Possible Total War:Warhammer Factions Bretonnia Lore

The flower of Bretonnia grows best in the muck of peasants.
The music is "Anamalie" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons....

[@battlebrothertifesrolilios4423]

Young, innocent Arch, the good 'ol days

[@angry_zergling]

I love his old videos. I love his new videos too, though. Just one of the bestest bois when it comes to content creators in my opinion.

[@highangles7210]

Still here 8 years later how life has changed since first listening to this. Still just as good ahaha

[@kieranadamson3224]

​@@highangles7210I've only just discovered Warhammer Fantasy and in particular I'm only really aware of the Bretonnians so far. Is there any channels you can suggest which have a good amount of the lore of this setting?

[@highangles7210]

@@kieranadamson3224hey bud, I’ll be honest I mostly listen to 40K guys like wolf lore roh, lutin and aborder prince. All decent channels if you’re looking for 40K. In terms of fantasy lore I can only suggest loremaster sotek, however need to scroll back years to his old lore videos . I had a quick look and he has a couple playlists of leaders and hero’s which are around an hour long packed with lore. Maybe check out milk and cookies total war as well. Mostly a gaming channel but again years ago he made some decent lore videos! If you’re looking for a book the Gotrex and Felix series is really good.

[@austinjames5908]

The Empire probably has the most lore devoted to them as they're the largest human faction of Warhammer Fantasy.

[@tomdurant1108]

Peasant: breathes Nobility: I'm gonna have to tax you for that, bro.

[@NewGuy2534]

Yep, there's a tax for that.

[@Cadian-8th-4676]

​​@NewGuy2534 Are you collecting tax? there's a tax for that

[@NewGuy2534]

Giles: An orc arrow has pierced through my magical armor and hit my heart. Wood Elf: Yeah. Sure. Go with that.

[@SvengelskaBlondie]

I started imagining an orc singing the song "You give love a bad name", I would totally love to make warhammer inspired music if it wasn't for the risk of getting unwanted kinky back-stage boy'd by GW.

[@ChristianMcAngus]

I think Bretonnia was originally a more traditional, light hearted take on high fantasy, focusing on the noble knights - like the movie Excalibur. However later GW decided this wasn't Grim and Dark enough, so concentrated on the oppressive feudal society underlying the knightly orders, only dialled up to 11.

[@marcomeme4875]

Warhammer is a universe where nothing exist except barely contained rage, so it shouldn't surprise us that they have to go all Game of thronesy on us

[@LyricalDJ]

+ChristophInns Yup, I have the old army book. It's actually pretty cool, although Bretonnia was still a backwater of tradition and chivalry. But for the most part the chivalry wasn't 'knife in the back' type of deal but honest held-up virtues, there was actually a female knight (a Warhammer version of Jeanne d'Arc) and the peasants while not being very well off still, weren't cruelly held down and certainly weren't forced to worship outside gods. Also interesting to note that outside of the french influences there are enough English influences: Louen Leoncoeur (the king) refers the Richard the Lionhearted, the knights of the round table (obviously) and Robin Hood (Bertrand the Brigand).

[@Anndrei02]

However, though these honorable Warriors are meant to uphold Chivalry and Justice above all other traits, they are nonetheless afflicted with a much darker side from the shinning Knights they believe themselves to be. Within the feudal social structure of Bretonnia, these Knights consider their lowly subjects as sub-human, as if they are nothing more then property in their hubris and arrogant eyes. warhammerfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bretonnia they are just like North Korea is today.Deluded assholes.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

actually not so much in the old lore Anndrei02

[@henriquebitencourt4280]

In oldhammer Bretonnia was basically 13/14th century france but later it became "Dark Ages" bullshit and Monthy Python jokes, fuck GW and it's necessity to turn everything in "lol grimderp"

[@ronbonist]

The peasant's must breed as fast as skaven to be this valueless.

[@robertnelson9599]

Apparently...

[@Infernal460]

@@robertnelson9599 Well it's the one thing your allowed to do that's not back breaking work.

[@robbomegavlkafenryka6158]

10 children per family, and they could work more of the king’s land and bring in more food. It’s how some regions worked in our own history.

[@gamingforever9121]

@@robbomegavlkafenryka6158 combine that with religious belief and a lack of condoms and birth control and go figure 😂

[@omegawilliam95s36]

@@Infernal460 It’s the one thing you aren’t taxed for.

[@efraim3364]

watery tarts distributin swords is not a basis for a system of government

[@nathanmccallum9048]

"If I went round calling myself emperor just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away"- Probably every Brettonian peasant

[@Waggendaily]

I was looking for this comment. Thank you.

[@frankishe23]

Help! Help! I’m Being repressed!! -also probably every bretonian peasant

[@heinzke8512]

Will you shut up! Help! Help! I'm being repressed!

[@gasmonkey1000]

@@nathanmccallum9048 "No wait, no, I'm sorry please! I was dr-" - Bretonian peasant before being executed along with his family for disrespecting the monarchy of Bretonia

[@pidermanz3963]

3 pigs?!?!!? Wow that peasant better be grateful

[@ZugzugZugzugson]

2 because one of them were taken back because taxes. but hey, if he can breed those two pigs he'll be the richest peasant in the land.

[@SMAXZO]

Or...the Lady of Lake raised the boys as her own personal harem.

[@Lalle524]

That's how most Bretonnian maines Think the story goes that I've asked.

[@The_Crimson_Fucker]

I think that's what Arch alluded to when he mentioned that there might be an alternative to his "blood sacrifice" theory.

[@bryanbarcelo5440]

the kind of life i'd want to live in the Warhammer universe

[@owo5869]

How do you think Gille magically revive. Of course some special ceremony that makes Gille includes apart of Lady of the Lake. Or !ady of the Lake include a part of Gille.

[@robertnelson9599]

So that's what she does day-to-day.

[@bobmilaplace3816]

Atleast Chaos give you some upward mobility, being turned into a monster a possible perk.

[@CommissarBRO]

Bob Miplace Club foot and incestuous relations plagued by hungry nights or being a vessel for a bloodthirster with a totally badass battleaxe? Tough choice.

[@marcomeme4875]

There is quite some mobility in the ranks of chaos. You just have to smash the chief's head and stay away from having your head smashed long enough and eventually you become a chaos champion

[@Johnny-Thunder]

It's surprising how this fantasy world makes the not-Germans look so pleasant and enlightened and makes the not-French look like North-Korea.

[@henriquebitencourt4280]

Warhammer was made by brits so that's expectable

[@ZugzugZugzugson]

and on the contrary the not-norse aka scandinavians are made out to be basically their real life counterparts but cranked up to about 12/10. literally demon worshippers, murderers, thieves, looters, raiders and rapists with the occasional act of dealership with the actual devils of the universe. kinda funny how brits take these liberties while having not a hint of making fun of, or ridiculing the british in there. oh wait, there's the greenskins, nevermind lol.

[@simonnachreiner8380]

Art imitating life

[@hal0dude7]

And I thought I'd like Bretonnia because their knights looked cool...

[@emirhaneksioglu4503]

Illusive Man It is only honourable to abuse the peasants, it doesn't diminish the coolness and awesomeness of the Knights.

[@TheKhaosDragon]

Illusive Man Back in the 90's when I started playing, Bretonnia was written as more of a benevolent Monarchy, where the Knights protected those less capable than themselves, including the peasantry. I always read into the book that the only times peasants fought, was to defend their homes. The knights would 1st defend their lands, and the people on them, and would go out to meet the dangers away from their homes, keeping the populace safe. I miss the old Bretonnia.

[@emirhaneksioglu4503]

And I suggest you don't waste your time calling out on people for typing weird things on youtube. It is a waste of your vibe.

[@emirhaneksioglu4503]

Jokes aside though, I think Arch has given Bretonnia and its nobles too cruel a vibe. Admitably the taxes are over the top but the knights of bretonnia will defend their land and their peasants. And they *will* try very very hard to do so.

[@Elenrai]

+emirhan ekşioğlu Obviously, its probably just the 5th chaos god fucking around again.

[@DeltaPi314]

It just hit me that I've been following Arch for more than six years now.

[@dogman9657]

fuck me 7 years. I remember listening to these vids in such anticipation the games and dlcs. And here we are in 2022. They bring great comfort and a pod cast type element i want to listen to while gaming

[@Mojsesz]

In Poland we give 70% of your money to our "Lord" so 90% isn't much different...

[@lordmaur180]

Trade deal:You get to pay 70% of all you make and you recive the possibility to view wingued Hussars every now and them, seens a good deal to me

[@angry_zergling]

@@lordmaur180 I'd give 70% of my paycheck every now and then for the chance to see a winged Polock. Not **every** paycheck, though - that seems a bit excessive.

[@Cpt0bviouss]

and you wonder why people turn to chaos worship...

[@LDZMarder]

+tudor strateanu communism? I think you mean communism.

[@MoreEvilThenMe]

Communism? I think you mean the Vampire Cult.

[@dragonkingofthestars]

Vampire cult? I think you mean Feminists.

[@CPTButz]

Feminists? I think you mean Skaven.

[@sindrimyr4389]

+Pheonix148 skaven? I think you mean social justice warriors

[@ariki9797]

8 years and I still come back to watch these lore videos again and again.

[@powerist209]

In the old edition, Bretonnia was more like Ancien Regime with cities being more like overpopulated medieval cities and filthy peasants. And good pistol making.

[@emprahsfinest7092]

Classic Warhammer...medieval feudalism being exaggerated and parodied up to eleven, as most factions are, and then dipped in grimdarkness. God I love it...and Fuck End Times/AoS.

[@yuripantyhose4973]

+Heinz Guderian Regarding Your name and avatar the 40K Orcs early concept art show them with German WW1 and WW2 helmets and Equipment, including some of the early vehicles :D

[@GrugSmesh]

These guys make the Imperium look benevolent.

[@guimts8881]

When you realize even skaven have better chances of climbing up the social ladder than brettonian peasants, even if it is by constantly backstabbing their superiors and inferiors.

[@johnsmith-nl4gz]

brettonia is the rohan to the empires gonder basically

[@pokefan20001000]

Yea, except relations between the Empire and Brettonia are a bit more tense.

[@The_Crimson_Fucker]

And Bretonnia is a considerably worse place to live in than Rohan.

[@ayylmao575]

The Crimson Fucker Not that considerably.

[@internetenjoyer1044]

Well, not exactly. Brettonia is a kind of parody of the French medieval period, with some elements of the English system of the same era (longbows rather than crossbows, which is weird given that longbows require physical strength and time to train for a lifetime, crossbows are the grunt weapon). ROhan is much more anglo saxon except with horses (Saxons weren't big cavalry users)

[@sceligator]

It appears that the Grandfather has chosen you Arch. Get well soon

[@chrisallum5111]

Being relatively safe from harm both geographically and immediatley, compared to the peasants in Kislev and the Empire (beastmen, chaos raids, freezing weather) I would say despite the toiling in the fields each day for just 10% of what they produce, they have it pretty good!

[@owo5869]

Chris Allum Have you ever played total war your army usually consists two part Man at arms (Meat Shield) Knights of the great Bretonia, Meat shield take the attack knight do the attack meat shield unable to do anything substantial anyway.

[@ZugzugZugzugson]

too bad for the bretonians that there's orcs, beastmen and a necromancer living in the neighboring mountains... oh and elves... there's elves too... and no, the elves are NOT friendly in this universe.. like, they are literally nazis on steroids that view humans and indeed all other races as inferior to themselves.

[@spiffygonzales5160]

​@@owo5869 Nah. That's how bretonnia is SUPPOSED to be played. The reality is that CA refuses to give the peasants any sort of real moral, so by early mid game, heck usually even sooner than that, you're spamming armies of cav.

[@nogitsune4452]

Wow, these guys make Skaven look cuddly.

[@francescolnicoletti1519]

+Nogitsune but they are already cuddly

[@barrybend7189]

All except Moulder and Pestilence.

[@Oddtom121]

Is there any lore involving a knight who isn't an absolute dick to his peasants? The army book does mention one of the grail companions as being "a champion of the common man", but that's all I can find.

[@vanillaphysics9814]

+Filthy Peasant Grail knights as a whole are very kind to the peasants, they just generally avoid people as a whole because most of the common people tend to swarm them and worship them as saints.

[@attila535]

At least the peasantry in the Empire has a decent life, they're well protected and decently payed especially if said peasnt joins the army.

[@MrMortull]

+Admiral Attila Oh yeah, the Imperial underclasses have it a lot easier, safer and nicer than a Brettonian serf... that being said, the Empire can be a bloody sight more dangerous in terms of 'external' threats like Orcs and beastfolk. You can't say much for Brettonia in contrast to the Empire since one is based on the worst excesses of the Mediaeval era and the other is pretty much renaissance Germany on acid, but at the very least in Brettonia you're a lot more likely to be killed by a regular old human being than some slavering monstrosity of the wilds. XD

[@Elenrai]

+MrMortull Its basically a question of being eaten, or starving. Pretty fucked up end to the average peasant, no matter what.

[@MrMortull]

Well... actually the Brettonian peasantry *do* have a viable way out of the grinding mill of their feudal nightmare society. Unless GW completely obliterated the Herrimault 'bandits' from canon.

[@orthoff123]

Man... you did the best introductions of the Fantasy races .... thank you for your work! It is a pleasure to listen!!! Greetings from Germany!

[@math2222322]

i liked brettonia because of their knights and the French inspiration... before this video.

[@ryang58]

math2222322 www.reactiongifs.com/r/2013/09/medal.gif

[@phthedude1]

ryang58 www.reactiongifs.com/r/pamyup.gif

[@emirhaneksioglu4503]

math2222322 I still like them for the same reasons. Even more so now because they are abusing those lowly peasants, rightfully so indeed.

[@Wo0dGlue]

math2222322 I like them even more. A shame they ain't too religiously fanatical.

[@Spenglenoodle]

math2222322 The thing I like about Bretonnia is that it combines medieval England, France and Germany society. Its origin story and current state are almost exactly the same as Arthurian myth which I think is real nice.

[@josevillanueva1825]

This is why every time i play as the Empire I invade Bretonnia and try to destroy them with heavy artillery cause TO CANNONS EVERY MAN IS EQUAL

[@rogelioalonzo2911]

Ah a man of Culture, Napoleon left us too soon

[@DarthAzabrush]

Just before the end times a Yeoman who saved the Countess of Brionne's became the first in recorded history to be knighted. He died in his first battle an hour later when his Knight Errant unit got torn apart by zombies.

[@simonnachreiner8380]

A peasant granted service as a night to their liege lord meeting an untimely end under questionable services in a suspiciously quick time period? Never heard that one before.

[@DarthAzabrush]

@@simonnachreiner8380 Its in the timeline of the last Bretonian army book.

[@naveensilva2312]

Wow, Bretonnia sounds like an utter hell hole...

[@eldarranger5063]

to be honest if i was an inventor and was told i was getting two pigs and a job with the king I'd be really happy

[@blindlobster]

I always believed that the magical boys taken by the Lady of the Lake (or her damsels at least) were trained to be "The Green Knight." This would explain why there is a magical knight who is able to appear again after he has been slain. A magical knight who has been alive throughout multiple time periods and who has been at multiple locations to test multiple Questing Knights at similar times. Basically many magic men posing as the same person. I doubt that the Lady of the Lake is a Chaos Goddess because she opposes so many actions/substances/beliefs that Chaos tends to love. The Fay Enchantress is probably an elf (humans can't ride unicorns, and the enchantress has had pointy ears when shown in the past) which would lead weight to "the Lady" being an elf however the Lady's blessings are more than just a few elves can do. Perhaps the Lady began existing as a goddess after people began believing in her and Giles's vision was needed to kick it off.

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Guardians they become magic super grail knights essentially

[@simonnachreiner8380]

The way I'd view that is the "Magical boys" aren't so much trained to be the green knight so much as _become_ the green knight. As in their individuality is overwritten as they become possessed by his spirit until their body is burned out by the magic resulting in the knight returning beyond the veil. Also Chaos gods are a reflection of sentient psyche on the warp triggering apotheosis based on that belief. EI immaterial gods like the big four or material gods walking among their kin like the ancestor spirits of the Dawi. As usual an obligatory "Fuck the end times" is required.

[@Lyone_of_Stormwind]

Damn it I was enjoying the prospect of having a bretonnian army, then the French name part came into play.

[@sonicman52]

Lol I feel like this is what the average person thinks pre-modern were actually like

[@Stoic_Zoomer]

Has there been peasant revolts? And if so how many?

[@ArchYouTube]

Sir Dude Revolts as in full scale uprisings? no. Remember practically every village is centered around a castle and peasants are not allowed to travel and they cant read or write so there is essentially no way for them to communicate enough to organize an uprising of any real size. There has been a few attempts by the Empire to stage revolts in Bretonnia but well.... the peasants are browbeaten from birth on and showered in crude propaganda, getting a revolt going in these circumstances is extremely hard and has only ever succeeded (to my knowledge) on a couple occasions during war between the Empire and Bretonnia where there was quite literally an Empire army besieging the castle.

[@666666MetalHead]

Sir Dude You kidding? They're too malnourished to even manage to grab a weapon.

[@ArchYouTube]

666666MetalHead More like, if you tell some one there shit for long enough they start to believe it. Take the old Soviet union of our history fks, the soviet farmers ought to have been up in arms to go join the west seeing as well, simply put life in the west was easier. However after decades under an authoritarian dictator and getting bombarded with propaganda they figured that they had it about as good as they were ever going to. Funny story, Stalin bought several ice cream machines from America, then an unknown invention in Russia and passed it of as a soviet invention, and then told people that "yes life isn't perfect but at least it's better to live here in Russia then any where else! cuz we have ice cream machines!. Source btw:englishrussia.com/2010/12/06/the-history-of-ice-cream-in-the-ussr/2/ And as insane as that sounds, it worked! and Bretonnia works much on the same principal, the peasants are told that they are lucky to be protected by a knight for a mere 90% of there produce because other peasants in other nations don't get that be "protected" by a knight.

[@Stoic_Zoomer]

Arch Warhammer really anything from a from a large riot or a town size revolt to a large scale uprising but i was asking *has* it happened not *if* it could happen

[@KazzoKiller3890]

Sir Dude did you even read his reply? He already mentioned that the empire rutted turn instigate revolts during the war, but couldn't achieve mass rebellion to cause any serious harm to the social structure.

[@GoatOfTheWoods]

Listening to this and having a warm coffee on a sunny sunday morning, while Total War Bretonnia is downloading..just perfect

[@Nonsense010688]

Thank you for the video. Since I know you avoid this topic, I would like to mention it: Bretonnians, while they ban gunpowder, have oddly enough a navy with cannons. They indeed, have the title of "best navy man" man. Some explain this as either with the fact that the peasants manned the cannons and not the nobles or simply as mistake. Should WH TW have navy units, I hope so, than it will be interesting to see, if they got cannons or will have only longbows and catapults (or griffins, since Bretonnian navy doesn't leave port without air support). Further more: they is a addtional story for the dammed city and about a festival during a plague, where the nobility got a visitor in a death costume in red. Spoiler alert: that didn't end well. Last thing a little acetone to show the spirit of Bretonnian Knights: "A breathless peasean comes to the local duke, panicking as he said: "My Lord, Beastmen, Orcs and Choas where the eye can see.". Of which the Duke draw his sword and said: "It will take days to slaughter them all"". (purely base on what some Bretonnian player told me)

[@ArchYouTube]

Si Wi Your original assumption is correct, the "navy" of Bretonnia is not officially there navy they operate in much the same way as privateers from our own history. And this lets them both use cannons and raid ships belonging to allied or neutral nations cuz you know... there not Bretonnian ships.... honest! Thou ofc in times of war they do mysteriously enough hoist the Bretonnian flag.

[@BaddaBingBaddaBom]

Arch Warhammer

[@1293ST]

Hmm and i always thought the High Elven are the fantasy french .. Arrogant - Yes Strange Language - Yes Only Two Good Rulers - Yes High Elven = French Bretonnia = Heretics!

[@spooknukem575]

Yeah because french is such a weird language

[@nickrohrer2892]

they are more america than anything

[@1293ST]

American!? Good gracious, this is the greatest piece of jolly, stupidly false accusation bollocks I've ever heard! I hate myself for writing this, but Elven have grace, 'beauty', good behaviour, arrogance, a form of nationalism and over confidence. French in the olden days matched that description. Muricans on the other hand show only the latter three ones.

[@nickrohrer2892]

Yes, but they are a island in the middle of nowhere, they consider themselves better than everyone else, they are basically the world police force, and are some of he best millitary in the Warhammer universe

[@xXM60E4Xx]

The lore of my Bretonnian army is basically the local lord, after being captured by a particularly merciful group of Orcs, allowed his peasants to hunt, keep almost all of their crop, and they could advance. Of course a couple of other lords didnt like this and attacked. The got ass raped by the peasants and the local knights.

[@Lalle524]

Best Lord ever *and orcs*

[@warhammerguy]

It's that time of the year again. CA is releasing a new faction and I go back to watch these videos once again :)

[@Atreas40000]

The Lady cannot be a chaos god. That would imply that a chaos god could exist within Athel Loren , which is absurd. The blessing of the Lady has so much power because she is one of the most powerful elven goddesses who blessed the Bretonians in order for them to protect Athel Loren, and to act as her instruments in the Old World.

[@cameronjames3499]

I'm practically committing necromancy by responding to your 5year old comment (and some more necromancy dredging up the reference Im going to use). There's a part in the Konrad book trilogy from the early 90s (Konrad/Shadowbreed/Warblade) where the main character seeks out a powerful and mysterious woman/entity on a small island in a forest who has a lot of conceptual similarity to "The Lady" (though on a lesser scale). She reveals herself to have formerly been a daemonette who had been completely cleansed of the corruption of Chaos. I wouldn't be completely surprised if they were using/reusing the same idea.

[@Sarsol1989]

In the feudal system it was not uncommon for a peasant to surrender vast majority of the grown crops to the lord (differs greatly from region to region). However the Lord was still responsible for the peasants well-being to some degree, so large chunk of given crops would make their way back to peasant (just enough to keep them fed and productive). So 9/10 thing, could we have similar situation in place here.

[@CD-vg4hl]

I always raze brettonian settlements when I'm playing as the empire, these "men" are a blot on the face of the men race of warhammer. Atleast in the empire the lower classes have a chance to rise in society through hard work.

[@josevillanueva1825]

very true during my Empire campaign I was on good terms with Bretonnia and fighting off Beastman herds. Then I read the wiki about Bretonnia the next day I made an alliance with the Wood Elves and invaded Bretonnia and split the lands with the Wood Elves

[@Squirrel4361]

This is hysterical!!! XD The allegories and anecdotes are almost cripplingly hilarious!

[@Konkajou]

in the army book it wasnt actually specifically mentioned what kind of ranged weapon killed Gilles Le Breton, the only thing we really know is that its ranged. I would place my money on a ballista

[@chrisallum5111]

Vanilla Cream Goblin doom diver

[@Konkajou]

That would kinda somewhat count as a meele weapon, actually

[@CharlesUrban]

Those poor peasants. The designer of the Bretonnian trebuchet was a peasant, and his prototype carried a local battle that the knights would have lost without it. He got rewarded for his assistance with two fattened pigs and a roof re-thatching for his cottage. That was more wealth than any living peasant had seen in that village.

[@rush4in]

10/10 would French again xD

[@rush4in]

Rush4in Also get better, mate. :)

[@matthewparrish9309]

Right... Because, if he was a vampire, that kind of behavior WOULD be explainable... "Dude! You just SLICED THAT GUY'S HEAD OFF AND DRANK HIS BLOOD BECAUSE HE INSULTED YOUR DRAPES, MAN!! WHAT THE FUCK??!" "Well, I'am a vampire, you know." "Oh... Oh yeah... That's right, I forgot. Okay, cool... Sorry! My bad, dude."

[@rasmussalen3363]

Get well soon Arch! I hope you are not sick a long time. Good video.

[@willthegamer1914]

Let me sum up the first half of this video for you. Everyone's the King's bitch, the end.

[@fjolnir3431]

It is ironic because in reality, actual medivial peasants enjoyed a reasonably decent standard of living before the black death struck Europe. Serving a decently wealthy lord, knight or a noble as farmers, workers or on their own as business owners/traders, they could regularly afford things like fine ale, decent clothes, delicade food and even elaborate costumes used for rituals and parties. Cleanliness was also mandatory in medival Europe and public bath houses were very popular. They were only shut down when the plague struck in efforts to keep it from spreading among commoners, hence they phrase "filthy peasant" was born.

[@1stshockarmy]

Ísleifur Helgason sorry but where do you get your information from? Because what you say (especially about the living standards) is just false. (I'm saying this as a history student at university)

[@chrisallum5111]

Ísleifur Helgason What a load of shit. It says a lot about security in the middle ages that the common man gave up being a free person (as in the roman empire) to become tithed to a feudal lord for protection. In other words after the fall of rome, life for the common man was very insecure.

[@fjolnir3431]

1stshockarmy I said reasonable living standard, not great(given that the crop was good and there wasn't a major war). And that was before the black plague. So go back to studying gender issues and liberal arts and keep ingoring actual historical facts.

[@fjolnir3431]

Chris Allum Think what you wish but i think it is obvious that during famine-free times, peasents in general were usually pretty well off and self sufficient, but that also depended on the local lord or noble they served under Just think about it, a feudal lord or a high nobal could only benefit by keeping his peasants well fed and entertained(since they produced all his wealth etc) that is also what all soceties have sought to do with their subjects(most of the times).

[@1stshockarmy]

Ísleifur Helgason I asked where you got your Information from.

[@brutepuncher]

I noticed you had a few things wrong 1. at 14:00 when you mention colors peasants can't wear. In the Knights of Bretonnia series, Calard (the MC) says peasants can wear green, its knights that don't because it is an easy color for peasants to make and it is the color of the fay/Fae and knights don't want to draw the ire of such things. 2. You mention peasants can't carry weapons like swords or anything heavy, that is actually incorrect. Peasants can't carry any weapon that needs to be forged that is bigger than a knife, the exception being tools of trade to do their job. Men-at-arms are explicitly given Pole-arms to fight with and the Yeoman are allowed swords and the like. 3. At 17:20, You mention peasants having to pay to worship. They do have donations to chapels, they aren't charged. Shallya is actually as openly and freely worshipped as the Lady. (Not to mention a debate on the Bretonnian forums at the chance the two were one in the same) 4. At 20:30 you mention about knights and their vow to guard peasants and land from attack. Though some more miserly lords may take your view and just tell them to sod off, nearly all mentions in short stories and in novels in regards to this show the knight(s) doing whatever they can to save who they can before roving threat A shows up for pillaging. 5. At 22:00, this is me more nit picking, but knights are generally polytheistic, they just hold the Lady over others. Again, the biggest chapel to Shallya is in the capital of Couronne, and many knight who live near the bigger forests worship Taal and those who live on the giant coasts worship Manaan. 6. At 22:30, you mention no females can be knights. This is wrong by a small degree. 99% of knight's are male, but there has been precedent of female knights and one of the most famous knights, Repanse de Lyonesse, is a female (for those who don't know, think Joan of arc who doesn't get stabbed in the back by court tomfoolery). 7. At 33:00, you mention the cannonball to the face. Whilst that is the term we all use for it, the army book does say it is more in regards to the Lady causing something to happen to move the knight out of the way of the shot, rather than just making him invulnerable, though they do have a magic banner that literally just takes cannonballs and outright stops them. I really didn't want to be THAT guy, but I wanted to get somethings straightened out. Also, that 5th Chaos god theory is apparently really popular with a lot of people...

[@carsonreddick3452]

+brutepuncher by the lady thank you for pointing out the facts! i was beginning to think everyone in the universe hated my beloved bretonnia

[@brutepuncher]

+Carson Reddick I will always carry the banner for my nation's honor.

[@carsonreddick3452]

long live king louen!

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

yes tell the truth, the Lady vult!

[@brutepuncher]

@Jon dow Generally pretty well (assuming they aren't at war with Bretonnia). King Louen is renowned for being cordial and a pinnacle of nobility, and thus even the Elves show proper respect. While the peasantry might be spooked because they pretty much only know of witches and Damsels, the knights simply view them as intriguing individuals. Some Bretonnian children are actually sent to the Imperial college when they are young before they are whisked away by the Fey Enchantress, coming back later as proper wizards. (As mentioned in the Warhammer Role-playing guide to Bretonnia). Many knights hold suspicions, of course, its not a rare story that a mage secretly serves darker powers...

[@jack1701e]

26:16 Ork snipers again...

[@Hellhammerhand]

on the topic of what fabric and animal hide a peasant could and is allowed to use, more specifically that their allowed to use rat's. A man at arms that manages to kill a skaven would at the end of the day have a pretty big pelt to work with ;)

[@CyrodiilCome]

Bretonnia isn't as bad as portrayed here. They have freedom of religion (can't praise the Lady of the lake at a Grail temple.) They're allowed to take trips to other towns if they ask the Lord. The Lord is required to feed his people or he'll be replaced, the Yeomen (middle class) make up 30% of the pop. It's easy to go up in the hierarchy, you just have to either become a Men O war and sell your land, or become a squire to a Knight. The gold is kept from the peasants because they use it to make weapons. And they can own any armor or sword they just have to pay for it which is difficult for peasants. Peasants are even given Longbows and short swords...this is even put in the codex and Lexicarium

[@Jay_76]

In defense of Arch, he does say peasants are REQUIRED to worship some god or other, and they must PAY for the privilege. Arch also says peasants are allowed to travel WITH THE PERMISSION of the local lord. As for moving up in the hierarchy, if you think it's EASY to give up everything you and your family have ever known including your family's land just so you can join the local lord's militia then you, sir have a shitty home life. Speaking of the Yeomen, and I'll admit I'm applying some between the lines logic here, the reason that the middle class make up so much of the population (30%) is the fact that a HUGE number of peasants are starving to death every year due to the whole 9/10ths of their produce being taken "for the King"(think along the lines of The Holodomor). Concerning weapons and armor, I'm sure if the average peasant saves up for, I don't know, a generation or three, they can afford a decent weapon or piece of armor, only to have it, potentially, taken from them, "In the name of the King" of course *snarf, snarf, snarf*. Have I missed anything here? No?

[@Jay_76]

First, I'll admit I'm not a fan of the Chaos Lady theory, especially now that AoS had shown definitively who the Lady is/was. However, you complaining about how Arch didn't talk enough about the "noble and chivalrous knights" would be akin to someone listening to an analysis of World War 1's battle tactics and strategies, and complaining about not hearing enough about the aerial dogfights(the Knights of the Sky, if you will). I'll agree that the Bretonnian Codices focuses on the history and tactics of the knights but, that's simply due to the fact that Bretonnia has some of the best, if not THE best heavy cavalry available, and so some history and context is required. That doesn't mean the knights form the majority of the Bretonnian military. The bulk of ANY large Warhammer Fantasy army is, almost by necessity, going to be the infantry(aka, the peasants).

[@juliusfinkas]

I just noticed in the foreground of this picture (31:11) that it looks like someone is trying to fire a sharpened log with their bow. Surely this isn't possible if you become a grail-knight because that is truly awesome power!!

[@Lalle524]

Sadly, they don't fire stakes, but they DO place them infront of their groups to block off Cavalry charges.

[@ShidaiTaino]

Will you make a video on Estalia and Tilea?

[@jefthereaper]

Me when the DLC came out for Total Warhammer: Wow noble knights! This seems too good to be true! What's with the Peasant system? Me after this video: I knew it was too good to be true...

[@rhemorigher]

Glad the sickness is gone, gladder still that it did not take you with it. I've just found this channel and Warhammer Fantasy/40k lore is fun and you deliver it well.

[@matthewparrish9309]

Adolph Healer: I know, right? I'd LOVE to live in a place where I owe 9/10ths of my income to my Superior Lord... Sounds like paradise!

[@damianmorningstar3150]

This is why I love Warhammer the lore is so god damned stupid it makes you laugh. It is like a group of entitled neckbeards sat around a table and tried to out asshole the other guys with no one stopping and saying. “Wait that dose not make any sense an empire like that would only last a few maybe a decade before widespread rebellion.”

[@nathanm9212]

I used to be the first Grail Knight... then I took an arrow in the knee...

[@DustyTheKitty]

Starting to see why the bretonnian's never got another army book for so long.

[@MegaM1garand]

This video is "essentially" the most comprehensive Brettonian videos ive seen

[@shelleymcrae514]

Good video now back to the corn field peasant those tives aren’t gonna pay themselves

[@destroyerinazuma96]

Wow, thank you for the very informative video! I'm about to be role playing as a squire lost in Middenheim. I only knew I was bottom of the barrel in the knights hierarchy, then this have me many insights. Have a good day!

[@Koraxbear]

I feel like working for an Orc at this point would make me better off than actually existing in this Kingdom.....Considering the level of oppression, I'm surprised chaos has not taken root.

[@guimts8881]

There's so much oppression that the average peasant doesn't know what chaos is, if they did things would've gone downhill a long time ago for Brettonian.

[@shadowofhawk55]

(Laughs in how many Chaos witches and cults there are in Bretonnia)

[@494Farrell]

Gilles le Breton's story is basically a re worked king Arthur story

[@Dogofwar100]

Well that why i prefer Dark elf! They are at least honest about slavery and murder you in the most painful fahsion.

[@firecard]

If the bretonnia did began modernising their army and country to something similar to the empire or late medival country they would be a very strong army instead of army of made of knights that win or loose the battle for them. Then the man at arms would be atleast capable of soldiers instead of really poor meatshield. But this is very unlikely to happen unless some badass king arrives to give nobleman a realty slap and restructure the entire country

[@ghazzter]

I'm surprised the peasants of Bretonia don't become corrupt by Nurgle?

[@firecard]

living in Bretonnia is worse than the real mediveal europe in all ages

[@BVargas78]

firecard It is worse but not by much in some cases.

[@Wildboy789789]

we r supposed to get a bretonnia gamplay video by the end of February... im very excited, I think ill be playin them

[@Jewbear1884]

Wow, even the Norscans are more socially advanced than the Bretonnians, you at least get a chance of moving up the ranks by being badass enough with the Norscans.

[@BVargas78]

Jewbear1884 Usually in tribal societies the classes arent as pronounced.

[@Jewbear1884]

BVargas78 Eh, true. The WOC and the tribes they generally come from seem to really just respect strength, cunning and bravery and don't care about classes or birth (long as you're not a Beastman anyway), still, it's kind of progressive in that sense.

[@kyleellis9177]

I always figured the magic boys were used as tear creators and the Lake was actually a lake of magical tears of bretonians

[@barrybend7189]

so all of Bretonnia can be lumped together as the feudal Europe the stereotype?

[@captainteutonica5474]

PS I'm glad you got over your illness.

[@papazoulou9326]

Well, for the rats, I don't think it's a problem, given the number of Skavens in Bretonnia.

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Man, if any of the other Human Nations tried to invade (maybe even Chaos, cause i remember a story about a Chosen of Chaos leading an army to a Village and got into a fight to the death with the Lord...........only for the peasants to root for the Chosen of Chaos. Hell, when the Chosen killed the Lord and they praised his name, he actually felt all warm and fuzzy and spared THE ENTIRE VILLAGE as a result.), the Peasants would probably attempt to defect to their side.

[@Dodsodalo]

Wait what? What story is that?

[@ShadowWolfRising]

@@Dodsodalo I don't remember where it was from, but that was a thing that happened.

[@thewingedserpent5823]

A society like this would crumble immediately in real life. Sure there were some very oppressive regimes in history but never to a point like this.

[@omegawilliam95s36]

Magic’s probably the only reason every single peasant haven’t got enough of their bs and torn apart their knights. Yeah those guys have castles but without peasants they won’t have any real defense once they get stuck in, then violently ripped from their horses and trampled by serfs.

[@thewingedserpent5823]

@@omegawilliam95s36 it's like at Agincourt. You have Muddy ground that got churned up so you can't charge across so the knights have to dismount. They charge at a well fortified line of peasant famers and get bogged down. Some slip and get trampled or drown in the mud because they cant get back up in the crowed, the rest are packed like sardines all the while peasant archers a standing behind wooden stakes in the forests to the sides of the field, shooting at the knights in point blank range. And while those arrows won't punch through solid plate, they still knock the knights back and exhaust them and every so often one man might get a lucky shot and hit one of the softer joints or the eye slits.

[@ogburnher]

27:00 the troll part killed me :D the funniest thing i heard in month^^

[@TengrioftheCrimsonSky]

So this is the future state of California?

[@WormsMaster100]

Vamps treat their peasants better than Brettonians treats theirs.

[@andystrachan598]

Karl Franz didn't own everything in the Empire. He owned his province as did the other elector counts. Karl Franz was elected as Emperor in a vote by the fourteen (I think) electors as commander and protector of the Empire.

[@orionstark]

I think the point of the myth is that there was a dark elf conspiracy behind the orc invasion.

[@1701Emperor]

Just because the Lady of the Lake bestow powers upon her chosen does not make her a "Chaos God". Many of the other gods also bestow powers upon their chosen, Sigmar most prominently.

[@lennoxshepherd3905]

And sigmar is a chaos god, all the gods in the warp are considered chaos gods since the warp is chaos.

[@giannicolamatteo8155]

Kruber got off easy, hè grew up in the empire ad a farmer , joined the army and was the last survivor, got in the u5, got drunk, met the Lady and boom, a castle a title and imortality is his

[@skweedoo]

I suddenly have a strong urge to liberate these lands via fire and steel.

[@godzillavkk]

Good luck, because Bretonnians are immune to gunpowder weapons thanks to the Lady.

[@skweedoo]

No problem. Irondrakes know how to get things done with alchemic fire. :)

[@godzillavkk]

Ok. How will you get past the grial damsels and their magic? Or the magic Grial Knights? Or the Immortal Green Knight?

[@skweedoo]

Depends which groups are fighting, but a skaven may, for example, not want to get struck by magical lightning and run over by horses during a battle in an open field since that would be a very bad day for the skaven. What can he do to turn the battle in his favor? What are skaven good at? How can these talents be used to take out an enemy that relies on magic and horses? Well, say the skaven knows where the enemy is camping, or where they are going to be traveling to for sure in the near future. He could dig under the spot, place a LOT of explosives under key areas, and then swarm up out of the ground in the middle of the night after the enemy is blown half to bits and scattered. Or you could just be a dwarf and use runes and armor too awesome to blast and stomp through. Either way.

[@omegawilliam95s36]

Just have Gelt run through, turn everything in the peasants’ possessions into gold, then watch the economy implode upon itself.

[@TheEwker]

I'd like to point out that the law in Medieval England was that all of the peasantry must give 9/10th of all of their produce to their lord also

[@godzillavkk]

Where's your source?

[@PanosKalaigidis]

About The Blessing of the Lady. It could be that it happens only because the knights believe it does, in a similar fashion to what the Orks do.

[@Bishop5466]

Hey Arch, how are the bretonnian knights even slightly effective against the empire's massive and overwhelming amounts of fire power? cause it seems like any charge would get ripped apart by the hail of projectiles or the spear men and halberdiers that comprise the empire's front lines. They still sound fucking awesome though.

[@ArchYouTube]

Bishop5466 historically the advent of the gun didn't stop massed cavalry charges until the bayonet , a invention mysteriously absent from warhammer.

[@arinremaut452]

Arch Warhammer not really I have (original!) models of Empire handgunners with a bayonet attached to it, I think it's just not implemented into the game.

[@-arx-gorganhound6980]

Arch Warhammer I'm pretty sure things like ring bayonets where not common till the later 17th century-18th century, and seeing as the empire still uses a lot of Halberdiers rather then moving onto a full Gunline based army im not surprised they dont have them on handgunners, and i dont think people would like plug bayonets to much :)

[@arinremaut452]

I agree with your observation, they wouldn't need the halberds defends if they had bayonets. It would still be a nice upgrade feature like in Empire: Total war though ;)

[@Wildboy789789]

+Bishop5466 im pretty sure the majority of bretonnia are mounted armored knights, very few archers and spearmen... think of the guns this way, if you don't shoot ALL my hundreds of knights, ill be running straight thru you to your king, making your units flee... those guns are your only defense, and your wizards of course

[@janbartos4731]

I had no idea that Bretonia has "Blaník Knight" legend in it... it is a legend about knights sleeping under "Blaník" mountain that will ride out when the Bohemia is in dare peril...

[@jackth23mellow7]

Hey Arch Warhammer super cool videos keep them up. so about the fairys that take the kids and give back the females and the boys are never seen agien, in the novel "guardians of the forest" you hear about male human boys caugt in wood elf magi that keeps them young and uses them for waiters for events.

[@ArchYouTube]

Aske Egholk That's the Wood Elfs thou, decedant basterds. I still think the Lady of the "Lake full of Children sized bones" simply noms them XD

[@charlottewalnut3118]

@@ArchKZbin or she uses them as concubines

[@CataciousAmogusevic]

@@charlottewalnut3118 🤨

[@dantejones1480]

If anyone realized that the knights, Lords, and King are useless without the peseants, Bretonnia goes down the drain because Peseant Revolt of 1381.

[@ebenezer1690]

Fantastic arch. I wish you would read some of the novels I don't know if that's trademark compliable that being said you have a great voice love to hear it

[@7hi5on35]

Sounds more like the Grail Knights are Vampires, The Lady of the Lake; Neferat (or some other Lamian vampire) working a very successful long term undercover con job. Making the whole grail shindig just her way of giving them the 'blood kiss'. And abducting powerful children to raise as future Lamian agents / tralls... Makes a butt load more sense then The Lady turning out to be some form of minor chaos god, or at least, it does to me; no?

[@Lalle524]

Turns out the boys that gets kidnapped becomes waitresses for wood elves feasts. Who would have thought.

[@mardukgilgamesh1500]

Good grief no wonder the emperor won >:v

[@Itisoverthere-rw]

I am not sure why you think Bretonnia is 1/3 of the size of the Empire. I have used the official maps and with their scale (and some autocad) I have measured the Empire to be 1.2-1.3 square kilometers and Bretonnia about 900.000 square kilometers. This is much more than one third.

[@sjoerddz]

well... i always considered bertonnia to be one of my favourites because of their kickass knights and all but after hearing how messed up the place actually is i might reconsider that stance.

[@ArchYouTube]

TerranGaming "all roses have thorns" ;)

[@daniel7767]

Anyone else here for the free lc that's releasing on total war in 3 days?