Várispán Lancer

The warriors of Duke Álmos were much encouraged and they at once sounded on all sides the trumpets of war, and both lines of foes came together and they began to fight each other fiercely, and many Ruthenes and Cumans were slain.

— Gesta Hungarorum

Várispán Lancer: Vital statistics
Unit type	Heavy cavalry
Built/trained at	Stable
Damage and weapon type	Very high; lance
Armour	Strong
Production cost	Pop cost: 1 Resource cost: 60, 50, Ramp cost: 1, 1
Range	Melee Medium LOS
Unit move and creation speed	Unit movement speed: quite fast Creation speed: slow
Unit HP	Somewhat high
Technological requirements	Library Castle Age Level 3 (Heraldry and Chivalry) Upgrade of Magyar Noble Cavalry Upgrades to Man-at-Arms.
Factions available	Hungary

Unlike most of Europe, Hungary was a fairly unified state, with the king exercising absolute power and the nobles entrenched fully as part of the royal bureaucracy. The Várispánok were gentry and military commanders of garrisons throughout the kingdom, and were based around the many fortresses during the Arpadian era.

As descendents of the Magyar Noblemen, Várispán Lancers still carry on the role of shock troops capable of causing great damage on the first blow. Although they don't have as many hitpoints as the heavier run-of-the-mill knight, their intense attack should serve well enough in destroying what heavy cavalry does best — routing more lightly equipped opponents and fleeing infantry. Thus, in hammer-and-anvil strikes and pursuit they are king, but they perform atrociously in frontal attacks on more heavily armoured foes.

Unit summary

• Heavy cavalry, with a more powerful attack than a knight, but with poor hitpoint score.
• He Who Liveth By The Sword ... — Várispán Lancers have devastating punching power to plow through hails of arrows, but not a wall of determined pointy objects. Thus while they are most effective against enemy archers and infantry, their worst enemy will forever be pikemen.