Army

The Royal Army of Caid is the Caidan Army in service to our Monarchs.

Current Brigades (updated 10/2022)

• 1st Brigade "The Black Hats" commanded by Yaroslav the Persistent and is located in Central Caid.
• 2nd Brigade " The Iron Brigade" commanded by Wulfric Goatstealer located in the San Diego area.
• 3rd Brigade "The Black Brigade" commanded by Alexander Caidus in the north of Caid.

Army Generals of Caid

Formerly called Captain General, the name of the office was changed in 2005.

• Armand de Sevigny, 1987-1989, 2 terms
• Balin of Tor, 1989-1994, 5 terms
  • Balin was given the title Praetor Maximus upon his retirement by TRM Avery II and Arielle.
• Hagar Stromburg Blackrune, 1994-1996, 1 term
• Yaroslav the Persistant, 1996-2002, 3 terms
• Edric Aaron Hartwood, 2002-2004, 1 term
• Patrick O'Malley of Ulidia, 2004-05/25/2008, 2 terms
• Augustine von Freiburg, 05/25/2008-?, 1st term
• Tiberius Finn, ?-09/2022
• Jonathon Whitehart, 09/2022-04/2024
• Methius le Vaux, 07/2024-present

Original Brigade Structure

Brigades

• 1st Brigade - Bukellarii
• 2nd Brigade - Iron Brigade
• 3rd Brigade - White Lightings
• 5th Brigade - Fifth Brigade
• Caidan Royal Artillery Corps

Alliances

• Akraitae Alliance
• Northern Alliance

Others

• Unattached War Units

• Rapier Corps

War Awards

• Corde de Guerre: Blue and White cords represent the Corde de Guerre, a Caidan award given for distinctive battlefield conduct.
• Order of the Crossed Sword: The Order of the Crossed Swords is a Caidan award given to fighting units by the monarchs for skill on the war field

History

Add history about captain generals, former brigades (like the 4th), etc.

The Army Under the Principality: AS IX-XII

(Still under construction)

The earliest appearence of a Caidan army was in A.S. IX, April 26, 1975; at the First Caid Rebellion.

At that time Caid was a recently formed Principality of the West Kingdom. Under its second Prince, Hugh the Undecided, Caid fought this war (called a rebellion, though all was in good fun) in Bakersfield, CA; against its parent Kingdom. The King of the West was Paul of Bellatrix.

The First Rebellion had spurred interest in war fighting in both kingdoms; and the intervening months of tactical training paid dividends at the Second Caid Rebellion, the following year; with both armies fielding larger and better trained forces.

In Caid, the Brotherhood of the Blade had grown rapidly between the First and Second Rebellion; and has the distinction of being Caid's first large warband. Located largely in the Barony of Angels, the Brotherhood was the heart of the emerging Caidan army. The history of the Royal Army of Caid at its earliest incarnation is the history of the Brotherhood.

In A.S.X, on April 10-11, 1976, the Second Caid Rebellion was fought (as the year before) in Reislingshire. The King of the West (Paul of Bellatrix) led the Royal Army against the Principality forces of Caid; commanded again by Sir Hugh the Undecided, Grand Master of the Brotherhood of the Blade.

At the time of the Second Rebellion, the Brotherhood could field from a dozen to twenty fighters at any given event; sporting uniform, matching equipment and trained to a high standard. Within the Brotherhood, emphasis was on combined arms teams of shieldmen (equipped with swords, maces, or hand-axes), great weapon, and spearmen. Spears mounting a hook were particularly effective at pulling down enemy shields, allowing opportunities for kills by supporting great-weapon or spear.

Outside of the Brotherhood there were as yet no organized warbands in Caid. But a handful of dedicated and enthusiastic younger fighters were beginning to emerge in Calafia; including Gregory of York, then Prince of Caid, Cameron of Caledoon, Armand de Sevigny, and Armand’s squire, young Balin of Tor (the Second Rebellion was Balin of Tor’s first war).

Caid's enthusiasm for war fighting continued through A.S.XI into A.S.XII, with frequent melees in every tournament; and the Brotherhood of the Blade holding an annual Melee Tourney that served as a training ground and tactical blackboard for the developing Caidan Army.

On February 12-14, 1977 (A.S. XI) a small war was fought between Caid and Atenveldt at Estrella Mountain Park, and was in fact the beginning of the series of annual wars between Atenveldt and Caid that became the Estrella War. At The Caid-Atenveldt Peace Mission, 18 Caidan fighters led by Prince Martin the Temperate fought a number of scenarios against the Aten forces, 28 strong. Though some tactical lessons were learned, this "war" is only notable for what sprang from it.

The Caidan army again took the field against the Western Army in AS XII, on May 14, 1977 at the Brotherhood of the Blade's Invasion of Reislingshire^RRE. No longer presented as a "rebellion", it was nevertheless the third war in that series between the two combatants.

Again, Sir Hugh the Undecided was the Caidan war leader; and the Brotherhood of the Blade was defacto the Caidan Army. The West was nominally commanded by King Terrence of Halliday.

At this event the Brotherhood took the field equipped with uniform tabards, shields, and painted spears; a first for any army in the western part of the Known World. The Caidan Army's performance was greatly improved from previous years; with small unit combined arms teams achieving great tactical success.

Unlike the year before, when Western shieldwall units (from Rieslingshire and Southern Shores) dominated their Caidan counterparts; this year the Brotherhood combines arms tactics overwhelmed these Western units; producing Caid's first victory against the West.

In the latter part of A.S.XII, with Caidan independace looming near; the united Kingdom of the West took the field one last time at the Field Maneuvers (West Vs. Atenveldt War. Held at Burro Creek, in Atenveldt on February 18-20, 1978, this war was notable for two things.

The first was the bitter night time cold that froze solid all the water and most of those attending that weekend!

More importantly, it was the one time the Grand Army of the West took the field.

Some months earlier, a proposal had been floated by Duke Aonghais dubh MacTarbh for a more structured "army" to be formed. This was for a joint Western and Caidan army organization (bearing in mind that Caid was still a Principality of the West at that time). The proposal was accepted by the various leading military leaders in the Kingdom, and was supported by the King of the West and the Prince of Caid (Martin the Temperate).

The structure of the Grand Army of the West comprised a Van, Main, Reserve, and Cavalry "Battles" (battlegroups); commanded not by the King, but by a General selected by consensus of the leadership. The much-respected Duke William of Hoghton (West) was the General, with Duke Aonghais (Caid) as his Chief of Staff. Viscount Sir Gregory of York commanded the Main; Prince Martin the Temperate of Caid commanded the Cavalry; and Duke Sir Paul of Bellatrix commanded the elite Reserve (with Viscount Sir Balin of Tor as his Second-in-Command)

The structure of the short-lived Grand Army of the West influenced military thinking in the future Army of (an independant) Caid.

From The Page (April, 1978):

The Grand Army of the West Kingdom engaged and defeated the Expeditionary Forces of Atenveldt in the ....the "Field Maneuvers". The first -- and probably last -- appearance of the Grand Army of the West Kingdom... was marked by the experience gained in two revolts, an invasion (The Brotherhood Invasion of Rieslingshire), and the Pennsic War...''

The Grand Army's successfully tactics at this war were what was becoming the "Western Way of War": heavy shield wall units in the center pinning the enemy down; while fast moving "cavalry" units maneuvered around the flanks, or penetrated and exploited gaps in the enemy ranks. The ultimate object being to envelope and roll up the enemy line.

The main Caidan elements at this first Burro Creek War were the Brotherhood of the Blade (based out of the Barony of Angels); and (from the Barony of Calafia), the Abbey of Leng.

The Brigade System

Sir Balin of Tor was one of those (if memory serves) who created the Brigade organization of the Caidan army. Balin was a good student of history and wanted to create a better Caidan army. In my opinion, Balin's ideal was that if he could rearrange the Caidan army to its most efficient configuration on the battle field, then it would be a superior force. Balin's war vision seemed to have been styled after Roman hierarchy and structured leadership. But the problem was that the SCA really had (and has) a rather medieval outlook. SCA folks were too feudal for that ordered vision. They wanted to fight with their own units under their own leaders with weapons of their own choosing. Unit commanders were warlords who wanted to command their own households and lead them to their own glories. Even so, the Brigade structure was moderately successful for a long time. My opinion, Eadwynne.

Rapier Community

On 1/10/2009, the Royal Army of Caid under the leadership of General Augustine von Freiburg and with the approval of Sven II and Kolfinna II officially inducted the Caidan Rapier community into the army.

More Information

• Royal Army of Caid Official Web Site
• Royal Army of Caid Army Handbook

Officers of Caid
Offices: Crown, Arts & Sciences, Chatelaine, Chronicler, Constable, Exchequer, Herald, Lists, Marshal, Seneschal, Webwright, Youth Officer Groups: Army, College of Heralds, College of Scribes, Collegium Caidis, Crown Prints, Newcomers Guild, Water Bearer Guild Other Information: Caidan Law, Greater Officer of State, Lesser Officer of State, Guilds, Officer Hierarchy, Privy Council