"They might look like an undisciplined rabble to you, Sergeant, but a man fights twice as hard when he's defending home and hearth."
- —Captain Edwalst von Hilde[1a]
A retired Imperial army veteran now turned Free Company Militia captain.[1a]
A Free Company Militia, also known as just a Free Company, is a military force comprised of men and women from Imperial towns or villages that have taken up arms, willingly or not, to serve alongside the armies of the Empire and defend the lands of their birth.
Role[]
Whilst the mainstay of the Imperial army consists entirely of professional soldiers like swordsmen, halberdiers, and spearmen, its armies are often bulked up by a number of Free Company Militia regiments.[1a]
The ragtag Free Company Militias of the Empire
Some of these regiments consist of mercenaries such as crossbowmen from Tilea or recruited from the peasantry such as archers, but much of it consists of local militias and levied servicemen to fight as a support unit should the need for quantity over quality be required. Many if not all of these militias are outfitted with a motley variety of weaponry and armour that are more often then not provided by the individuals themselves.[1a][2a] On rare occasions, some of these militia groups consist of retired, grizzled veterans who have left the Imperial military and settled down in a peaceful life many years ago, and it is their wisdom and courage that has held many militia regiments together.[1a]
A Free Company militiaman as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
Most of the time however, these regiments consist of inexperienced villagers and peasants with little to no combat training, and can only be readily identified by only a few scraps of tattered clothing, which may sometimes have a resemblance to a uniform of some kind, and often incorporate elements of their Electoral Province's official heraldic colours. Equipped with mostly makeshift armour and weapons, which will include assortments such as bows, spears, swords, clubs, and particularly in rural communities, simple farming equipment like pitchforks or grain-scythes, these militias are often looked upon with distaste by many Empire Generals, who seldom use them on the battlefield.[1a]
Though their lack of conviction for a cause can be questionable, especially during a campaign that these men have little to no business in being in, when the armies of the Empire's foes invades the lands of the Empire, their lack of conviction can grow into zealous devotion in their efforts to ensure that their homes and families shall not suffer a horrifying fate.[1a]
Notable Free Company Militias[]
Trivia[]
Previous editions of the armybooks for the Empire clearly defined the Free Companies as mercenaries hired to serve in Imperial armies, mostly from the Border Princes, and not militia units raised from local Imperial populations as in the 8th edition armybook. This is where the term "Free" Company comes from, as in the original conception these units owed no allegiance to any lord or nation and thus can be freely employed by whomever can afford their services.