Yeoman Archers (M2TW Unit)
English freeholders are required by the King to be trained in warfare, Yeoman archers are highly skilled ranged troops.
Overview
Lightly armoured and equipped with a longbow for ranged combat, as well as wielding a large metal mallet for crushing armoured opponents in melee. Yeomen are able to lay defensive wooden stakes to help keep enemies at bay.
Details
Yeoman Archers are the next tier up from the average Longbowmen of the day, yet not quite of Retinue status. Rich enough to own and cultivate their own land, but poor enough to be excluded from the nobility, Yeoman Archers often practiced the English past-time of the day -- archery. This leisure time used to hone their skills made them more than suitable to the King as semi-professional missile soldiers. Able to deploy stakes and equipped with an armour crushing mallet for melee engagements, these archers are versatile units on the battlefield and a wise man would comprise a good percentage of his army with them. However, Yeomen, like most archers, should be kept out of close encounters if at all possible and thus should mainly play a supporting role to heavier, more melee oriented units like heavy infantry.