The Battle of Brémule is the third scenario of the Possession chapter and overall fifth scenario of the The Normans campaign in Age of Empires IV. It is based on the Battle of Brémule, which was fought on 20 August 1119 between Henry I of England and Louis VI of France, also known as Louis the Fat.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
Two heavyweight kings fought face-to-face to decide the fate of Normandy.
Opening cinematic[]
William the Conqueror's sons had resolved their long feud over Normandy – with King Henry wresting possession away from his brother. But the French king, Louis VI, would not accept Henry's heir as the future Duke of Normandy.
Henry's fragile power would face its first test: an invasion by the French king.
Loading screen[]
A chance encounter in the farmlands of Normandy saw King Henry I face open battle against France's illustrious King Louis VI.
Start of scenario[]
In the disputed countryside between Normandy and France, a smoldering farmstead gave away the beginnings of a French invasion. At the head of the vast army stood King Louis of France himself. An English scout hastily rode to inform King Henry of England, who was still en route to defend his borders. Hearing of the threat, villagers and guards fled their English-held towns, and retreated to the stronghold of Fleury. Above all, the English forces in Normandy had been commanded to hold the town of Fleury and await King Henry's arrival.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Feudal Age - Units:
- 3
Scout - 4 Spearman
- 9 Longbowman
- 10 Man-at-Arms
- 15 Horseman
- 18 Villager
- 3
- Resources: 200 food, 300 wood, 300 gold
Objectives[]
- Hold off the French
- Hold Fleury until King Henry arrives
- Push the French out of Fleury
- Defeat King Louis's Army
- Capture Grainville
- Push the French out of Grainville
- Capture Cressenville
- Push the French out of Cressenville
- Use the function keys (F1-F4) to quickly select key buildings
- Press F1 to select unit production buildings
- Press F2 to select economic buildings
- Press F3 to select technology buildings
- Press F4 to select Landmarks
Players[]
- King Henry I: King Henry I begins in control of the settlements of Grainville and Cressenville, as well as the walled town of Fleury, with initially only a small force to protect them. The outlying towns will soon be overrun by the French army, however, which will then move to attack Fleury. As Fleury is besieged by the French, King Henry himself will arrive with a relief force of six Men-at-Arms, nine Horsemen, fourteen Longbowmen, and ten Hardened Spearmen. The player will then be tasked with recapturing the settlements in Upper Normandy and defeat the army of King Louis of France.
Enemies[]
- King Louis (French): King Louis' army arrives at the north corner of the map and rapidly makes its way down the road towards Fleury, taking control of the settlements of Grainville and Cressenville along the way. When the French force attacking Fleury is defeated, King Louis himself will appear in the north of the map with a substantial army. King Louis does not build an economy and once the French forces occupying Grainville and Cressenville are defeated, their buildings will revert back to the player. However, after the initial takeover, King Louis will also have a number of Stables built in the surrounding region which may periodically produce units to harass the player. His forces consist of large numbers of Spearmen, Archers and Horsemen, while the main force guarding King Louis also includes a good number of Royal Knights.
Strategy[]
The player's first move should be to send all of their units, military and civilian, behind Fleury's walls, as Grainville and Cressenville will soon be overrun by the French army. Build up an economy while also training large numbers of Spearmen and Longbowmen, as the French will soon move to attack Fleury as well. As Fleury is besieged by the French, King Henry himself will arrive with a relief force of six Men-at-Arms, nine Horsemen, fourteen Longbowmen, and ten Spearmen, which should be enough to see off the French attack.
Although King Louis is relatively passive in this scenario, the player should immediately send their units up to recapture Grainville. Remember not to destroy any buildings, since the village will revert to the player's control once captured. With Grainville recaptured, the player should send some Villagers up to the settlement to exploit its resources. At this point, the French will send a force of Horsemen, Spearmen, and Archers to attack the player's new base, so the player should make use of Grainville's production buildings to train some Longbowmen and some cavalry.
As soon as the attack on Grainville is repelled, the player should move on Cressenville, destroying its Outpost and defeating its defenders, which will give access to the settlement's buildings, including the Abbey of Kings landmark, a Monastery, and a Monk, which can heal the player's units. King Louis will soon send another counter-attack to retake Cressenville, so the player should bring a good number of Villagers to build some defensive structures at the northeast of the settlement. Building The White Tower kills two bird with one stone, as it will allow the player to advance to the next Age and improve their forces.
With Cressenville retaken and defended, the only task remaining is to defeat King Louis and his army, in the northeast. The French forces consist largely of cavalry and a good number of Spearmen, so Spearmen and Longbowmen are a good choice to counter. The Arsenal in Grainville also allows the research of some useful technologies to improve the player's units, particularly Longbowmen. There a few Treasure Chests around the map that can be collected, as well as a few Stables belonging to King Louis that should be destroyed, as these will periodically produce units that will raid the player's towns. At this point, King Louis is rather passive, so the player can take their time to amass as large of an army as they need.
Once ready, the player should send their forces to attack King Louis' army, making sure to make use of the Longbowmen's Place Palings ability to counter any cavalry charges. Once King Louis and his forces are defeated, the scenario will complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
Far from home, but rallied by their king, the English army forced a French surrender and put King Louis and his knights to flight. With the impromptu battle ending in resounding victory for the English, King Henry had secured his ancestral lands under the English crown.
Post-game screen[]
King Henry I claimed a decisive victory in the impromptu skirmish, defeating the French king and securing control of Normandy.
Page From History: Louis VI of France[]
| “ | Louis VI was a beloved king of France. Bright and valiant from a young age, he possessed a fierce sense of duty to the kingdom But his reigh was marred by regular assaults from his own barons. Time and again they attacked his lands, and each time Louis defeated them, earning him the moniker of Louis "the Fighter". After years of thwarted resistance, the nobles accepted Louis as king and united under him against the English invaders. In his later years, Louis indulged in the pleasures of food and wine, and despite his reputation as a warrior king, he became known by another nickname, Louis "the Fat". He is still remembered fondly as a king who defended the poor and the pious and who, against the odds, united a country in turmoil. |
” |
Trivia[]
- There is a Wolf by the southeastern edge of the map that is controlled by King Louis, rather than being a neutral unit.
- Despite being French, King Louis' Outpost in Cressenville retains access to the Network of Castles ability.
