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Class: heavy · Category: cavalry · Men per unit: 6

The Thessalian Cavalry were one of the most important parts of the army of Alexander the Great. After his death, Thessaly remained under Macedonian control, and its horsemen are still available to the Antigonid kings. Armed with xyston lances and kopis swords for melee, and protected by bronze cuirasses as well as shining helmets, they are a true elite force. The Thessalian Cavalry were usually deployed on the left wing of the royal army, while the Hetairoi took the position on the right.

The horses of the plains of Thessaly were long considered the best horses in all of Greece. While most poleis in the South or around the Aegean had very little cavalry forces, if any at all, before the fourth century BC, the Thessalian nobility would rarely fight on foot and was already renowned for their skill as horsemen (e.g., Hdt. 5.63). After the Peloponnesian War, with most of the city states weakened, the aristocrats of Pherai, one of the oldest cities in Thessaly, realised the advantages of their own land. The fertile valleys could sustain a relatively large population as well as a strong, permanent cavalry force, and the lack of polis traditions meant that the way to centralisation was open. Theirs was a country of wealthy landowners ruling over serfs, the Penestai, who would fight as skirmishers, but not as Hoplites (Tarn, Hellenistic Military Developments (2010), p. 56). Starting with Jason in the 370s BC and reaching its culmination under Alexander of Pherai (369-356 BC), tyrants from Pherai formed Thessaly into one of Greece’s most powerful states, at least for a while (cf. Xen. Hell. 6.4.27 seq.).

When the Thessalians were eventually overcome by Philip II of Macedon (Diod. 16.37.3), their formidable horsemen were integrated into the Argead army. Alexander took 1,800 of them on his Asian campaign (Strootman, Alexander's Thessalian Cavalry, 2011). Armed with a long xyston and riding excellent horses, the Thessalians were the perfect strike force. Alexander, however, usually deployed them in a more defensive role on the left wing, as his own Hetairoi would charge the enemy from the right wing (Strootman, 2011). With helmets, breastplates, a kopis sword and two six-foot long javelins, the Thessalians were able to defend themselves well, fighting in a diamond-like formation called the rhomboid (Ashley, Macedonian Empire (2004), p. 32). After Alexander, they seem to have permanently switched the two javelins for a xyston, the most popular cavalry weapon in the early Hellenistic age. They were protected by bronze muscle cuirasses and shining helmets.

	Primary	Secondary
Attack	14	13
Charge bonus	32	27
Type	melee · blade	melee · blade
Damage	piercing	slashing

	Primary	Secondary
Total	36	—
Armour	15	—
Defence skill	21	—
Shield	0	—

Hit points	1
Mount	heavy horse
Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow	-5 / -1 / -8 / -1
Charge distance	40
Formations	Square · Wedge

Technical stats

Time between blows (primary / secondary)	2.5 s / 2.5 s
Extra fatigue in hot climates	5
Spacing between men: close / loose	2 × 4.8 m / 3 × 7.2 m
Default ranks	5

In battle: A unit suitable for a general · Very good stamina · Powerful charge

A core roster unit for one faction, which can raise it anywhere it holds the right building:

Thessalian League

Exactly what a settlement must have, route by route (2)

Building	Also requires
Direct Rule	Tier 3 Military Industrial Complex · Tier 2 Colony
Homeland	Tier 2 Military Industrial Complex