Housecarl

A housecarl (Norse, Karelian and Ostvolkisch: huskarl, Saxum: huscarl, Slavic: druzhina) in the Archipelago is a form of personal bodyguard in the service of local nobility, largely of Norse, Germanic, or Karelian origin. Housecarls are specifically freemen and not slaves (who are called Knechten or Nekti), and are recruited from adventurers, soldiers, mercenaries, freed prisoners, or, on occasion, from members of religious military orders. Housecarls have historically not been limited to either sex, but are typically dominated by males, as is the case with most military forces in the Archipelago.

The institution of housecarls originated with the Norse, who spread the concept to many other parts of the Archipelago. By the 5th century AFE, housecarls were not an uncommon sight in the courts of the nobility in Karelia, Ukrayina, and even Serkland. Retinues of housecarls also vary greatly in size, ranging from a dozen men for smaller nobles to up to a thousand or more in the service of high monarchs and some powerful upper lords.