Britannian Military

The Britannian Military includes all Armed Forces of the Holy Empire of Britannia. It is believed to be one of the largest, most powerful, and most technologically advanced military in the world. Members of the military play and important role throughout the series.

Ground Troops
The use of footsoldiers within the Empire is fairly limited, and only a few instances of them being deployed are shown, usually when a Knightmare would be to large to use. When they are, squads of Honorary Britannians are likely to be used, as "grunt work", like hunting down rebels in a ghetto.

Despite this, soldiers are still well-equipped, typically carrying assault rifles, body armor, and helmets with electronic visors.

Knightmares
Knightmare Frames are the most basic type of unit most used by Britannian forces, originally developed by the Britannians themselves. Essentially a large armored robotic frame, Knightmares have proven themselves effective in almost all combat situations, and the other world powers have only recently began building their own versions of the Britannian models in order to compete, with limited success.

Originally deployed during the invasion of Japan, Knightmares proved that, despite their bulky appearance and high manufacture cost, their agility, maneuverability and adaptability gave them an advantage over simpler, more conventional siege weaponry. By 2017, the Sutherland became the main Knightmare Frame unit of their military. Though it was superior to the Glasgows, it offered little improvements compared to its predecessor. After the introduction of the Lancelot, rapid development of 7th generation Knightmare Frames was spearheaded by Britannia, with the introduction of their first mass-production seventh generation frame, Vincent. By 2018, though their knighmare frames still comprise of Gloucester and Sutherlands, they are slowly being replaced by Vincent and Wards.

Armored Vehicles
While conventional vehicles like Tanks, Armored cars and Personnel Carriers are sometimes seen as used by the Britannians military, large mobile bases, such as G-1 Bases are often deployed as a command center and field hospital in potentially hostile territory. Similar machines can be seen throughout the series being used to quickly deploy large number of Knightmares.

Air Force
Actual airplanes are not usually seen used in combat by the empire, though Knightmare VTOL are often seen used as Knighmare dropships. Since the development of efficient float systems, large hoverships like the Avalon are beginning to dominate the Imperial skies. They serve much the same role landcruisers do on the ground, though still heavily-defended and capable of reaching considerable speeds. Similar float systems are now being equipped onto Knightmare frames, rendering them capable of the same role battle aircraft would have served pre-invasion of Japan.

Navy
While battleships are seen used by the empire in early battles, ships do not seems to play an important military role in the Empire, usually delegated the role of transport and trade. This is possibly why the Black Knights chose a submarine as one of their first headquarters. However, the Britannian military is by no means incapable of aquatic or even deep-sea combat, as shown by effectiveness of the Portman series of amphibious frames.

Knights
"Knights" are specialized bodyguards or groups of soldiers, usually Knightmare pilots, who operate outside standard Britannian military hierarchy and are under personal command of a member of the Royal family.

Andreas Darlton
Andreas Darlton (アンドレアス・ダールトン, Andoreasu Dāruto) is a confidante and loyal subordinate to the Second Princess Cornelia. Darlton is an extremely tall, well-built man with a diagonal scar running across his face. He does not particularly care for the rampant racism that plagues the Britannian military, and makes it clear to Suzaku that effectiveness in serving a purpose is equivalent to merit in his eyes. He is also one of the few Britannians that actually approves of Suzaku's ascension to knighthood. During the Battle of Tokyo, Darlton disables Cornelia's Knightmare Frame under the influence of Lelouch's Geass and is subsequently killed by the Gawain's Hadron Cannons. In the Code Geass picture book 8.75, Darlton is revealed to have multiple adopted sons, five of whom became the Glaston Knights.

Jeremiah Gottwald
Jeremiah Gottwald (ジェレミア・ゴットバルト, Jeremia Gottobaruto) is an elite Knightmare Frame pilot deeply concerned with the maintenance of Purist supremacy within Britannian society. He attended the Imperial Colchester Institute before joining the Britannian army. He is somewhat overconfident and passionate about furthering his goals, facts which tend to make him rash and impulsive in battle. He was a part of Empress Marianne's guard, and considers her assassination his first failure. His perceived failure shapes his actions from then on.

Jeremiah is disgraced by Lelouch early in the first season during his attempted scapegoating of Suzaku Kururugi, where Lelouch makes his first public appearance as Zero. Lelouch calls Jeremiah "Orange", suggesting some hidden connection where none exists, then uses his Geass to compel Jeremiah to help him escape with Suzaku. Jeremiah is stripped of his rank and reduced to a mere pilot, constantly taunted about his failure with the nickname Orange. He becomes obsessed with regaining his former glory, which leads to his defeat at the hands of Kallen in her Guren Mk-II. He is found barely alive by Prince Schneizel's team of scientists, who enhance him with cybernetic implants, most prominently a cybernetic left eye. During the Black Rebellion, he awakens prematurely and steals the powerful Siegfried Knightmare to find Zero. C.C. attempts to drag him and his Knightmare into the crushing depths of the ocean in her Gawain.

Jeremiah somehow escapes and ends up as an ally of V.V. He is perfected by General Bartley's scientists and given an anti-Geass ability called the Geass Canceler. The Geass Canceler negates the effects of other Geass, including restoring memories suppressed or modified through Geass usage. In the case of Lelouch's Geass, it also removes the immunity gained from being exposed, so those "cancelled" can be affected by it once more. Though Jeremiah is not immune to the effects of other Geass, he can negate their effects by himself, including Rolo's paralyzing Geass. Other modifications include retractable blades attached to his wrists and some sort of bulletproof armor. His cybernetic eye can also see beyond the visible light spectrum. Though the modifications make Jeremiah a formidable opponent, the presence of sakuradite in his artificial components also makes him vulnerable to the Gefjun Disturber; though he can still move, doing so nearly kills him. After confronting Lelouch in a train station, Jeremiah asks Lelouch why he became Zero and betrayed his father. Lelouch tells him that it was to avenge the death of his mother, Empress Marianne. After hearing Lelouch's motivations, he swears his loyalty to Lelouch in order to redeem his failure to protect Marianne.

Villetta Nu
Villetta Nu (ヴィレッタ・ヌゥ, Viretta Nū) is an elite Knightmare Frame pilot and subordinate of Jeremiah Gottwald, though she is more collected than Jeremiah in battle. She is not of noble blood, but supports Jeremiah and the Purist faction as she believes she can earn a title of nobility through them.

Shortly after gaining the power of Geass, Lelouch uses it to make Villetta relinquish her Knightmare. Though she dismisses it at first, she beings to suspect Lelouch after Jeremiah experiences similar memory loss after odd behavior. When he is supposedly killed during the Battle of Narita, Villetta steps up her attempts to find the connection between Lelouch and Zero with the help of Shirley Fenette. Shirley shoots her to protect Lelouch, causing amnesia. She is found by Kaname Ohgi, with whom she lives. The two fall for each other, but Villetta is disgusted with the thought after regaining her memory at the end of the season. She confronts him and shoots him in the stomach at Ashford Academy.

In the second season, her knowledge of Zero's identity and of his Geass has earned a title of nobility. She is employed by Britannian Intelligence to observe Lelouch for contact with C.C. at Ashford Academy, using the cover identity of a gym teacher.

Gilbert G.P. Guilford
Gilbert G.P. Guilford (ギルバート・G・P・ギルフォード, Girubāto. G. P. Girufōdo) is a slender, dark-haired, bespectacled man who was once known as the 'Spearhead of the Empire'. He is confidante and personal knight to the Second Princess Cornelia, and commands her Glaston Knights. Though he initially pilots a Gloucester, he switches to the more advanced Vincent model in the second season. He informs Jeremiah Gottwald of his demotion shortly after his arrival, and helps to end the Black Rebellion with the help of the Glaston Knights. Following Cornelia's disappearance during the rebellion, he remains in Area 11, dutifully awaiting her return. After Viceroy Carares is killed in the second season, Guilford serves as a temporary replacement prior to Nunnally taking over the position. During the battle for Japan, Lelouch uses his Geass to make Guilford believe that he is actually Cornelia, turning Guilford to his side. Guilford sacrifices himself to push Lelouch (whom he still believes to be Cornelia) outside of the blast radius of the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb, telling him to live on.

Glaston Knights
Named in part for Glastonbury Tor in Arthurian legend, the Glaston Knights are a group of elite Knightmare Frame pilots under the command of Gilbert G.P. Guilford. All five are the adopted sons of Andreas Darlton. Their names are Alfred G. Darlton (blond hair), Bart L. Darlton (dark hair), Claudio S. Darlton (brown hair), David T. Darlton (red hair), and Edgar N. Darlton (gray hair). They dress in identical red uniforms and wear visors resembling the faceplate on Gloucesters. The Glaston Knights pilot Gloucesters equipped with missile launchers, but switch to the newer Gareths models prior to the Black Knights' attack on Japan.

The Glaston Knights are introduced in episode 21, having just arrived from the mainland, and are instrumental in defeating the Black Knights during their attempted rebellion in the first season finale. In the second season, Alfred and Bart are killed during an attempted execution of the Black Knights captured during the rebellion; Bart's Gloucester is crushed by a G-1 Mobile Base, while Kallen kills Alfred. David and Edgar are killed during the second battle of Tokyo by Chiba (with assistance from Kallen) and Tohdoh respectively. Claudio escapes when the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb detonated, making him the only surviving member.

Lloyd Asplund
Lloyd Asplund (ロイド・アスプルンド, Roido Asupurundo) is an earl of the Britannian nobility and the developer of the elite Knightmare Frame Lancelot. To keep from being reminded of the fragility of human lives and friendship, Lloyd immerses himself in science and has come to view people as nothing more than tools — he regards Suzaku, for example, as a mere component of the machine that he pilots. He has a tendency to mock others and is often rebuked for this behavior by Cécile Croomy, his assistant. Prior to joining the military, he attended the Imperial Colchester Institute. Lloyd's research organization, Camelot (キャメロット), is an irregular division of the Britannian Military and has been granted permission by Prince Schneizel to operate outside the command structure and regulations of the regular Britannian armed forces.

Rakshata refers to Lloyd as the "Earl of Pudding" (プリン伯爵), as pudding is his favorite food. He is engaged to wed Milly Ashford in the first season, having agreed to the union mostly in hope that he might obtain the designs of the Knightmare Frame Ganymede. As such, he has to be forced into doing nice things for her by Suzaku. Milly breaks off the marriage after she graduates; though Lloyd laughs it off, Cécile's look of concern suggests he's merely hiding his true feelings about the matter.

After the second battle of Tokyo, he is confronted by a distraught Nina, who is shocked by the destruction her weapon caused. Lloyd tells her that she has to make a choice between protecting her heart or sacrificing it to science. When asked by Nina if he had already made that choice, he replies that he was 'broken from the beginning'.

Cécile Croomy
Cécile Croomy (セシル・クルーミー, Seshiru Kurūmī) is one of the Lancelot's developers and Lloyd's assistant. Cécile is a kind-hearted woman and a good friend to Suzaku, often helping him with homework. She also acts as Lloyd's conscience, not hesitating to scold him or physically punish him for his unintentionally rude remarks. Cécile is a capable Knightmare Frame pilot, managing to single-handedly hold the entire contingent of Black Knights sent to occupy Ashford Academy during the Black Rebellion at bay using a Sutherland modified with equipment from the Lancelot. Prior to joining Lloyd in the military, she studied at the Imperial Colchester Institute. A recurring joke is that Cécile is a bad cook, which no one has the heart to tell her: her recipes includes onigiri mixed with blueberry jam and sandwiches made with ginger, sugar, and wasabi.

Nina Einstein
Nina Einstein (ニーナ・アインシュタイン, Nīna Ainshutain) is the youngest known Britannian research member. After the Black Rebellion Schneizel El Britannia takes an interest in her abilities and makes her chief of a research facility in Dallas, Texas. There she continues to develop her theories of using Uranium-235 as a fuel and in other weapons as ammunition.

Lloyd Asplund is interested in Nina's personal research into the possibility of using Uranium-235 as a fuel, even providing her with some sakuradite to further her research. Following Euphemia's death, Nina becomes emotionally and mentally unstable. In a misguided attempt to kill Zero and avenge the princess, she arms the Ashford's Ganymede Knightmare Frame with a prototype nuclear reactor, intending to detonate it and take out all of Tokyo. It fails to explode, however, and she is eventually recruited by Second Prince Schneizel as chief of his "In Vogue" research team headquartered in Dallas, Texas. She is continuing her research, despite having created nothing but failed prototypes. Schneizel seems to keep her stable by reminding her of how Euphemia would act. She continues her research into nuclear power, eventually creating a working bomb in episode 15 of the second season. The bomb, codenamed F.L.E.I.J.A., creates an explosion which collapses in on itself, obliterating all matter within its area of effect. After its development she has shown an obsession to equip the system to a Knightmare Frame and use it to destroy the Black Knights. This is connected to her absolute hatred of Zero for killing Euphemia Li Britannia whom she greatly respected. She has the first one equipped on the Lancelot. Nina is devastated by the destruction caused by her weapon, which including secondary casualties exceeds 35 million lives, but Lloyd tells her that she'll have to become detached if she intends to continue being a scientist.

Bartley Asprius
Bartley Asprius (バトレー・アスプリウス, Batorē Asupuriusu) is a large and balding Britannian general who commands the Code R research team. After the assassination of Clovis, he is stripped of his rank by Jeremiah and sent back to Britannia as a prisoner. He subsequently returns to the military under the command of Prince Schneizel. He oversees Jeremiah Gottwald's transformation into a cyborg and tries in vain to stop Jeremiah when he wakes up prematurely. After V.V. recruits Jeremiah, Bartley is ordered by the Emperor to help finish Jeremiah's modifications, which he does not seem happy about. After completing his task, he expresses the desire to leave, knowing that the Emperor's plans could mean the end of the world. During the Black Knights assault on the Geass Directorate stronghold, Bartley is killed in the attack. Before his demise he sees C.C. and laments to the deceased Prince Clovis that they should never have captured her.

Kewell Soresi
Kewell Soresi (キューエル・ソレーシー, Kyūeru Sorēshī) is an officer of the Britannian Army. Kewell belongs to the Purist faction and stands by Jeremiah's side in scapegoating Suzaku Kururugi. When Jeremiah's incomprehensible actions lead to Suzaku's escape with Zero, he leads the rest of the Purist officers in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Jeremiah. He is killed by Kallen in the Battle of Narita. In the novels, he is stated to have a younger sister named Marika (マリーカ ・ソレーシー, Marīka Sorēshī) who attends a military academy in Area 11.

Marika Soresi
Marika Soresi (マリーカ ・ソレーシー, Marīka Sorēshī) is the sister of Kewell Soresi. In the novels, she is stated to be attending a military academy in Area 11 during 2017. In 2018, she became one of the Valkyrie squadron pilots under Luciano Bradley's command. She and the other Valkyries are killed by Kallen. She dies saying her brother's name.

Kanon Maldini
Kanon Maldini (カノン・マルディーニ|Kanon Marudīni) is a subordinate of Schneizel el Britannia. He makes a joke to Milly Ashford about being Schneizel's assistant in both public and private matters, only to wave it off and claim that Schneizel likes to keep weird people around. Kanon follows Suzaku to the Kururugi Temple in order to investigate and capture Zero; while there, he obtains conclusive evidence not only of the masked terrorist's identity, but also of the existence of Geass. This evidence proves essential in convincing the leaders of the Black Knights to betray Zero. When Schneizel decides to stage a coup d'état, Kanon notes that he's finally made the decision, but seems apprehensive about it.