Mount & Blade: Warband What the Factions are based on?

Preface

 
As the Traveller in the tavern said; Calradia is divided into rival kingdoms, which can neither manage to live in peace with their neighbours, nor completely eliminate them. As a result, there’s seldom a break to the bitter wars which plague this land and drain its life blood. 
 
 
But I will not talk about wars and diplomacy between these kingdoms. I’ll talk more about which real cultures the kingdoms are inspired by. 
 
 

Kingdom of Nords

 
 
 
Kingdom of Nords is the first choice for most beginner players. This is because the Nords are easier to recognize than other kingdoms. 
 
The word “Nord” means “North” in some European languages. The reason they have this name is of course because the Nords were inspired by the Northern peoples (Vikings). Besides the name; It is quite simple to understand this from the appearance of the counts in the game, the armor they wear, the weapons they use. 
 
 
 
Count Olaf and King Ragnar are characters that we can guess without seeing them as northerners. The names they use are known for many people. 
 
I don’t know if it is possible to call the Kingdom of Nords as exactly one kingdom. It would be best to just tell them that they are Vikings. 
 
 
 
Additionally, the raven symbolizes the Kingdom of Nords in Warband. A raven is likewise found on King Ragnar’s banner. Raven has an important place in Norse mythology. It represents wisdom, sometimes brutality. In short, it is often compatible with the northern people who lived in the past. 
 
Apart from these, you can look at other details in the game: 
 
Boats (or ships) 
 
 
 
 
Architecture 
 
 
 
 
You can also find plenty of fish in Nord cities. The reason this happens this way both in reality and in the game, of course, is due to their location. 
 
 

Kingdom of Vaegirs

 
 
 
The Kingdom of Vaegir, though not as much as the Nord Kingdom, is a kingdom that can be easily understood who they are. They are often referred to as Russian by the players. Of course, this is not a wrong determination, but it will be more correct if we prefer to say Slav rather than Russian. 
 
As you know, when we look at the Vaegir Kingdom on the map, we see a snowy region. Vaegirs are found in the North like the Nords.But they are settled just like on the map of Europe. If we accept the Nords as Scandinavia, the Kingdom of Vaegir will remain in the east of this region, just like Russia. 
 
I have no idea that the snow leopard, the symbol of the Vaegir Kingdom, is actually a symbol of any nation or country. Despite my research, I could not find anything about it. With a simple logic, we can say that it is related to the climate they live in. 
 
King Yaroglek 
 
 
14-15th century Russian Cavalry 
 
 
I think the similarities other than these are simple enough for everyone to see. Like too many furs. 
 
 

Kingdom of Swadia

 
 
 
The Kingdom of Swadia is undoubtedly one of the kingdoms of controversial who they are, like some other kingdoms. According to some, Swadians are English, for others French, for others German. The German analogy turns into a separate discussion in itself. There are people who consider Swadia entirely as the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the Duchy of Swabia because of its name resemblance. I used to think of them as Germans until I witnessed these discussions. But after seeing these ideas, the possibility of being English or French grew more in my eyes.They are really similar to both countries. 
 
If we refer to their national animal, the lion, we can say that they are closer to the English than the French. Between 12 and 14th centuries, the flag owned by the Kingdom of England likewise had three lions. It is also noteworthy that this date is compatible with the history of the game. We can say that the Kingdom of Swadia, which is defined as French, English and German because of the lion, is closer to the English. In addition, the names of Swadian cities were mentioned in some places and it was claimed that these names were not compatible with the German and French languages. 
 
King Harlaus 
 
 
I am not sure if it is possible to find out who the Swadians are from the butter. Butter production in Swadia, which is often humorous for gamers, may not explain anything. 
 
12-13. Centuries Soldier Samples: 
 
 
It is possible to say that some of them resemble Swadian militia and crossbowmen. 
 
 

Kingdom of Rhodoks

 
 
 
We can say that the Kingdom of Rhodoks is controversial, just like Swadia. In fact, they are more often asked who they are. In the forums, they are called Bavarian, French, British, Italian or even Kurdish. Who the Rhodoks are hasn’t been a question for me for a long time. But by thinking for a few seconds, I was able to make a really accurate guess. The little research I have done on it supports this very well. 
 
As far as I know, the bear, the symbol of the Rhodoks, does not match any of these predictions. If we look at the most likely possibility that the Rhodoks are Italian, the fact that the symbol of Italy is not a bear contradicts this. However, it is normal for lands belonging to the Italian culture to include mountainous regions. Italy also includes some regions of the Alpine Mountains. Apart from that, according to statistics, there are two regions in Italy where the bear population is high. 
 
King Graveth 
 
 
It is not difficult to find out who the Rhodoks are without any help from any source. The fact that they are in a mountainous region and that mountain bandits are traveling around the Rhodok region gives us the biggest clue. If we think about where there is a mountain in Europe, we can get the answer instantly. 
 
Soldiers similar to Rhodok Sharpshooter and Rhodok Sergeant (as weapon): 
 
 
The fact that the Italian region is an advantageous region for defense makes it easier for them to succeed in the defensive situation. This is another similarity. 
 
In addition, it is not difficult to find plenty of olives in Rhodok cities. From here, we can get the Mediterranean hint. 
 
 

Khergit Khanate

 
 
 
It is clear and obvious that the Khergit Khanate is the most discussed faction in our country (In Turkey). When they are called Turkish or Mongolian, one of the people will necessarily object to this situation. Those who want to stay away from the fight and noise, solve this by calling Khergits Turkic-Mongolian. 
 
They are similar in name to a tribe called Khereids (or Keraites) in history. But this is not an answer to our question because it is a matter of debate whether the Keraites are Turkic or Mongolian in the same way. 
 
Let’s look at the name of Sanjar Khan, the ruler of the Khergit Khanate. First of all, I must say that the name “Sanjar” is of Persian (Iranian) origin. There is even a Seljuk Sultan named Sanjar who ruled over the Iranian geography. (By the way, the Seljuks are clearly Turkic) 
 
 
 
Many similarities in the cultures of Turks and Mongolians cause other tribes and communities to be discussed besides the Keraites I just mentioned. Fortunately, it is easier to distinguish the languages ​​of the two parties than to separate their way of life or other elements. 
 
We know that the symbol of the Khergit Khanate is the wolf in the game. However, unlike most kingdoms, this animal is not found on the sovereign’s banner. Sanjar Khan has a horse-archer on his banner. The symbol of the Turks is considered as the wolf, but the horse is also the symbol of the Mongols. From this point of view, we cannot understand what Khergits is from their banners. 
 
A banner displayed in the capital of Mongolia under the name of the Mongolian Empire Banner: 
 
 
Some of Sanjar Khan’s vassals appear as “Noyan”. Noyan is a word of Mongolian origin as well as meaning governor and commander. 
 
Tulga City, one of the cities of the Khergit Khanate, is a word of Turkish origin and means the helmet. 
 
As a result, it is not possible to say exactly what Khergits is. They are very similar to both sides. 
 
A drawing representing the Turks: 
 
 
A drawing representing the Mongols: 
 
 
The use of scale armour was common in both cultures, more often in the Mongols. 
 
Image of a Khergit Lancer from the game: 
 
 
The tailed helmet worn by Lancer was also used by some Turkish Khanates and Mongols in the past. 
 
 

Sarranid Sultanate

 
 
 
Finally, let me talk about the Sarranid Sultanate. The Sarranid Sultanate makes the issue of who it is less controversial because of a cavalry it has. The soldier I am talking about is Sarranid Mamluke. We can see the Sarranid Sultanate simply as the Mamluk Sultanate. Apart from that, they generally “symbolizing Arabs.” We can also say. 
 
In the history education given to us in our country (Turkey), we can perhaps hear that the Mamluks are Turk. This is, “The Mamluk people are Arabs, but their rulers are Turks.” It is described in the form. This is not false information. Some of the Mamluk rulers are from Kipchak Turks. 
 
In this case, it may be wondered whether Sultan Hakim was a Turk or not. This is not a very clear subject either, I cannot say anything definite. 
 
The symbolic animal of the Sarranid Sultanate is the eagle. To elaborate, the genus of the eagle is also known as the Steppe Eagle. This animal is an animal symbolizing modern Egypt too. 
 
Let me remind you that the Mamluks were also a ruled Sultanate in the Egyptian geography. 
 
In the game, they are already in the desert part of the map. 
 
Sultan Hakim 
 
 
A cavalry shown as Egyptian in some places and Ottoman in some places: 
 
 
A Sarranid Mamluke from the game: 
 
 
And two examples of cavalry similar to Sarranid Mamluke: 
 
An Ottoman Spahi: 
 
 
 

Map of Calradia

 
The changed map of Mount & Blade in the Warband version has been likened to the Middle-earth (Lord of the Rings) map by many in its new version. 
 
 
 
 
 
Although it is not exactly the same, it is possible to catch some similarities. 
 
 

Finale

 
I do not think this guide will contribute to the gameplay of the game. My goal is to just try to inform curious players. I hope I have contributed to you. In addition, this article has been translated from a Turkish guide. If I made a mistake, I’m sorry. 
 
Thank you for reading. 
 

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