Wallachian Boyars are a type of light cavalry in Empire: Total War. They are available with the Elite Units of the East DLC, to the Ottoman Empire.
Description[]
These swift fighters are right to see themselves as better men than their foes, as they pursue enemies from the battlefield.
Wallachian boyars carry sabres but do not wear armour. This aids them in moving quickly across broken ground but makes them vulnerable when in combat against heavy cavalrymen. It would be wasteful to see boyars attack formed infantry in square, but they are extremely useful in pursuing already-broken enemies. They can also be used to ride down disorganised troops and skirmishers.
Wallachia had been a battleground for over a century, as both the Austrians and Russians attempted to take the province from the Ottomans during a series of wars. The boyar aristocracy were now, however, always impressed with their new rules and their absolutist ways: they had often enjoyed more latitude under the Ottomans. Being a boyar was a mark of nobility, and meant that a boyar man owned land, had serfs, and had military duties or obligations. The boyars had begun as elected chiefs but had, over the centuries, become a hereditary class; this meant a man could be "of boyar bones" and aristocratic even if he lacked lands or serfs to work it. As in many other parts of Europe, military service was an honourable, possibly the only, profession for a nobleman.
General Information[]
Wallachian Boyars are statistically very similar to Mamelukes, with better morale, higher costs, and lower upkeep. They are some of the finest light cavalry available to the Ottoman Empire, and compare favorably to most to most light cavalry from other factions.