Cuirassier

From Age of Empires

Cuirassier
Age	Fortress Age
Building	Stable
Type	Heavy Cavalry
Wood	0
Food	150
Coin	150
Hit Points	500
Population Cost	Unknown (Please provide)
Attack	5
Range	0
Resistance	Unknown (Please provide)
Speed	Fast

The Cuirassier is a unique French heavy Cavalry Unit that is featured in Age of Empires III.

[edit] Game Info

The Cuirassier is a strong heavy cavalry, but with no range and can only attack by trampling or slashing the enemy. Though the Cuirassier is useful for the French in battle, it is very expensive and it must take a very good economy to train an army of these. The Cuirassier is also one of the most expensive units in the game and the strongest cavalry unit, besides the elephants featured in Asian Dynasties.

[edit] Real Info

The Cuirassiers were mounted Cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured Knights. The term is derived from cuirass, the breastplate armour which they wore.

Cuirassiers played a prominent role in the armies of Austria, Frederick the Great of Prussia and of Napoleon I of France. The latter increased the number of French Cuirassier regiments to fourteen by the end of his reign. The actual utility of this armour is questionable. Prussian cuirassiers abandoned the cuirass before the Napoleonic Wars as did the British.

A few present-day mounted cavalry units continue to use cuirasses as part of their parade equipment on formal occasions. Most however have not retained the actual title of "cuirassiers", if indeed they bore it in the first place. These are the Life Guards and Blues and Royals of the British Household Cavalry; the Coraceros de la Guardia Real of the Spanish Royal Guard (created in 1875); and the Italian Corazzieri.