armies of Faneria}} | | {{Template:Armies of Faneria}} |
| {{Template:Fhainnin Politics}} | | {{Template:Fhainnin Politics}} |
| ==History==
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| ====Pre-national Forces====
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| The typical Fhainnin soldier for the first few thousand years of recorded history (known as a ''Ceiternin'') was armed with a sword (''deamhbah''), javelins (''gah''), and various daggers. They generally favored no armor or padded cloth, as tribal tactics focused on skirmishes and ambush over pitched fighting. These troops were organized into rough units collectively referred to as ''Ceiternn'', or warbands, which numbered anywhere from thirty to four hundred men depending on the size of the populations from which they were raised. The leader of each warband was either elected or lead by charisma and was referred to as a ''Ceiternna,'' and responded directly to the commanding noble or official, assuming they themselves were not operating autonomously. Many local bands fought against invading forces both foreign and native without a call to arms, often boiling the distinction between soldiery and highwaymen down to a matter of loyalties.
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| The constant combative nature of the area made proper settlement and annexation by anything other than dedicated armies incredibly difficult, as while early Holy Levantine forces and opportunistic raiders had free reign of the land when organized, attempts to remove or subjugate the native populations of the Ninerivers typically resulted in settlements being sacked at any opportunity.
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| As Christianity took hold within the country from those foreign settlements which had been established peaceably or lasted in small holds along the coastline, local nobility began to employ professional soldiers in addition to militias. These ''Ardceiterninn'' continued to use javelins and swords, but additionally took up shortbows along with rounded wooden shields and metal armor (most commonly mail coats or lamellar designs copied from Latin and Coscivian designs). Most also trained to fight on horseback as their ''Ceiterninn'' auxiliaries did, largely replacing the mounted skirmishers and relegating peasant troops to foot combat by the tenth century. While not approaching the social prestige or full plate of Latin knights, these soldiers typically fought with similar discipline and pride, earning a reputation as competent bodyguards and cavalry mercenaries throughout Levantia.
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| ==== Early Royal Central Army====
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| The first Kings of the Fhainn fought with essentially the same troops as their ancestors and opponents had for innumerable generations before, and did so successfully. However, the inherent disorganization and decentralization of feudal forces made mobilizing to fight large wars increasingly difficult, and by the fourteenth century, firearms and cannons made organized formations increasingly important.
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| In 1457, in response to this need for a large army loyal directly to the Throne, King (''Rih'') [[Bronlan Màrtainn]] reorganized his personal army into more standardized units of four hundred men, arming them with weapons produced in batches and mixing soldiers from different regions to limit the chances of any unit retaining loyalty to their original lords. Aside from introducing a degree of standardization, Bronlan created a larger officer system, with Captains (almost invariably minor nobles) replacing ''Ceiternnas'' and introducing Sergeant-Generals to lead units of two thousand men, themselves responding a General leading as many troops as were appointed to his command. While still inefficient and lacking in long campaigning ability and contemporary command and control, this system at least allowed for a functional army to be fielded against other states with relative coordination and modern equipment (and, more importantly, without cajoling the Vicars to field soldiers on the behalf of the King).
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| The Royal Central Army formally separated Fhainnin soldiers into distinct infantry and cavalry types, with the ''Ardceirerninn'' being transformed into more traditional lancer cavalry, while the levy troops were given a mix of arquebuses and pikes to replace their earlier bows and spears. Foot ''Ardceirerninn'' and the few remaining cavalry ''Ceirerninn'' eventually formed longbowmen and skirmish cavalry units respectively, with the former fading into obscurity as firearms became more effective and the latter taking up varying roles as early dragoons or reconnaissance units for the main armies. Static cannon were also introduced and attached as needed to the infantry for support in sieges. In its early stages, the RCA employed Tercio formations, eventually phasing out pikes but retaining sabers until the invention of ring-mounted bayonets, skipping the introduction of plug bayonets entirely.
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| This central army, supported by Vicarial armies and feudal levies, saw action in numerous wars of expansion after its formation in 1457, from the [[Vandarch War]] to both the First and Second Princes' Wars and until the end of the [[Second Kin War]].
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| ==== Late Royal Army ====
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| In the late 18th Century and onwards, the Royal Army grew in size greatly as the nobility became increasingly dependent on the Crown for their power, culminating in the loss of their privileges to raise levies independent of the central government in the 1830 Constitution. Units were organized into a Corps system immediately prior to the [[Third Kin War]] along Latin lines, with continuous modernization throughout the rest of the century. COnscription was also introduced in 1840, though the professional troops largely remained nobility. The Royal Army performed well until its disastrous defeat during the [[Fourth Kin War]], during which the entirety of the Third Army Group was cut off from supply and defeated, with the ''Rih'' being taken captive and forced to sign the humiliating First Treaty of Gaoth.
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| ====Revolutionary Peoples' Army====
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| ====Great War====
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| ==== Late 20th Century ====
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| ==== Modern Day ====
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| ==Culture== | | ==Culture== |
| ====Traditions and Holidays==== | | ====Traditions and Holidays==== |