This article is about the technology in Age of Empires II. For other uses of the term, see Mercenary. |
Corvinian Army (called Mercenaries before the Definitive Edition) is a technology in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten that is unique to the Magyars and can be researched at the Castle. Once researched, it replaces gold cost of Magyar Huszar by additional food cost.
Strategy[]
As Corvinian Army replaces the gold cost of the Magyar Huszar with food, it must be researched as soon as the player starts to require a large number of these units that in general perform much better than regular Hussars. This turns the Magyar Huszar into a trash unit and allows the player to save a lot of gold in the long term and perform much better in trash wars in the late game.
Like the Persian unique technology Kamandaran, the Malay unique technology Forced Levy and the Bohemian unique technology Hussite Reforms, the player should research Corvinian Army as soon as they require more Magyar Huszars in order to have the highest possible use. Since without Corvinian Army, a Magyar Huszar costs 45 gold, it is only worth researching Corvinian Army when more than 6 Magyar Huszars are trained after researching.
Team bonuses[]
- Portuguese: Researching Corvinian Army is 25% faster.
Changelog[]
The Forgotten[]
- The technology is called Mercenaries.
Definitive Edition[]
- Mercenaries renamed to Corvinian Army.
The Mountain Royals[]
- With update 95810, Corvinian Army effect changed from Magyar Huszar cost no gold to Magyar Huszar gold cost is replaced by additional food cost.
History[]
Mercenaries[]
During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Hungarian cavalry were often hired as mercenaries by various rulers, including the Byzantines when they settled at Ethelkoz (located at the north of the Black Sea). Their ability to fight on the horse while firing arrows from great distance made their service in great demand. Besides receiving gifts and tributes from their employers, they also got their income from looting after successfully repelling the enemy.[1]
Corvinian Army[]
The Corvinian Army refers to the armed forces of Hungary under King Matthias Corvinus in the mid to late 15th century. Known more famously as the Black Army, possibly due to the color of their armor, they were one of the most professional standing armies in medieval Europe, being one of the first to make extensive use of early firearms. Under the leadership of King Matthias, they fought against the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottomans, and the Hussites.
Numbering around 28,000 men in 1485, the Black Army was the largest professional standing army in Europe at the time, far larger even than the army of King Louis XI of France, then the only other permanent professional European army. Its soldiers consisted of recruits from many different nations, including Czechs, Germans, Serbs, Poles and, from 1480, Hungarians.
References[]
- ↑ J. France and C.R. Bowlus. 2008. "Mercenaries and Paid Men: The Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages" (p. 193–195). Brill, Leiden.