Hylian Army Structure (I'm helping too! Weeeeeeeeeee) [WIP]

Discussion in 'Suggestions & Ideas' started by Idarian, Nov 13, 2017.

  1. Idarian

    Idarian Imperator of Known Space reg

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    So, because I'm kind of a nerd for world building and military stuff (historical or modern), I spent some time thinking about how Hyrule's army would be broken down around the time of our roleplaying, also partly because it doesn't seem like a lot of the functional aspects of its structure have been fleshed out much at all, other than some amount of recognition of brave deeds that doesn't seem to equate to selection for important positions of leadership in a formalized command structure so much as it seems to equate to a sort of system of decoration, much like valor would be rewarded with medals in the real world.

    I tried to make a graphic to illustrate the sort of structure I am thinking of, but I couldn't really get anything going that seemed to work, aesthetically, so I decided to forgo that. Instead, I'll just give an explanation in text form.

    Now, in the text below, I refer to the specific polity ruled by the Royal Family as Lanayru, which seems more technically accurate, which would serve to differentiate that state from what satellites and protectorates form the other regions of the Hylian mainland.

    Size and Structure (open)
    To start, I had to get a rough idea of the population that Hyrule would be able to draw on for its manpower, since that is going to dictate overall size, along with a combination of wealth in currency, administrative efficiency, and the available logistical apparatus, for obvious reasons.

    So, taking a look at the map, I got the impression that the entire area is rather larger than it felt last time I was here, at which point I recall the entire map representing a square 400 miles by 400 miles, or just shy of 644 kilometers for those inclined to use more civilized units of measurement. Instead, I guessed at a total size of 800 miles (around about 1,287 kilometers) to a side. The continent that Hyrule is located on fits in an area about half the size of the map, and to count for the portion of that area that is ocean, I cut the figure in half again, consider Hyrule to be roughly one quarter the area of the whole map. Now, the population Lanayru would have to drawn on would only inhabit about another half of this area, and at that, slightly less once one considers that part of this region would include Faron.

    In any case, using rough population density figures from antiquity (the Romans have much better records than their successors, for obvious reasons) and trying to adjust those for the increase in population that would go along with agricultural technologies developed during Late Antiquity and afterward, also using the estimated population for the Carolingian Empire as a guide, I placed the theoretical population of the entirety of Hyrule, Lanayru as well as other regions, at around 12 to 15 million, if memory serves. Now, I cut this largely in half to find the population remaining north of Death Mountain, though a fair number of people living in the south might have been able to migrate north in the wake of Ganon's invasion, so I allowed for the north to incorporate a little more than half of the general population. I settled on roughly 6.5 to 7.5 million as a reasonable figure for the combined population of humans in Lanayru and Faron. Given the terrain and area of Faron, I figured it might reasonably account for 1.5 to 2 million inhabitants, leaving Lanayru with the rest. To find suitable figures for the total size of Lanayru's military force, I therefore used 5,500,000 and 6,000,000 as reference values.

    As I understand it, Lanayru's military is purely volunteer, so reasonably the number of personnel involved would not be as large as some other forces from a similar overall population. For comparison, I used the the estimated total size of the Roman Army under the Principate around AD 130, at which point all personnel serving in the legions or the auxilia were volunteer, professional troops, and where the Empire was not bolstering its forces with conscripted personnel. This figure was 381,000, which I compared to a total empire population of around 45 to 50 million. Using various other size estimates, I found the troops of the Roman army numbered about 8.85 military personnel for every 1,000 Imperial residents.

    Applying this ratio, as well as one or two alternate figures, to the population of Lanayru, I estimated the total size of the current army as being in the range of 46,750 to 54,450 personnel, which would presumably include local garrisons as well as troops that would operate in the field. That figure does not include probable numbers of personnel serving in some capacity in Lanayru's naval forces, but judging by the numbers employed in Roman fleets, adding those would not seriously inflate the estimated total figures above, so they have, for the moment, been omitted.

    As the army of Lanayru would not be based around a large number of full-time troops who would be available to move between regions for long-term assignments in most cases, I picture the army as being structured more along lines of local, provincial defense against small-scale threats by placing control of regional troops in the hands of a provincial commander responsible for recruiting, drilling, and organizing soldiers in his assigned province. Provincial commanders would, therefore, be capable of responding to localized threats much more efficiently than a larger, more centralized command structure relying on direction or support from more distant authorities. The office of each provincial commander would be one to which each commander would be appointed, much like the strategoi of the Roman themata or Charlemagne's comites/counts, usually by the Lanayru's monarch or another military representative invested with the requisite authority.

    The King, or whichever member of the Royal Family is the de facto ruler, of Lanayru would have certain standing contingents under his direct command, comprising three main bodies. The foremost of these units would be the Royal Guard, made up of some 200-300 picked soldiers to serve as personal household guards of the monarch, as well as serving as an elite force to act as agents for select missions on the monarch's behalf, or to act as his tent guards on campaign. In addition, the King would have a contingent of around 4,000 palatine troops, made up primarily of heavy cavalry, with a small supporting force of lightly-equipped loftwing riders mostly for scouting missions. This palatine contingent would be the King's main fighting force on campaign, to be supported by troops called up from his subordinate regional commanders. This body of 4,000 knights would largely be stationed around Castle-Town while not deployed, with permanent forts to serve as year-round quarters.

    Also under the command of the king, though not intended to follow him as part of a field army, is the force meant to serve as a garrison force for Castle-Town and its environs, including about 8,000 troops in total, made up almost entirely of infantry, providing civil peacekeeping services as well as defense against more military threats. This force is, as mentioned, not meant to sortie from the capital during large-scale operations. Rather, its duty is more restricted to manning the fortifications of Castle-Town.

    This structure is well-suited to dealing with frequent attacks and raids both along the frontier or in the heart of the realm, as some raids might be able to penetrate deeper into Lanayru before having to turn back south. Organizing military command along provincial lines allows regional commanders to turn back such common, small-scale threats more easily. Lanayru's reliance on semi-professional troops rather than full-time, standing armies lends itself to regional breakdowns as well, as forces cannot be easily moved about or gradually built up from large areas of land. Rather, forces must be assembled wherever needed, and must be assembled on short notice. This requires a system of administration that allows each region to respond to threats quickly and effectively.

    Of the 45,000-55,000 troops available for service in Lanayru, roughly 12,000, therefore, are placed around the capital, serving directly under the king. The remaining 34,000-42,000 troops are divided among 12 provincial commanders, each commanding an average of between 2,870 and 3,520 troops, though depending on the population density of wealth of each region, numbers range from approximately 1,200 to 4,500 men per command, with figures meant to include rough estimates for the manpower needed to garrison nearby settlements and forts as well as those available to participate in expeditions, though keep in mind that the numbers in garrisons and in expeditions would depend entirely on needs at any given moment. In addition to providing local defense, the generals of each of the 12 provinces can be called upon to muster their forces as part of a greater military campaign by Lanayru's forces, in which case the monarch could very reasonably muster a field army of 10,000-25,000 troops if needed, and depending on circumstances and how many generals are called upon to fight.

    Below each of the generals, whose status could be considered comparable to a Dux of the Roman Empire under the Dominate, or to that of a Strategos commanding a later Roman thema, would be found a number of smaller unit commanders, leading formations numbering between 250 and 1,500 men, depending on unit types, composition, and available manpower. These commanders would be similar in function to a battalion or brigade commander in a more modern army, though a more apt comparison might be, to again use the Romans for comparison, the tribunus militum or praefectus in command of an Auxiliary cohors or ala, or the legatus in charge of a legion, or, indeed, the equivalent commanders responsible for leading the legiones, cohortes, auxilia, vexillationes, etc. etc. of the Dominate-period Roman army. Similarly, fortresses and towns under the jurisdiction of any one Hylian general would be the responsibility of a subordinate officer serving as a castellan in charge of each fortified complex and for managing its garrison troops.
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017