How big is a division?

[zute]

I apologize for another lame-ass question, but in the story I'm writing now this actually has relevance. It's the difference between paranoia and reasonable concern.

When you rescue Riordan he tells you that Loghain had turned away 200 Grey Wardens and two dozen divisions of cavalry.  When I looked up division sizes I got utterly enormous numbers like 10,000 for single light infantry division, in the modern army. I'm sure that must be vastly larger than in middle ages terms.

Does anyone have a feel for how many actually people that would be? 

My thanks!

Zute

Comments

[varelishawt]

The comparison is not as apt - Rome and Persia bordered each other - England is on an island, and separate from the mainland. Orlais doesn't have to build ships to invade - not, of course, that it stops either France or England in other wars.

We don't know if there is strong feeling in Orlais - are there Orlesian contemporaries to Loghain in the highest circles of the imperial court, who would love nothing better than to give those smelly dogs of Fereldans just who's the boss in Thedan politics?

As to what's in Ferelden Orlais would want - Amaranthine itself has deposits of different types of ore, which I imagine would be tasty enough for Orlais. Plus there are at least three port cities: Highever, Amaranthine, and Gwaren - port cities equals trade, equals money, equals profit.

Hell, I'm surprised Celene didn't make a move to take over Redcliffe, after the zombie invasion and the loss of its arl, it being the closest to the border.

[darkrose]

The comparison is not as apt - Rome and Persia bordered each other - England is on an island, and separate from the mainland. Orlais doesn't have to build ships to invade - not, of course, that it stops either France or England in other wars.

Well, and the fact that Word of God says that's the parallel they were going for, which is why I used it. They've described the Orlais/Ferelden relationship as the inverse of the French/English relationship, with France as the occupying power.

And I'm not arguing that it wasn't considered. But I don't think it was considered for very long. If you accept that Celene is not an idiot, again, there's nothing she could get from a military occupation that she couldn't get more cheaply by some other means--like, say, marrying Cailan.