Editing Medieval Infantry (section)

==Mercenaries==
Professional hired muscle. These guys are the highest quality soldiers you can find without having to maintain permanent standing armies. However, while they are well trained and well armed, they’re ultimately loyal to whoever can pay them the most unless they’re from a culture where honor and reputation are sacrosanct. Expect to spend a lot of time negotiating contracts and terms. And pray once the contract expires that they don’t get hired by your rivals. Or that they don't pillage your city if you can't pay for them anymore. Or that they don't end up aimlessly wandering your lands once the contract is concluded, harassing the populace as little more than glorified brigands. Mercenaries can come from any number of countries and vary wildly in composition. They may also possess skills that the employing military lacks, such as archers or cavalry, to make up for gaps in their unit composition.

Examples:
*'''[[Dogs of War]]:''' - The WHFB equivalent of mercenaries and brigands
*'''Swiss Mercenaries:''' Swiss mercenaries who have gone off to find their fortune in the wars of other countries, they were famous for their discipline and the effectiveness of their pike squares. The Swiss Guard for the Pope hold a number of unique distinctions such as: oldest military formation in history, being the only armed group to still formally call there soldiers "halberdiers" and being the only foreign military group a modern Swiss citizens can legally join.
*'''Varangian Guard:''' The personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor, they were originally Norse mercenaries in direct service to the Emperor. The use of foreigners as the Emperor's guard was important because of how political the role was. While local ethnic groups’ restlessness in the Empire and internecine politicking in the Empire made Greek subjects impossible to hire reliably for fear of coups, the Norse’ honor-bound reputation made them impartial bodyguards; also helped that they can legally loot the treasury if the Emperor can die of natural causes on their watch in a tradition called polutasvarf.