Catalan Corps?

[Druso]

What is the meaning of their name? I mean, are the main members of them spanish? . I said that since Catalonia is a spanish region so it remembers me to it. I think that maybe is a reference to "Catalan Company" a group of mercenaries that fought in the mediterranean with great results (some of them being the Almoghavars)

[Furio]

Not to start a political debate, but if the reference is to the Catalan Company,  then they wouldn't be Spanish because at the time "Spain" didn't exist

[Claymore65]

I would definitely assume it's the second one. They don't seem to be particularly spanish or anything.

[Ad1]

Not to start a political debate, but if the reference is to the Catalan Company,  then they wouldn't be Spanish because at the time "Spain" didn't exist

Not to start a semantic debate but wouldn't that debate be historical rather than political?

 

Speaking of words and language, Catalan was the language spoken in the Kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, Castille and Portugal which is where the Christian version of the Almogavars mostly originated from. So at a guess I'd assume that the company was referred to/known by the shared language. Because as was mentioned Spain didn't exist and instead it was multiple Kingdoms who shared religon and language. Not sure if it's ironic that the later version of the Almogavars ransacked and pillaged their way through Muslim lands a few centuries after being on the receiving end at the other end of the Med.

 

If you're really interested have a look at the Ramon Muntaner 'Chronicle' pdf. here

 

Kind Regards,

 

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[DOGGED]

Not to start a semantic debate but wouldn't that debate be historical rather than political?

 

Speaking of words and language, Catalan was the language spoken in the Kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, Castille and Portugal which is where the Christian version of the Almogavars mostly originated from. So at a guess I'd assume that the company was referred to/known by the shared language. Because as was mentioned Spain didn't exist and instead it was multiple Kingdoms who shared religon and language. Not sure if it's ironic that the later version of the Almogavars ransacked and pillaged their way through Muslim lands a few centuries after being on the receiving end at the other end of the Med.

 

If you're really interested have a look at the Ramon Muntaner 'Chronicle' pdf. here

 

Kind Regards,

 

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It should be a historical debate. But too much political interests do meddle with history regarding Catalonia and Spain.

 

Catalan is a language which relates to Occitan; in fact both are descendants of the same idionatic trunk, the Aquitanian-Pyrenean one. Hispanic languages like Castilian (or Spanish, as it is better known) descend from another trunk. But Catalan was not spoken in the kingdoms of Castile, Portugal or Aragon (Aragonese, while too descending from the same trunk as Catalan, was displaced by Castilian in Aragon-settled territories). Catalan was (and is) spoken in Catalonia (both in the Principality, which are Catalan lands south of the Pyrenees, and north of the Pyrenees in Roussillon-Conflent which are known as Northern Catalonia in the Principality) and in Catalan-settled places; as a majority of the settlers in the conquered kingdom of Valencia were Catalans, theirs was the language spoken in most of Valencia (from which Valencian descend; it is considered as a variant of Catalan, as are the different variants spoken in the Principality and in Northern Catalonia (and in the easternmost Aragonese territories).

 

The Catalan Grand Company was (as the name implies) made up mostly by Catalans, being almost all of them almogàvers (almughavars), although in the almogàver ranks there were Aragonese, Castilians, Navarrese, Leonese, etc., people from all the Iberian peninsula including muslims. So there were Spanish, in a sense. Not Spanish from Spain-the state, but Spanish from Spain-the geographical region. It should be noted that from the 8th century at most the region of Catalonia was settled by Franks (Occitans to say so) who alongisde the native Visigothic substrate were becoming Catalans, with a culture which differed (and differs) from hispanic cultures. IN fact those territories were called Gothia by Franks, and with Septimania formed the northeasternmost Visigothic territories. The Catalan part was Gothia, from where Gotholonia (land of the Goths) and hence Catalonia.

 

By the way, I've taken the plunge into TTB, and the books are on the way. But while I am waiting for 'em, I'm most interested in this "Catalan Corps" (mostly logic as I am Catalan). What is this? Can you give any info? Is it an institution of any kind in the Malifaux world?

[Ampers&nd]

Interesting stuff, thanks:) The catalan Corps have a bit of fluff in the TTB books, and I would imagine there'll be more on the Catalan Corp in the Outcasts expansion too:)

[Ad1]

By the way, I've taken the plunge into TTB, and the books are on the way. But while I am waiting for 'em, I'm most interested in this "Catalan Corps" (mostly logic as I am Catalan). What is this? Can you give any info? Is it an institution of any kind in the Malifaux world?

 

There are a few mercenary groups active in the city of Malifaux that exist alongside the other dominant factions. Although Catalan has been used here the FM book mentions the Castalan company (p. 74) so I assume that is who the OP is referring too. Waiting to see if more information is forthcoming.

 

Our FM has also included a revised 'Confederate' group active outside the city of Malifaux, we're waiting to see where the story involving this group takes us.

 

Thanks for the extra information, appreciated.

 

Kind regards,

 

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[DOGGED]

You're both welcome.

 

While I am at it, almughavars did change their name in the late renaissance (mid 17th century), becoming Miquelets, roaming mercenary light infantry (and then exclusively from Catalonia AFAIK) who did temporary work as farm hands when the season allowed it, and then got to make war in other times of the year. They were (extensively) used by the French monarchy to suppress southern France religious rebels, and both by French and Spanish armies as (quite good) light infantry, ranger style, in teh 18th century (the Austrians used them too in Spain, then used Croats and such in their main territories; Prussians made up their very own Croats and called them jägers). Their success was enough as to them being copied and then "exported" to the Americas by French generals and used against the British army there, which in torn got to make their own light infantry which they called rangers. Obviously all this is a brief presentation but you'll see where it drives. 

 

Castalan. Curious, neither Castilian nor Catalan; one of the theories for the etimological origin of the name "Catalonia" has it meaning "land of castles" (or castlans, who are tenants of castles), just the same meaning of the Castilian name "Castilla". Of course Castilla is a land dotted with many castles, and Catalonia of course is a land where you could find castles every few miles.By the way, the 19th century in the Iberian peninsula also saw the Carlist wars which were civil wars in Spain (romantic ones really, pitting the nascent liberal centralised state against a religiously imbued, decentralised state of a conservative leaning). Catalans and Castilians fought in both sides against Catalans and Castilians, the last Carlist war happening by the 1860s-1870s, but Carlism surviving well into the 20th century (and today, in an allegedly marginal status).

 

The Malifaux setting is set into fantasy, but as it is based on reality (even if it is just in a geographical, and loosely historical senses) some things could be too much of a stretch, like Germans, French and British happily sharing an united state;although there was not much love between the Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese their (political) cultures could allow for such a superstate. Catalonia, while having industrial capability and entrepreneurs, never had enough political weight in Spain as to "share" the state, never going beyond being a mere region. Any major change would have independent Spanish and Catalan states, not much difficult to work out given the many historical possible points of divergence.

 

Before I digress too much, I've put all this to highlight the interesting situation in Spain regarding what seems to be happening Earthside in the Malifaux setting. Magic users would be frown upon when not directly prosecuted in Spain, both by liberals and conservatives or carlists, but may find help in republicans and masons; even christian leaning factions including carlists could find use for soulstones as a kind  of fuel for chruch sanctioned "divine" magic users. The Guild would struggle to be a main player in Spain, but Arcanists would fare worse, and Ressurrectionists or Neverborn would be everyone's enemies. Outcasts definitely match the situation. It is very interesting to see which is the translation of historical 19th century Spain (by the start of 1900, when compared to the UK, the US or major and even some minor powers, Spain was definitely still 19th century) into the Malifaux setting.

 

It's starting to be obvious to me that I have bit into Malifaux. Now when will those books arrive? 

[Wakshaani]

Confederate'll be a touch tricky since Malifaux's set in 1901, so you're looking at guys 36 years after the War. They'll all be 50+, with most being 60-ish and any veteran officers in their 70's.

 

Well.

 

Barring magic keeping them young of course. (Soulstone, whee!)

 

There's the Castalan Corps, as noted, and the Malifaux Explorer's Society, which is a bunch of rich old white guys who want to shoot native fauna, so hire guides to make sure that they bag a good one. This might not be a terrible thread for people to post new ideas for them, in all honesty. That could get fun.

[Ad1]

I think it's also a case of ideas being difficult to kill. Where there is disquiet there will always be youth ready to rally to any and all causes. If there is anything our own history has taught us it only takes one charismatic old man to lead a people/nation to war.

 

We do have a very old Fated in our group who was about during the war as a younger man. I think it's all part of his fate we're seeing unwind and the majority of the 'confederates' were younger men but we have faced one older 'officer' so far.

 

Dogged there are some interesting things happening Earthside. Our group has even discussed what it might be like to be involved in an Earthside game and coming to Malifaux later in the story (after a few destiny steps) looking for answers that arise from our Earthside games. It's an interesting alternate history Wyrd have produced.

 

Regards,

 

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[Claymore65]

Oh, there's definitely a lot of interesting things going on Earthside.

 

I mean, the "Darlin Theories" come from Darlin, the Mecha Tyrant of Virginia.

 

I wasn't aware of any Mecha-Tyrants in our history.

 

I think having some Confederate Hold-Outs is far from a big deal, and it could lead to a lot of cool plot events in the future.

[Wakshaani]

Oh, without a doubt.

 

Just a note that if they had experience in The War (And it's usually just "The War" when speaking, or "The War of Northern Aggression" when written about), they'll likely be old. Now, people with fathers or grandfathers who were vets and who were taught to carry that fire with them? That's a whole other thing.