Civilizations: Age of Kings/The Conquerors | HD Edition | Definitive Edition | Return to Rome (AoE1)
Campaigns: Age of Kings/The Conquerors | HD Edition | Definitive Edition
Non-Unique Units
Characters appearing in the campaigns introduced by Age of Empires II: the Age of Kings and the Expansion Pack The Conquerors.
open/close all folders
The Age of Kings Campaigns
William Wallace (Celts)
William Wallace
- Advertised Extra: Only controlled in the last scenario, when he arrives with his army to boost the player's forces after the battle has already been going for a while.
- Barbarian Longhair: Sports a magnificent mane in both the cutscenes and his unit icon. However, his sprites are those of a normal champion (we are probably expected to think that the man is hidden under the helmet).
- BFS: Equipped with a five foot long claymore, his model in game wields one too.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In history, he evaded capture from the English until 1305 when a Scottish knight loyal to England, John de Menteith, turned him to the English. He was eventually was hanged, drawn and quartered by the English. In the game, he seems to have been killed in battle by the English, with his body drawn and quartered in the end.
- The Hero Dies: Though he is not the star of the Edward Longshanks campaign, he was the first focal character in Age of Empires II and he is killed in the final scenario of the Edward Longshanks campaign.
- Hero Antagonist: Since he is the enemy in the Edward Longshanks campaign, he is your major opponent in the "Hammer of the Scots" scenario.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Just like Braveheart, this media depicts Wallace as an ideal and romantic hero who fights against a tyrannical oppressor, while in real life things were... a tad different.
- Keystone Army: In the "Hammer of the Scots" scenario, he leads a band of warriors against the English, as well as being protected by his bodyguards. However, killing him will cause his army to surrender.
- Make an Example of Them: He was butchered and scattered throughout Scotland by Longshanks in order to warn the Scottish of anyone who might fancy themselves a heroic rebel. It did the complete opposite as Robert the Bruce renounce his vassalage and oppose England.
- One-Man Army: One of the strongest heroic units.
- Silent Protagonist: After much fanfare, he arrives in the last scenario to lead the last charge against the English, but he doesn't have spoken lines (other than the standard Celtic replies to the player's commands).
- Spared by the Adaptation: In his own titular tutorial campaign, the Scots defeat the English at Falkirk, destroy their castle, and are poised to threaten England, avoiding the historical crushing defeat at Falkirk and Wallace's fall from power and ultimate death. When he re-appears in the Edward Longshanks campaign, this is utterly averted to the opposite extreme, where he seems to unhistorically be killed on the field of Falkirk rather than becoming a fugitive for years until eventually captured and executed.
Edward I "Longshanks"
- Abusive Parents: His one word toward his son, Edward I. Decrying him as a craven and putting little faith in him, giving Aymer de Valence sole authority to suppress Robert the Bruce's rebellion.
- Anti-Hero: He's this in the Britons campaign from Lords of the West. His son Edward II describes him as a cruel, foul-tempered king. He's not really a Villain Protagonist like John the Fearless though because his motives are more justified, as he is imprisoned by a band of rebels at a young age and inherits a deeply divided Britain. Additionally, he's shown to possess some redeeming traits and tries to be an effective king above all else, despite some of his brutal methods.
- Big Bad: Of the first campaign. Is Promoted to Playable in Lords of the West.
- Evil Brit: He is the King of England and a very naughty boy.
- The Ghost: While he appeared in the William Wallace campaign in cutscenes, he himself is not seen in the game. Obviously, this is averted in his own campaign.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The narrator in the William Wallace campaign mentions Edward has waged successful campaigns in England, Wales, and France. The real-life Edward Longshanks had victories in a civil war and conquered Wales, but did not fight any successful wars in France.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: His villainy is far more accentuated in game. Probably to be blamed on an Unreliable Narrator. He's seen in a better light in his own campaign, though his nefarious traits aren't overlooked, either.
- Starter Villain: Rather competent by all accounts, even defeating Wallace at Falkirk. In game the least dangerous main opponent, justified of course since it's a tutorial campaign.
Joan of Arc (Franks)
Joan of Arc
As "Joan the Maid" and "Joan of Arc"
The protagonist of the Frankish campaign. Appears as two different units: Joan the Maid, which walks on foot, has little attack and has no armor, and her more powerful knight version, who has high attack, but is not as strong as other mounted heroes.- Breastplate: Averted, even in cutscenes she wears a perfectly functional full plate armor.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: She becomes the head of the French army before 18.
- Cool Sword: Owned by Charlemagne, or so is said.
- Defiant to the End: As per historical, being captured, stripped of her armor, and imprisoned by one of the greatest rulers of Europe only leads to her browbeating Philip the Good to his face about how he is a traitor to the French nation and working against God's design and His appointed Dauphin, and struggles with the English soldiers as they drag her to her trial and execution.
- Escort Mission: Many knights are tasked with protecting her through the campaign (Sieur Bertrand, Sieur de Metz, the Duke of Alençon, etc). They can be killed in battle but as long as Joan survives it's okay.
- The Fundamentalist: Her portrayal in the Grand Dukes of the West campaign verges on this; the final cutscene making it clear that the Burgundians consider her little more than a lunatic with an unrealistic Black-and-White Morality view of the world.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Though "Good" and "Evil" might be a bit strong, she is an idealistic, generally heroic French peasant girl claiming to follow God's will to save France. Her ultimate downfall comes against Phillip the Good, a charitable but cynical nobleman obsessed with building his dynasty at the expense of his enemies, including the French government. She does not comprehend him any more than he can understand her and also is left to rot by her patron the Dauphin.
- Hero Antagonist: She is the enemy of the Burgundian in the Grand Dukes of the West campaign.
- The Hero Dies: After the fifth scenario, though this is much a Foregone Conclusion.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: Both playable versions of Joan are capable of combat, even though their historical counterpart was reputed to have never killed a person.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Moderate but there. She is portrayed as pretty purely a heroic patriot fighting the enemy with weapon in hand rather than someone who claimed to never hold anything but a banner as she ordered often-ruthless strategies against the English and their French collaborators.
- Historical Villain Downgrade: The game glosses over her historical willingness to threaten massacres in order to obtain surrenders.
- Plucky Girl: The game shows Joan as a seventeen years old girl determined to chase the English out of her country at any cost.
- Silent Protagonist: Her unit doesn't have dialogue, other than the standard French female villager responses.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Played horribly in the Burgundian Campaign in the Grand Dukes of the West. Turns out that a brave, idealistic peasant teenager with a banner and a belief in God can only do so much in the face of political inertia, powerful and cunning enemies among the enemy and her own side, and brutal factionalism. This results in her overreaching and being captured, ending by defiantly berating a cynical enlightened despot to his face that he is a traitor to his nation and God's design, which ends poorly for her.
- The Smurfette Principle: Only female warrior featured in the game.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from being a powered up villager to powered up cavalry unit after the first mission.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Dauphin Charles.
- Working-Class Hero: A common peasant girl that rises morale for her faith in victory.
Guy de Josselyne
- Author Avatar: Sort of. One of the developers of the game, Sandy Petersen, has a French ancestor named Josselyne.
- Been There, Shaped History: Though fictional, he ends leading the French in the Battle of Castillon, that ended The Hundred Years War and expelled the English from the continent.note
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Determined to avenge Joan in the sixth and last scenario of the Frankish campaign.
La Hire
- Artistic License – History: La Hire was long dead before the Battle of Castillon, yet he's present in "A Perfect Martyr", which represents said battle.
- BFS: The unit representing him, the strongest infantry swordsman, wields one.
- Blood Knight: Sounds almost psychotic.La Hire: The blood on La Hire's sword is almost dry.
- Large Ham: "Ah, La Hire wishes to kill something".
- Made of Iron: La Hire is the ONLY unit in all of Age of Empires 2 who is simply "grievously wounded" if he gets killed in the 3rd Joan of Arc scenario, in spite of you being able to see his corpse rot. Gameplay limitations aside, he reappears for the 6th scenario but if he falls in battle there, it will be confirmed that he has perished.
- Neck Snap: His plan for a few English soldiers at Patay, according to Josseline.
- Red Baron: La Hire means "The Wrath". For the curious, the historical La Hire's name was Etienne de Vignolles.
- Third-Person Person: La Hire never says the word "I". Just "La Hire."
Sir John Falstolf
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Continuously dismisses Joan's forces as a bunch of worthless rams and cattle. It counts as Hypocritical Humor, given that most of the time he's just sending wave upon wave of knights and rams to attack your base.
- Face Death with Dignity: If killed, he says "I die for England."
- Historical Badass Upgrade: He actually survived the battle of Patay in real life, and was labelled as a Dirty Coward for the next 13 years for it. Even after that his reputation never fully recovered, and Shakespeare immortalizing him as the buffoonish Falstaff did not help.
- Hypocritical Humor: He mocks Joan's reliance on knights and rams while commanding a force of nothing but knights and rams himself.
- Knightly Lance: As is typical of commanders in the Joan of Arc campaign.
- Mirror Boss: As a unit, his base stats are identical to Joan's aside from having worse line of sight. He also attacks you with knights and rams in a scenario where you're likely to use a lot of knights and rams yourself.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: "Fastolf's Army advanced to the Imperial Age." He is the first enemy AI that hits the Imperial Age, all while the player can only advance to the Castle Age. A battle with him becomes Cavaliers and Capped Rams vs the player's Knights and Battering Rams. Thankfully, he seems somewhat handicapped and only has a few Imperial Age technologies available to him.
- We Have Reserves: He never runs out of knights.
Constable Richemont
- Artistic License – History: He was involved in the Battle of Patay but doesn't appear in "The Cleansing of the Loire," and he wasn't present in the Battle of Castillon but he appears in "A Perfect Martyr."
Jean Bureau
- Paper Tiger: He somehow has the worst stats compared to a normal Bombard Cannon.
Saladin (Saracens)
Saladin
- Cultured Badass: The narrator highlights how refined and educated he, and the rest of the Saracen civilization, is.
- The Ghost: He never appears in the campaigns.
- He Who Fights Monsters: As the narrator noted, he became more and more ruthless as the crusaders continued the war. However, his admiration for Richard the Lionhearted seems to restore his gallantry, as he provides food and medical aid to him after the Siege of Acre and signs a peace treaty with the Crusaders the following year.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: In reality, the gentle treatment of prisoners mentioned by the narrator after the battle of Hattin only extended to barons and higher-ranked nobles (except Reynald). The other captured knights and soldiers were sold into slavery if they couldn't afford a ransom, while Templars and Hospitallers were beheaded (except the Master of the Templar, who was ransomed), as were turcopoles (locally recruited Christian horse archers), as Saladin considered them traitors to Islam.
- Silent Protagonist: He has no lines of dialogue; even when he specifically appears as an enemy player in the last Barbarossa mission, the Saracen reaction to the Teutons' arrival in the Holy Land is spoken by "Saracens" instead of Saladin himself. Averted in the Definitive Edition, where the aforementioned line of dialogue is said by Saladin.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: The narrator, a captured crusader, routinely notes how different Saladin and his portrayal by Europeans is.
- The Worf Effect: In Battles of the Forgotten, it is mentioned that Saladin was often defeated by Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade, after the siege of Acre (which he lost, by the way).
Reynald de Chatillon
A French knight working for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the first enemy of the Saladin campaign. Is represented by the Knightly Lance hero unit. In the expansion The Mountain Royals, he is revealed to be the narrator of the Thoros the Great campaign.
- Arc Villain: Is the initial antagonist of the first half of Saladin's campaign. In Thoros the Great's campaign, he is this again in the third mission as he assists The Knights Templar on behalf of the Byzantine Emperor, though he later turns against his employer when it becomes clear he is not going to fulfill his end of their bargain.
- Arch-Enemy: Ends up becoming one for Saladin.
- French Jerk: He's referred to as a "wicked French knight" by the narration.
- Historical Villain Downgrade: Considering how brutal the real Reynald was, what the game lists his actions are is arguable tame by comparison.
- Narrator All Along: The opening of the third mission of Thoros the Great's campaign reveals him to be the knight who had been acting as the narrator of the campaign.
- Off with His Head!: Captured and beheaded by Saladin himself.
Richard the Lionhearted
The Final Boss of the Saladin campaign, a minor ally in the final level of Barbarossa and the protagonist of the Cyprus scenario in the Battles of the Forgotten. Represented by a powerful paladin unit.
- Ascended Extra: Becomes the main protagonist of Cyprus.
- Genius Bruiser: A resourceful tactician and an expert warrior. Subverted in Cyprus, where his answer to hostilities from the local Sicilians and Cypriots is to steamroll their defenses and crush them until they surrender, with no finesse whatsoever.
- Gratuitous French: Mentioned that he spoke French, rather than English.
- Jerkass: Even the narration of Cyprus admit that, despite his military prowess he has many social faults and his behaviour outside of combat leaves much to be desired. This may explain why Philip August of France and King Tancred of Sicily aren't too fond of him.
- Out-of-Character Moment:
- In the Barbarossa campaign in the original and HD versions, he appears with a small force outside the Saracen's walls surrounding Jerusalem, but sounds more fatalistic and stoic. He is also very likely to die and only serves as a brief distraction for your enemies.
- In Battles of the Forgotten, he appears instead as a rather rude, straightforward monarch who adopts brute force to solve any situation he's in (like forcefully invade and conquer Messina and Cyprus), and his later tactical exploits against Saladin depicts him as a military genius so great you'd think they're describing your standard
Mary Tzu. (While he indeed won against Saladin multiple times, he was unable to actually conquer Jerusalem, as stated in the narration).
Genghis Khan (Mongols)
Genghis Khan
- Achilles in His Tent: Slipping into The Ghost, the second scenario of his campaign commands you to defend Genghis's tent from his enemies, but he does not appear as an unit. It is at best unclear if he's inside the tent; if the tent is destroyed, the narrator will merely quip that the Khan will not like it.
- Advertised Extra: He only appears at the beginning of the first scenario and is never playable.
- Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: The ending cutscene of "Pax Mongolica" ("Pax Mongolia" before the Definitive Edition) states his body was transported back to the River Onon in Mongolia, home of the legendary Blue Wolf and Fallow Doe, and was buried in an unmarked grave which was then trampled by a thousand horses to disguise it (one of the more plausible accounts of his burial).
- Disproportionate Retribution: Infamous for inflicting horrible tortures and executions on prisoners and defeated.
- For the Evulz: After destroying Khorezm, the Mongols enjoy themselves making mountains out of the decapitated heads of men, women, children, horses, dogs and cats, and sow the Khorezmian fields with salt.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In the campaign, you have to defend Genghis Khan's tent during he second scenario, which is represented by a lavish Mongol wonder. In reality, Genghis Khan was famous for keeping the same modest lifestyle he was born in, sleeping in a common yurt even at the height of his conquests. The cutscenes are true to the latter.
- Greater-Scope Villain: His conquest of Cumania ultimately leads to the events of the Kotyan Khan campaign, but Genghis himself is only mentioned once, and most of the actual fighting is overseen by his lieutenant Subotai.
- Historical Villain Upgrade:
- The cutscene after "Crucible" says that Genghis ordered the chiefs who refused to follow him to be boiled alive. According to "The Secret History of the Mongols", it was Genghis's rival Jamukha (who is not referenced in the campaign) who had Genghis's generals boiled alive after capturing them.
- In "The Horde Rides West", Genghis sends two assassins disguised as merchants to kill the Shah of Khorezm without being at war with him yet. In the event that inspired this scenario, a caravan of actual Mongol merchants were rounded up by a Khorezmian governor and executed for no apparent reason (and without informing the Shah to boot). When the Shah refused to punish the governor for this (mostly because said governor was also his uncle) and executed the Mongol envoys demanding restitution, the Khan's outrage resulted in Genghis' Roaring Rampage of Revenge and the complete destruction of Khorezm as a state (Genghis also tried to assassinate the Shah later, but he escaped to an island in the Caspian Sea; the game's mission is therefore a combination of multiple events). Even historians sympathetic to Genghis agree that he used merchants as spies anyway, however.
- Modest Royalty: Despite owning half of Asia, he dies in a yurt as humble as the one he was born in. The narrator hints that his descendants won't be as humble.
- Rags to Riches: His mother hunted rodents to not die of starvation. His children eat from Persian gold plates.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Even though his heroic unit is quite powerful, you just never get to use him.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: "Four Mongol tribes follow the standard of Genghis Khan. The rest of the world will soon learn fear". Oh, indeed.
- Take Up My Sword: He gets his son Ogatai to take his bow, and continue the Mongol conquest into Europe.
- Villain Protagonist: Arguably he can be considered one.
- You Are in Command Now: According to the narrator, in his deathbed he "refuses to die" until one of his sons agrees to take control of his horde and invade Europe, upon which he names him his heir.
Ornlu the Wolf
A wolf carrying a minor role in the Genghis Khan campaign. The task to convince the Uighurs to join Genghis, is to kill Ornlu and his pack. A renamed version of him, called Son of Ornlu, inexplicably appears in Montezuma. He is a very powerful wolf.
- Breakout Villain: Despite his minor role, he is the best remembered of the fictional characters invented for the game. The fan made expansion Forgotten Empires gives Ornlu his very own Hero icon. Yep, the fans decided that spending their time making a Hero icon for only scenario-available Ornlu the Wolf was worth the time and effort.
- Mythology Gag: There are references to him in both Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III. And he turns up in the Montezuma campaign and Vinlandsaga missions in the Conquerors as well.
- Savage Wolves: Ornlu is such a problem for a particular tribe that they will pledge loyalty to Genghis if he resolves it for them.
Kushluk
The antagonist of the second level of Genghis Khan. Represented by a cavalier unit.
- Dirty Coward: He flees as soon as he sees Genghis' men coming.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Flees immediately after the defeat of the Khara Khitai.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He sports a brutal one over his left eye, who is missing.
Subotai
The Lancer to Genghis, and later, Ogatai. Represented by a cavalry archer. Also appears in the Kotyan Khan campaign as the antagonist.
- Assist Character: The Wolves gain a speed boost when they're directed at enemies, attack very quickly, and have the healing factor bestowed upon all Hero units.
- Big Bad: For the first half of the Kotyan Khan campaign.
- Big Damn Heroes: In the last scenario after forty minutes of Hungarian siege, he arrives followed by a generous amount of saboteurs to save the day.
- Canine Companion: His two hunting wolves. Possibly a reference to his title of "Dog of War."
- The Heavy: Set in motion Kotyan's evacuation from Cumania, after suppressing the Kipchaks then laying a brutal beat down on the combined Cuman-Rus' forces in the Battle of Kalka River. He continued to pursue Kotyan with an elite army and Chinese siege weapons.
- Historical Beauty Update: Subotai was actually extremely obese and had to be pulled around in a cart. He was such an asset to the Mongol army as a strategist that nobody minded hauling him around. Age of Kings presents Subotai as a rather lean man and the fastest military unit in the game.
- The Lancer: To Genghis and later his son.
- The Quiet One: He has lines, but they are short.Subotai: Subotai's here!
- Averted in the Kotyan Khan campaign, where he's very taunt-ative.
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: His wolves.
- Third-Person Person: His Badass Boast when he arrives in the last scenario.
Barbarossa (Teutons)
Frederick Barbarossa
- Anti-Climax: His death during the long march towards the Holy Land; he drowns in the cutscene after the penultimate mission.
- Escort Mission: Technically the last one, where the player has to make sure that a cart containing Barbarossa's body reaches Jerusalem.
- The Ghost: Never actually seen in game.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: The real Barbarossa had to put down rebellions in Germany, but not one seemingly comprised of all electoral princes going up in arms at once right after his election. He wasn't the leading man in Germany's expansion to the east, but something that Henry the Lion did mostly on his own (Henry ruled Saxony, which was by the frontier then, so any expansion of the frontier resulted in the Lion's own land and wealth being increased). And his conflict with the Lion himself wasn't as black and white as presented in the game (see below).
- Pragmatic Adaptation: Barbarossa launched five wars in Italy, and the conflict with the Pope (who was sometimes on the side of the Emperor against the Italian rebels and often had different goals than them) was far more tortuous and complicated than just a dispute over who had authority over the other. It also involved several popes, including three of them at once (rather than two as in the game), and Barbarossa switched allegiance between two popes more than once.
- Puppet King: The Holy Roman Empire is an Elective Monarchy and the electoral princes, the Church and the Italian merchant cities have grown accostumed to consider the imperial title meaningless. Barbarossa's long time objective is to put an end to this.
Henry the Lion
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: In the game, he betrays Barbarossa and tries to usurp the Imperial throne, is defeated but forgiven, then betrays him again at the absolute worst time. The second time is the last.
- The Dragon: He was meant to be Barbarossa's Dragon in-game. He ends up turning on Barbarossa twice and becomes The Dragon for the Lombard League the second time.
- Dragon with an Agenda: He has his own interests and betrays Barbarossa twice when they conflict with his.
- The Ghost: Never seen in game.
- Historical In-Joke: His final narration ("I'm an old man now. What harm could I possibly do?") note
- Historical Villain Upgrade:
- In reality, Henry the Lion never tried to usurp the Imperial throne and title from Barbarossa, nor took up arms against him while Barbarossa was fighting Poland. Henry the Lion was the one that made war in the east (against the last remaining Pagan tribes in the Pomerania region, rather than the actual Kingdom of Poland)
though it was to serve his own interest and his troops were renowned for their cruelty. - His part in the campaign(s) against Milan, where he served Barbarossa faithfully, is not mentioned.
- The Lion didn't rebel and ally with the Lombard League against Barbarossa either. All he did was not providing troops for Barbarossa's fifth Italian campaign (having supported and fought himself for him in other previous ones) because he was waging another war in the east at the time. When Barbarossa was defeated he blamed it on Henry, declared him an outlaw and stripped him of all his lands. The fact that Henry (who was actually Barbarossa's cousin) had collected a lot of land and power during Barbarossa's reign made him the perfect scapegoat, because many other nobles resented him already for that. The Lion did, however, return to Germany with a vengeance when Barbarossa left on Crusade, but was defeated and submitted to Barbarossa's son's authority years later.
- In reality, Henry the Lion never tried to usurp the Imperial throne and title from Barbarossa, nor took up arms against him while Barbarossa was fighting Poland. Henry the Lion was the one that made war in the east (against the last remaining Pagan tribes in the Pomerania region, rather than the actual Kingdom of Poland)
- Narrator All Along: Implied in the last cutscene. Henry the Lion and the narrator share the same voice actor, but this is also true of
many unrelated characters in the game, so they disregarded it before The Reveal. - Pragmatic Adaptation:
- In the cutscenes, he goes into exile in England and when his identity is revealed, he claims to be too old to take up arms again. In real life, he took exile in Normandy (part of France, but ruled by the King of England note , destroyed a city (Bardowick) in revenge for siding with Barbarossa against him, was defeated by Barbarossa's son, accepted to submit in exchange for a minimal part of his former lands, and then decided he was too old to fight and became a quiet patron of the arts.
- Put on a Bus: He marches to exile in England after betraying Barbarossa a second time.
- The Starscream: He appears twice, and he betrays Barbarossa twice.
- You All Meet in an Inn: He tells the story to the player in a tavern.
The Conquerors Campaigns
Attila (Huns)
Attila the Hun
The protagonist of the Hunnic campaign. Is an extra powerful cataphract unit in the HD version, and an unique cavalry unit in Definitive Edition.
- Anti-Climax: As with Barbarossa. Death by nosebleed in his wedding night seems pretty anticlimatic for such a ruthless, powerful leader. note
- Bad Boss: The cutscene leading to the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields has Attila throwing the first spear and then turning back to his army to say that whoever remains still while Attila fights is a dead man.
- Cain and Abel: With Bleda, though it is impossible to say who's who.
- Cool Sword: Wields a rusty blade, which he claims to be Mars' sword.
- Evil Versus Evil: There is no love lost in his fight for power with Bleda.
- For the Evulz: After massacring his way through Gaul, he puts the heads of his victims in a line of stakes. There are enough to cover all the way from Gaul to Pannonia (modern Hungary).
- Hidden Depths: The stories of the Franks and Romans portray him more as a monster than a man and he leads his Huns in plenty of Rape, Pillage, and Burn campaigns. However, he personally negotiates an alliance with the Scythians, he eats from a wooden plate and cup instead of using the huge quantities of gold he obtains for his Huns, he spares one of the narrators, Father Armand, after the Battle of Châlons and he decides to turn his army around when at the gates of Rome.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The first scenario begins with Bleda's death (at least in most plays) and Attila leading the Huns alone against Persians and Romans. In real life, Bleda and Attila ruled together during the invasion of Persia and the first invasion of the Roman-held Balkans... and the surviving sources imply that Bleda dominated over Attila.
- Historical Hero Upgrade:
- A very minor one, if the player so chooses. In real life Attila killed Bleda in a calculated power grab. If the player chooses to save Bleda from the Iron Boar then in the mission Attila still has to kill Bleda in self-defense.
- Later on, Attila has the chance to rescue some Hunnic Villagers and a Scythian prince that are prisoners of the Romans. The prince allows you to ally with the Scythians against the Romans and Persians. In real life, the Huns demanded the Romans to hand over several tribes who had willingly defected to them over their opposition to Bleda and Attila, and had their leaders crucified for converting to Christianity. It was the Huns who took Roman prisoners and negotiated their release for gold. And the Huns didn't as much ally with the Scythians as simply invade their lands and force them to serve in their army.
- Hopeless War: The Hunnic shamans predict that Attila will lose at the Catalaunian Fields, but that the enemy's leader will be killed. Attila considers it a just trade and fights anyway.
- Modest Royalty: Attila continues to eat from a simple, wooden bowl while plundering the Romans.
- Out with a Bang: Maybe it's not as glorious as dying in battle, but having a fatal nosebleed while getting to know his brand-new wife has quite the appeal.
- Red Baron: "The Scourge of God."
- Silent Protagonist: Despite being a playable unit in the first and last scenarios, he never speaks, barring the Huns' generic military unit sounds shared with the Mongols.
- Sinister Scimitar: In Definitive Edition, his hero model wields a single-edged curved saber fitting a nomad marauder.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: The Roman emperor's sister offered him her hand, and he was very aboard the idea (mainly because it gave him a claim on the Empire). Unfortunately, the Emperor really wasn't hot about it, and Attila ultimately never even met the gal face to face.
- Villain Protagonist: Despite the upgrades, the narrator clearly thinks of him and the rest of the Huns as wicked.
Bleda the Hun
The brother of Attila, and a Warmup Boss in his campaign. Represented by a Mangudai with melee damage, inexplicably. In Definitive Edition he's an heroic Steppe Lancer instead.
- Dirty Coward: Bleda challenges Attila to hunt the "Iron Boar" at the beginning of the first Attila the Hun campaign scenario. He has Archers hidden in the place where the Iron Boar lairs. If Attila decides to betray Bleda and return to camp, the Archers will testify against him to the rest of the Hun army causing half of the army to attack Attila. If Attila saves Bleda from the Boar, Bleda will order his archers to attack Attila.
- Horse Archer: In the original version, he uses the model of a Mangudai, who attacks at melee range with a bow. In Definitive Edition, he's represented as a Steppe Lancer (albeit with 0 range instead of the usual 1).
- Improbable Weapon User: Bleda uses the same model as the Mongol unique unit, the Mangudai... which makes no sense because the Mangudai is a horse archer and Bleda is a melee unit. This results in Bleda running up to units and firing an arrow from his bow at point blank range upward away from his enemies...
- Rectified in Definitive Edition, where he gets to wield a spear instead.
- Ungrateful Bastard: If Attila kills the Iron Boar before it can kill Bleda, then Bleda will order hidden archers to kill Attila. He actually acknowledges that Attila saved his life before giving this order.
Flavius Aetius
The West Roman general fighting Attila in the latter part of the campaign, although he never appears.
- Mighty Whitey: He was raised among the Huns, making him Rome's best choice to deal with them.
- Retired Badass: Retires after the battle of the Catalaunian Fields, allowing Attila to invade Rome.
- To Know Him, I Must Become Him: Lived among the Huns before joining Rome's army and fighting them.
Father Armand
The source of information for Attila's campaign and his atrocities, as he tells Attila's tale to the narrator. A peaceful monk who's troubled by what he had to witness... or maybe not.
- Distressed Dude: Attila decided to abduct him after the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields, and made him complicit in his following raids and brutalities.
- Evil Feels Good: After relating to his young acolyte all of Attila's crimes, Armand actually confesses he misses when he participated to the bloodbath.
- Retired Monster: His tale first presents him as a victim of a tribal chief's cruelty, right until Armand admits he enjoyed serving Attila.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: The Catalaunian Fields left a deep impression on him.
- Wham Line: His last words about being forced into Attila's campaign as a soldier. "Sometimes... I miss it."
- You Will Be Spared: Attila was reluctant to kill a holy man, so he integrated him to his retinue instead.
El Cid (Spanish and Saracens)
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a.k.a. "El Cid"
The protagonist of the Spanish campaign, represented by a Champion at first, but after acquiring Bavieca, a Knightly Lance.
- BFS: His sword Tizona. However, while on horseback he wields a jousting lance instead.
- Big Damn Heroes: In the fourth scenario, where he has to save King Alfonso's troops from the Black Guards.
- Cool Horse: Bavieca.
- Dashing Hispanic: Probably the most iconic hispanic badass.
- El Cid Ploy: Obviously. The player can't let the enemy damage his tied-up corpse in the last scenario or the ruse will be discovered.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: A lot is made of his honorability and religious tolerance. In real life, the first things he did after taking Valencia were burning alive the governor and turning the main mosques into churches (even though his forces also included Muslims and he was de jure under the command of a Muslim lord, Mutamid).
- Knightly Lance: El Cid Campeador is represented by a Knight unit.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: Which made him famous for his loyalty.
- One-Man Army: Probably the strongest hero unit the player is ever given control of.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: He becomes King after taking Valencia.
- Silent Protagonist: Doesn't speak in his campaign.
- Working-Class Hero: While an aristocrat, he's a minor noble and the crux of his conflcit is with the far more powerful King Alfonso.
Jimena Díaz
The wife of El Cid, and the narrator of his campaign. Voiced by Melinda Renna.
- Delayed Narrator Introduction: She only clarifies her true part in El Cid's story when the second mission starts.
- Happily Married: To El Cid.
- The High Queen: Is the wife of El Cid, and becomes sole-reigning queen of Valencia after the defeat of Yusuf.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only female narrator, until Maria in the Ivaylo campaign.
King Sancho
The king of Castille, and an useful ally to El Cid in the first map, until he dies. Represented by the non-combatant king unit.
- Cain and Abel: The Abel to Alfonso.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In the cutscenes, Sancho is bearded and Alfonso is not. In the scenarios, it's the opposite.
- Historical Villain Downgrade: In the game, he is portrayed as the victim of Alfonso's ambition. In reality, Sancho was the greedy ruler who wanted to add his brother's crown to his own list of titles. note
- The Good King: As part of his Historical Villain Downgrade.
- Sacrificial Lion: Is assassinated between maps by Alfonso.
King Alfonso
The villainous king of León, and after Sancho's death, of Castile. He is constantly fighting and allying with El Cid through several maps. Represented by the non-combatant king unit.
- Artistic License – History: While Alfonso did historically betray a brother, that brother was García, not Sancho. In fact, Alfonso and Sancho double-teamed on García before turning on each other.
- Beard of Evil: He sports one in the animated cutscenes, although he is clean-shaven in the scenarios.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to Sancho.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He keeps backstabbing El Cid even after being rescued by him.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In the cutscenes, Sancho is bearded and Alfonso is not. In the scenarios, it's the opposite.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: In the game, he seems to lack any positive trait.
- Pet the Dog: His one redeeming moment was when he insisted on attending El Cid's funeral in the final cutscene.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Is one towards El Cid.
Yusuf
The leader of the Black Guard Berbers that invade Spain to stop the Christian advance in the Reconquista. Never appears in game.
- Big Bad: Of the later half of El Cid's campaign.
- Enemy Civil War: Is gone after his defeat in the fourth mission, because he has to take care of a Berber civil war in Africa.
- The Faceless: Jimena notes that his face is always covered.
- The Fundamentalist: In contrast to the local Muslim rulers like Mutamid.
- The Ghost: Never appears in person.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: The Iberian Muslims call him to help them against the Christians, but then he proceeds to submit ones and others alike.
- Outside-Context Problem: Christians and Muslims have been fighting each other in Spain for centuries. The Almoravids then arrive with the intention to swallow everything for themselves.
Mutamid
The friendly Muslim King of Zaragoza. He puts El Cid at his service after he is exiled by King Alfonso. Never appears in game.
- Composite Character: A combination of three historical kings: al-Mutamid of Seville, al-Qadir of Toledo, and al-Mutaman of Zaragoza.
- Idle Rich: No wonder the moment El Cid is not by his side, his kingdom goes down and he is deposed by Yusuf.
Count Berenguer
The Count of Barcelona, trying to expand his territories by attacking the Moorish cities of Zaragoza and Valencia that El Cid is tasked to protect. Does not appear in person.
- Adapted Out: His twin brother, who was his co-ruler for a while, before the brothers fell out and divided their possessions between them.
- Arranged Marriage: His nephew is married to El Cid's daughter to unite them after the wars. note
- Big Bad: He has nothing to do with Yusuf, but whenever he isn't around, Berenguer can be trusted as an opponent.
- The Ghost: Never appears in person.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Zig-zagged due to the reverse treatment given to El Cid, and the fact that Berenguer himself was suspected of fratricidenote .
- Karma Houdini: Although he is briefly imprisoned, he escapes real punishment.note
Montezuma (Aztecs)
Montezuma
The focal character of the Montezuma campaign, though arguably not the protagonist; that would probably be his nephew, Cuauhtemoc. Never appears in person.
- Decoy Protagonist: Despite giving his name to the campaign, the real protagonist is Cuauhtemoc.
- Distressed Dude: For part of the campaign.
- The Ghost: Never seen in person in the campaign.
- Idle Rich: Never seen doing anything towards the maintainence of his empire.
- Non-Action Guy: A major problem during the invasion of the Spanish.
Cuauhtemoc
The protagonist and narrator of the Montezuma campaign, becoming emperor after his uncle's death. A Jaguar Warrior in La Noche Triste is heavily implied to be him, and was later made into an actual hero unit in the shape of an Eagle Warrior.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Cuauhtemoc is the narrator for the Montezuma campaign. The story is some sort of journal or a chronicle written down by him. The first scenario starting cutscene is prefaced with "Passed down to you by Cuauhtemoc, Eagle Warrior of Tenochtitlan." The second starts with him as Cuauhtemoc, Jaguar Warrior of Tenochtitlan. The fifth mission dramatically and slowly starts with Cuauhtemoc, Emperor of Tenochtitlan. He then relates his crowning by the priests, which is not so awesome because Tenochtitlan had just been wracked by warfare and the only reason he succeeded was due to Montezuma's death. note
- Nemean Skinning: Expected when he is Jaguar Warrior, to wear a Jaguar skin.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: The Jaguar Warrior armed with a very high attack during the fourth scenario of the campaign is implied to be Cuauhtemoc; at the time of the scenario, Cuauhtemoc is a Jaguar Warrior and the particular Jaguar has the same voice actor. He is the sole unit you begin the scenario with and recruits other soldiers to eventually retake the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. However, he is not a Hero unit and if he dies it is not mentioned and the scenario continues.
- Warrior Prince: Cuauhtemoc mentions a few times that he's Montezuma's nephew, and seems to be the unseen commander of your troops during the campaign.
- You Are in Command Now: After Montezuma dies in La Noche Triste. note
Hernán Cortés
The antagonist of the Montezuma campaign. He never appears in person.
- Only in It for the Money: A common trait among the conquistadors although they do fight for glory as well (their own or Spain's).
- Outside-Context Problem: To the Aztecs. The Tlaxcalans have a few skirmishes with him, but soon become allies.
Battles of the Conquerors (Several)
Henry V
The protagonist and leader of the Britons in the Agincourt scenario. Represented by a powerful Paladin unit.
- Escort Mission: Becomes one by the end of the map, when your only objective becomes taking him back to England.
- Historical Downgrade: Downplayed. The scenario opens with him fleeing after a failed siege of Harfleur. In real life, Henry V successfully captured Harfleur, though his victory was costly, forcing him to retreat to the English-controlled port of Calais.
Harold the Saxon
The antagonist of the Hastings scenario, the leader of the Saxons. Does not appear in person.
- Evil Gloating: As the antagonist, he gloats a whole lot during the mission. As soon as William's forces get in a transport ship and set for England, he says, with all due smugness:Harold: Go home, young William. This island will remain Saxon!
- The Ghost: He's never seen.
- Smug Snake: Constantly gloats and brags to William, even when his defeat is imminent.
Harald Hardraade
A Berserker and leader of the Vikings appearing in Hastings, whom can be allied with William, if the player chooses, and can be used as an army. Represented by a ranged berserker unit.
- The Berserker: He is a Berserker. That throws axes.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: He can live up to the very end of the scenario and even join forces with William against Harold the Saxon as opposed to Real Life, where Harald was William's rival to the throne, had little contact with him and launched his own invasion that was separate from William's. The endgame cutscene mentions him dying at the Battle of Stamford Bridge before Harold fights William.
- The Lancer: To William, if they choose to ally.
- Took a Level in Badass: He was actually present in Age of Kings under the name Harold Hardraade, being essentially a glorified Monk (with extra HP, as well as twice the speed and conversion rate of a normal monk). From Conquerors onward, he's a powerful warrior who can chop enemies to pieces by lobbing axes at them.
Erik the Red
The protagonist of the Vinlandsaga scenario, represented by a Berserker unit.
- The Berserker: As any good viking hero should be.
- Bold Explorer: Notable because, unlike most other heroes, he is not a warlord or aristocrat in any way. He is actually a fairly common viking man, and not doing conquest, actually just exploring instead. If anything, he's trying to save his fellow vikings from famine by searching for a better land.
- Composite Character: Erik the Red was forced out of Norway, went to Iceland, was forced out of Iceland, founded the first Viking settlement in Greenland. Erik stayed in Greenland while his son, Leif Erikson, founded the first settlement in Vinland. In the game, Erik is forced out of Norway (original version) or Iceland (Definitive Edition), then goes to Greenland (Iceland is not on the map in the original version), which is already settled by (hostile) Norse, and then founds a settlement in Vinland.
Charles Martel
The protagonist and leader of the Franks in the Tours scenario, represented by a Throwing Axeman unit.
- The Hero Dies: He can, and it's one of the few times where the Hero CAN die without any consequence. One of his soldiers claim the Franks hearts will not be in the fighting, but there are zero repercussions. He survived the battle in real life and the ending cutscene treats him as if he survived regardless of gameplay events.
- Red Baron: "The Hammer"
Yi Sun Sin
The protagonist and leader of the Koreans in the Noryang Point scenario, represented by a Turtle Ship.
- Cool Boat: He rides around in a suped-up Turtle Ship, the only Hero ship unit. He also invented them.
- The Hero Dies: An inversion of Charles Martel. He can die in the game and the scenario will continue on. HOWEVER, after winning the mission the narrator states that he died in the fighting as he did in real life but the Koreans still won the battle and eventually the war with his nephew putting on his armor and pretending that he is still alive until the battle is won.
- One-Man Army: His personal ship is fully capable of finishing the mission on its own once the player gets it.
Oda Nobunaga
A samurai in the Kyoto map, who is executed in the beginning, leading to the revenge wished by his second Hideyoshi. Is represented by the samurai unit.
- Ascended Extra: After only existing as a Sacrificial Lamb in a single scenario, Nobunaga becomes the main character of the Japanese campaign in Victors and Vanquished.
- Everything's Better with Samurai: Is represented by Japan's unique unit, the Samurai. Although subverted, since he inevitably dies.
- Fission Mailed: The first objective in Kyoto is to save Nobunaga and cannot be completed, since he dies very soon after the scenario begins. After this, the real mission begins—to storm Kyoto to avenge his death.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: The scenario begin with Mitsuhide's betrayal, but none of Nobunaga's ruthless deeds, many of which are speculated to be the cause of said betrayal, are mentioned.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Dies just to allow Hideyoshi to swear revenge.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
The protagonist of the Kyoto map, and the antagonist of the Noryang Point map, leading Japanese in both occasions. Does not appear in person.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After his master's death, he destroys three cities to get revenge.
