Knights of the Mediterranean
Knights of the Mediterranean is an expansion for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. It adds the Italians and Maltese, new maps, and Historical Maps with scenario-style objectives and faction setups.
Included content
Italian content includes Architects, Lombards and the Basilica; Maltese content includes Order units and defensive structures. The expansion also adds Historical Maps, where assigned forces, layouts or objectives can differ from ordinary random-map rules. Its entries may therefore refer to a civilization feature, a map or a scenario-specific rule.
Version boundary
Check whether an entry belongs to the Italians, Maltese or a Historical Map before applying it to a standard matchup. Use each map’s briefing for its starting force and win condition, and use the relevant civilization page for its economy and military. Do not transfer scenario restrictions to ordinary random maps.
Civilizations, maps and play modes
Knights of the Mediterranean is an expansion for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, and its content should be read as an expansion layer rather than a rule that applies to every release of the series. It introduces the Italians and Maltese as playable civilizations, each with distinct economies, Home City cards, units and structures. Italian pages cover features such as the Architect, Lombard and Basilica; Maltese pages describe Order units, defensive play and civilization-specific buildings. The expansion also adds maps and Historical Maps. Historical Maps use authored setups and scenario-like objectives or constraints, so a match may begin with a different force, resource situation or faction arrangement from an ordinary random map. Their objective and map rules take precedence over assumptions drawn from standard supremacy play. When browsing an entry, check whether it belongs to the Italian roster, Maltese roster, a general Definitive Edition system or a specific Historical Map. A building or unit tied to one civilization should not be assumed available to the other. Likewise, expansion maps and scenarios do not change the baseline rules of the original Age of Empires III or The WarChiefs. The expansion is most useful to players comparing the two new civilizations, learning the added maps, or understanding which content exists only in Definitive Edition. Follow the linked civilization and feature entries for the mechanics of each addition.
How to read the expansion’s content
The expansion’s two civilizations add separate strategic systems rather than a single shared European roster. Italian entries describe the Architect, who changes building construction, the Lombard’s resource and shipment role, and the Basilica’s civilization-specific functions. Maltese entries cover the Hospital, Hospitaller, Order units, defensive buildings and the way structures support their army. These features should be read from their own pages because their costs, limits and age availability differ. Historical Maps add authored scenarios with map-specific objectives and force arrangements; a tactic that works in a standard random map may fail if the scenario restricts production or directs players toward an objective. When comparing map content, separate ordinary maps from Historical Maps and the historical battle scenarios. The expansion is part of Definitive Edition and does not add its civilizations to the 2005 original game or The WarChiefs. The title also should not be confused with similarly named content from another Age of Empires game. Players returning to Definitive Edition can use the expansion page as a checklist: identify whether a term belongs to the Italian civilization, the Maltese civilization, a general map pool or a specific mode, then follow the linked page for exact mechanics. This prevents expansion-only units or buildings from being assumed available to a base-game civilization.
Expansion boundary
When comparing editions, label expansion-only entries explicitly. Italians, Maltese, their unique structures and Historical Maps belong to Definitive Edition’s Knights of the Mediterranean content, while the original 2005 game and The WarChiefs have separate civilization and map pools. Check the page’s release tag before applying an expansion mechanic to another version.
Italian and Maltese content
Knights of the Mediterranean is an expansion for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. It adds the Italians and Maltese, new maps, and Historical Maps with scenario-style objectives and faction setups. Italian additions include Architects, Lombards and the Basilica; Maltese additions include Order units, Hospitals and defensive structures. These civilizations use distinct economies and military rosters, so their units and buildings should not be treated as universal upgrades to the base-game factions.
Historical Maps and version context
Historical Maps can assign specific forces, layouts, restrictions or objectives that differ from ordinary random-map play. Read each map’s briefing before applying a standard build order, and separate scenario-only rules from the civilizations’ normal skirmish profiles. The expansion’s units and technologies belong to Definitive Edition; older releases do not include them. When comparing strategy guides, identify whether they describe Italy, Malta, a Historical Map or a standard match, then use the relevant entry for exact unlocks and effects.