Steel swords will not cut straight through bronze swords. Repeated strikes will break the bronze swords, but hit two pieces of metal against each other long enough, and they will break. Not to mention Roman fighting style was based more on letting their opponents hit their shields, step in and stab with their short sword. Banging swords together was not the roman means. Humans do not have the muscle power necessary to sheer through bronze. Furthermore, most of the Roman weaponry was Iron. Not bronze. This is the Roman Empire which is from 30ish BC to 500ish AD. A time when Iron weapons became very prominent in Europe.
Infantry: Why in the world is there 15,000 dismounted knights as infantry? Most of the infantry of Medieval Europe, yes Crusades included, were not knights but normal men. Pre-11th century and so was mostly commoners and unskilled peasants but afterwards most of the infantry work was done by trained men. Knights were not the mainstay infantry unit by any stretch of the imagination since they could afford horses.
In an infantry battle, I am inclined to give the edge to the Romans. Knights are superb fighters, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. I would easily suggest that a knight is superior to any legionnaire in a one on one battle. But this isn't one on one. The Romans are a highly disciplined fighting force who maintain better 'unit cohesion' compared to Knights who are being forced to fight on foot such as Roman Centuriors would change the ranks mid-combat to allow the front ranks to rest and fresh ranks to move forward. Roman weaponry is better suited to the close 'shield wall' type fighting that two infantry units will find themselves in. Knights have the same 'fighting weaponry' of the barbarian tribes which was usually a shield and a long blade, but this proved to be their downfall as the Romans would block the longer blade, step within its reach, and stab the wielder. Knight Chainmail is unlikely to stop a short thrusting blade as it is meant for slashes something Romans rarely, if ever, use. Depending on the era of the Empire, Roman armor ranges from scale, chain, or the 'plate' armor that was strips of metal held by leather pieces which are all fairly good armor.
Romans also had another advantage in their Pilums as they will be chucking these before the battle begins.
So, the Romans should have a nice lead in the Infantry. Edge - Romans
Just an afterthought, Longswords were normally used in two hands. Arming swords were the 'one-handed' swords most commonly used.
Archers: This is a massive, massive advantage to the Crusaders. Their Longbows outmatch comparable roman counterparts in every way. Longbows have superior range and power. If the Crusaders play it smart, they can continue to fall back and harass the Romans allowing them to chose the battlefield. The Longbow is going to be a very hard obstacle to overcome. Roman Infantry can still advance thanks to the testudo formation, but the Longbow is going to wreck havoc. Edge - Crusaders
Siege Weaponry: Once again, technology comes into play. Trebuchets are going to have a further range, hit harder and be more accurate then a catapult. I don't have to really explain this. The only edge an Onage might have is that most of them had wheels while Trebuchet designed varied with many being built and taken down on the spot while others had wheels. Edge - Crusaders
Cavalry: The knights should be here, if we are being honest, as nearly all knights could afford to be mounted. By 'lancers' do you mean medieval mounted knights using lances? Either way, the knights will demolished their roman counterparts. Horsemanship has come a long way since roman era who were mostly focused on infantry. The Knights, thanks to lances, will also hurt when they strike the infantry. Edge - Crusaders
This seems cut and dry, but we have to consider pre-gunpowder battles. The victory was usually decided by the infantry. The one that broke first lost. While I believe the Roman infantry will, eventually, beat out the 'knights', it will, by no means, be a fast or simple struggle. The Longbows are going to wreck havoc on Roman archers, cavalry, and unlucky legionaries, but the major defining moment is going to be when the Crusader Lancers engage and break the Roman cavalry. When they do this, they are free to openly chase down surviving Roman Archers and hit Roman infantry in the flanks and rear. This is going to cause massive morale issues as soldiers in front of you is one thing. Mounted warriors crashing in behind you is another.
With repeated assaults, archer volleys, and skilled dismounted knights holding their ground due to honor, pride, what have you, I am inclined to believe that the Crusaders will eventually break the legionnaires and force a retreat which will turn into a rout.
Victors: Crusaders. 8.5/10.
Log in to comment