Overview of the Flemish Cities in Medieval 2: Total War

1. Medieval 2 Total War Venice Units
2. Medieval 2 Total War Venice
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This page contains a list of cheats, codes, Easter eggs, tips, and other secrets for Medieval II: Total War for PC.If you've discovered a cheat you'd like to add to the page, or have a correction. Venice: Gameplay Information Like the other Italian factions, Venice begin the game surrounded by enemies but have numerous strong units to make them more than capable of securing victory. The ubiquitous Italian Spear Militia can easily form the backbone of any Venetian army.

By Kor

Starting position Regions. Venice - Minor city (Capital) Iraklion - Town Ragusa - Castle Purse. 8000 Introduction. The city of canals is a reminder that starting from a great defensive position is an ideal foundation upon which to build an empire. December 2011 edited October 2015 in Medieval II: Total War Hey, Im goign to start of a vencie campaign but before i do i have never played them propely and was wondering if any of you had good idea's and if you knew any diplomacy tips eg. Good alliance's or faction's to marry into.

Rebel Factions: the Flemish rebels

In Medieval II: Total War, the Low Countries are divided into two provinces, both of which start off occupied by Flemish rebels. Their two cities are Bruges and Antwerp. This article seeks to tell the history of these places, and motivate why CA picked them to represent the given area.

Bruges

Bruges was an important city, economically as well as militarily. After Ghent, it was the largest city of the Netherlands, but its economy was more powerful. Rightly called the 'Venice of the north', the city had a great number of traders and bankers from all over Europe, including Venice and Genoa, which also caused industry to flourish. Aware that their privileged position was worth defending, the guilds quickly organised their own defences, setting up a powerful citizen army. The citizens were ready to take up arms and fought their own masters, the counts of Flanders, on multiple occasions - with varied success.
The principle achievement of the Brugois must be the battle of Kortrijk in 1302: a citizen army of some 8,000 men - 6,000 of whom came from Bruges - fought against a royal French army. Flanders was, at the time, officially part of France, but the count, Gwij or Guy de Dampierre, was in open rebellion. After he had been imprisoned by Philip the Fair, king of France, the Flemish still continued their resistance, and French-speaking citizens were driven out of Bruges. The citizen army then marched out to besiege the principal border city of Kortrijk, held by the French. It was not long before a French army came to try and break up the siege.
Taking up a strong defensive position behind a small stream, the citizens, fighting entirely on foot, used spears, pikes, and their popular local weapon, the goedendag, to defend against waves of French cavalry. The goedendag was a pole-arm weapon of relatively short length - perhaps 1 to 1.5 metres long - with a broader metal base at the end with a dagger blade protruding from it. It could be used both as a type of spear (stabbing oncoming cavalry) and a club, the metal base being excellent at bashing dismounted knights.
Following a tough melee the Flemish were still standing, while the flower of the French chivalry lay dead on the field. The French fled, and after chasing down their enemy and killing every knight they came across, the Flemish gathered up some 900 pairs of golden spurs, taken from their victims. Locally, the battle is still known as the 'Battle of the Golden Spurs'. The merciless way of dealing with the French chivalry was unprecedented at the time, and regarded with distaste by most of Europe. The Flemish were viewed almost as barbarians for this act, but to the Flemish it was the only way of winning the war. A contemporary Flemish poem described the death of the count of Artois, commander of the army and brother to the king, with some irony:
I am, so he said in French, the count of Artois! They replied: there is no one here who speaks your language; after which they struck him down.
[description: Flemish citizens defeating the French army; some can be seen wielding goedendags]
It was at this time that the economy of Bruges had its peak, with 35,000 inhabitants; it attracted more and more foreign merchants, but political power was slowly shifting towards Ghent. The latter city grew bigger, and stronger, than Bruges, and took the initiative in forming an alliance between Flanders and England during the first phase of the Hundred Years War. Flemish armies served the English during this period, but without achieving spectacular victories such as Kortrijk, and their co-operation often caused more trouble than it was worth. When the political leader of Ghent, an artisan by the name of Jacob van Artevelde, was overthrown and assassinated by his rivals, Flemish aid to the English came to an end. The count could re-establish his authority in the rebellious province, and a second attempt by the citizens of Ghent to take control of the province was halted in 1382, when Jacob's son, Filips van Artevelde, died leading an army of Ghenters at Westrozebeke.
Due to the internal unrest in Ghent, Bruges was a more internationally welcoming place, and it remained an important trading centre throughout the 15th century. While it is true that there were attempts by the artisans to force the count's hand in the first half of the century, these were resolved through arbitration rather than violence (although the latter option was also explored by both sides, unsuccessfully). By then the city's population had declined to 20,000, but it had become one of the favourite residences of the new lords of Flanders, the dukes of Burgundy. In 1478 the future king of Spain, Philip the Fair, was born in the ducal palace, perhaps the ultimate sign that the Brugois had accepted authority and had become followers rather than leaders.
In the 16th century the economy of Bruges stagnated. Many houses were deserted, and the city became a shell of its former glory. However, as no new industries were developed, this complete lack of modernisation in Bruges lead to the city remaining almost entirely intact. It was only in the 19th century that Bruges was rediscovered, and its beautiful medieval and renaissance buildings now attract more tourists than any other Belgian city.

Antwerp

Medieval 2 Total War Venice Units

Despite its powerful economy and massive population (an estimated 45,000) at the end of the 15th century, for the majority of the Middle Ages Antwerp didn't have a patch on either Bruges or Ghent. Its citizens were comparatively docile, and preferably avoided disputes with their overlords, the dukes of Brabant. Initially a small port, its strategic position at the mouth of the Schelde river made it a natural place to go for merchants. In 1300 the city could boast only 10,000 inhabitants, and its economic boom was started only in the last half of the 15th century. By that time it had finally overtaken the popular annual market and fair at Hertogenbosch in importance, and the city's attempt to stimulate continuous trade (rather than annual, such as the markets elsewhere in Brabant and Europe) were finally paying off.
Despite the city's massive size by 1500 - it was then the largest city of the Low Countries - its choice as a city for Medieval II can only strike one as peculiar. Antwerp's growth started only at the complete end of the game's period, and, more importantly, the city had no military achievements to boast about during the period. While an important port, it took Antwerp a long time to get the deserved recognition, and it was never marked as a strategic spot.
Even more oddly, the choice of Antwerp robs the larger northern part of the Netherlands from any population centres whatsoever, and while it is true that none of the cities there were as large as those in the southern half of the land, there were nevertheless multiple cities with over 10,000 inhabitants by 1400 (Deventer, Zwolle, Kampen) and many approaching that size (such as Utrecht, Nijmegen, Dordrecht and Haarlem); being an Episcopal see, the importance of Utrecht, for example, by far outmatched that of Antwerp.

Medieval 2 Total War Venice

Campaign Strategy

This section is for strategies to employ on the campaign map in order to grow your empire, protect yourself from attack, make strategically important gains and eventually conquer the world.

General Strategy

Articles in this section are about campaign strategy in general, the principles of warfare and diplomacy.

This is a rough guide to my Campaign doctrine (re-written from the RTW version of this article), detailing how I come up with a long-term strategy for any given scenario. The guide is intended to explain the basis to my version of successful strategic thought on the Campaign Map and both experienced players and newcomers to Total War games who have problems understanding how to think strategically can use this method of thinking to come up with unique strategies for unique situations and adapt the strategy they are planning to new situations that crop up. This guide should be applicable to any faction in any version of M2TW with or without Kingdoms (when it comes out), as it is a general guide to strategy rather than a detailed look at the specific strengths and weaknesses of a particular faction.

Warfare is unpleasant. Even though it is the core of M2:TW, yet we need not let the constant warfare turn us into mindless tyrants who slay even the stray cat who bars our way. We can remain as gentlemen who talks softly but carries a big stick. Through bows and arrows might the world turn but good words of diplomacy also do their part. Listen to the general George the Honest, a scholar of Chivalry

Well most of the players are crazy about having vassals in MTW2, so I have decided to write an article on vassalage. It also seems that no one else have written an article on that. I here by announce that I have chosen the topic of vassalage and have begun working on it.

If you're looking for an extra challenge with M2TW, this guide takes you through the equivalent of moving house at the start of the game- the migration campaign.

Whether you are following the voyage of the First Fleet, or have plans to colonise the New World, else known as the Americas, and reap the rewards of vast amounts of gold and other luxurious trade items, the voyage is wrought with danger.

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Faction Overviews

Articles in this section are detailed overviews of the factions in the game, exploring the initial position on the map, the buildings and units available and the strategic options available.

England has an enviable starting position in that it can very easily have 7 secure & safe provinces very early in the game with a 'beachhead' province in Caen. Common sense alone dictates that eradicating the Scots is the key to the opening moves.

Islamic presence in Iberia has lasted over 3 centuries at the start of the Medieval II Total War time frame. But infighting and the resurging Catholic presence is starting to threaten the existence of all Muslims living in Europe. This guide features some step by step tactics on neutralising the early catholic threat and a comprehensive analysis of the various Moorish units and battle situations.

Russia is a faction separated in many ways from the rest of the world in Medieval II: Total War. In order to establish yourself as a great power in Europe, you are going to have to expand and consolidate rapidly and bring your unique and superior cavalry roster to bear on your foes. In this guide you will be taken through the details of making the most of your first few turns, and the general aims of your strategy as a Russian general.

Greetings Commander and welcome to the Land of the Scots. We have been expecting you for years but now that you have finally come we, The Scottish People, are ready to march the highroad to Victory! But before we commence our conquests, I must give you a briefing on our Lands, army and current situation, so that you are better prepared for the journey ahead.

You may think to yourself, how would I go about conquering the known world with a maximum of bloodshed and a minimum of diplomacy? Your answer: hordes of pillaging vikings!

Bonjour et bienvenue de commandant. We have waited many years for your arrival to the once great nation of France and now that you are here, we may finally unite!

Ciao e benvenuto generale! We are extremely glad for your presence General as we have been waiting for you for many years. However with you at the helm, we may now rise to glory!

Once More Unto the Breach, dear Friends, Once More!

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Your presence has been foreseen for years but we are now very happy to see you in person. Your able generalship shall lead our rich nation to victory!

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Step-by-step Guides

Articles in this section are build orders and move orders for the opening turns of the campaign in order to achieve a specific starting position.

This is the first in what I intend to be a series of opening moves guides for several factions in Medieval II: Total War. This first guide deals with the potential powerhouse of Milan, and details how you can best take advantage of nearby settlements to defend your realm without over-expanding yourself.

This is the second installment of my opening moves guides. This time I plot out the opening moves of what can certainly be a tricky Portugal campaign as you are threatened by the Moors, and seperated by fellow Catholics Spain. Learn how to capitalise on the prime real estate that is the Iberian Peninsula!

This Opening Moves guide deals with France, surrounded by potential enemies from the outset - you'll have to move fast to secure your borders and prepare for the potential for a war on all fronts. This guide deals with the quickest, most efficient method to secure your settlements and your Kingdom as a whole, leaving you in the best possible position for future expansion in any direction you want.

This Opening Moves guide deals with Scotland, who have a 'safe' start on the British Isles once they subdue the English and the few rebel provinces.

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Agents and their Uses

Articles in this section are about how to get the best out of your agents to make life as easy as possible for your armies.

Religion- a pleasing distraction from the intense battles of M2TW, with enough depth and intricacy to have you wanting to explore it. To control it. While it won't actually make you control 45-odd territories and a certain city, it will certainly help- priests keep religious unrest in line, Cathedrals grant a growth bonus, crusades enable your armies to rampage through the old world at top speed, while the Pope stops any Catholics from attacking. A distraction it may be, but it's one that can be very useful in the right hands.

In my last article, I covered the workings of religion. Now we must leave the Cathedral and walk down the road to a building of lesser repute but of equal importance and usefulness- the Brothel, where our slippery friend the spy can be found. Let us brave the... odd sounds and moaning and dive into the world of subterfuge, and meet our friend the Spy.

Last time around, I introduced the spy. Now leaving the shady building he lives in, we must go slightly more up-market - a nice inn perhaps. For here is another useful man to be used in our quest for domination - the assassin. Buy him a drink, and he shall be happy to discuss business over a pint. Watch your back, though - there are all sorts of shady types here...

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