Subject:
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Re: historical accuracy re. factions
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.castle
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Date:
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Thu, 3 Oct 2002 16:45:20 GMT
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Viewed:
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817 times
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In lugnet.castle, Magnus Lauglo writes:
> Hi all,
>
> Just a quick question for you other medieval military historians out there.
> I think most people's lego medieval armies I have seen are made up of a
> bunch of factions, each of which is armed with a variety of weapons. My
> army is no exception, most of my factions have at least one unit of missile
> troops of some kind, some mounted knights and several types of footman. But
> if I were to recreate a more realistic type medival army, would it be more
> appropriate to give eachg faction just one type of weapon? So that for
> instance, one army could consist of.
>
>
> Black Falcon spearmen
> Forestmen torso type Archers
> Lion Crusader Swordsmen
> Crossaxe Crusdaers halbardiers
> Wolfpack torso enginneers and sappers
> And Black Knights mounted knights - or perhaps even have randomised knights,
> each with their own individual coat of arms.
>
> Has anyone tried this?
>
> Does anyone know if a feudal lord would have typically trained soldiers in
> different kinds of weapons, and if they would then keep his livery when they
> actually took part in a battle? Might say all the pikemen from various areas
> get bunched together in a single large pike unit and perhaps be given new or
> additional livery to wear in a large battle?
It all depends on the society in question. There were national preferences
on weapons, in part from tradition, in part from imposition from on high (as
in further up the feudal ladder). Over time, the English gravitated towards
the longbow and the bill for the footmen. Their knights tended to fight on
foot, in part because dismounted foot worked better defensively (and with
the longbow, you could force the other guy come to you, as Henry V did at
Agincourt). Liveries had been used in the 13th century with household
badges being introduced sometime later, but not universally. Generally,
whatever armor the soldier had was simply worn unadorned - but even the
armor itself could be colored or painted with designs.
The Swiss, in throwing off the feudal structure, used the halbard, gradually
increasing the pike element to over half of the main army over a century or
so. They might wear the colors of their particular canton. It was often an
affair of you wore what ya brung.
The Irish stuck with their two-handed axes they got from the Vikings and
their javelin armed Kerns, the Scotts and Lowlanders had pikes, Holy Orders
would have their own livery, the Varangian Guard of the Byzantines kept
their viking axe, etc. There is quite a variation over the whole of Europe,
but not quite so much within any given society. The Italians, broken up
into a bunch of small states and late in the medieval period where the most
likely to dabble in adopting different non-traditional weapon types as they
rediscovered the art of war from the ancients. The Byzantines, with
influence from east, west, and the traditions of a long-standing empire,
could field quite a varied force.
I break up my Lego armies into various factions and arm them differently,
but then, I do it for gaming purposes. My Fright Knights foot (love that
cloth armor) are given a more makeshift weapon with pickaxes. Not that far
off a Lucern Hammer, I suppose. Forestmen are longbow and spear with some
Hobilar style light horse. Wolfpack are two-handed axe or berserker
Ulfhednars with shield, sword or hatchet (carefully trimmed for a more
medieval look). Black Falcons are pike. Leos are Halberders and crossbow.
Really, it's wherever your imagination wants to take you. Grabbing a bunch
of different armored torso-types and calling them men-at-arms and giving
them a variety of hand weapons (axe, sword, mace) works just as well as
everyone wearing the same uniform and carring identical weapons. You can
find a historical precedent for just about anything if you aren't trying to
replicate a particular culture.
Bruce
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | historical accuracy re. factions
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| Hi all, Just a quick question for you other medieval military historians out there. I think most people's lego medieval armies I have seen are made up of a bunch of factions, each of which is armed with a variety of weapons. My army is no exception, (...) (22 years ago, 2-Oct-02, to lugnet.castle)
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