Breton Warlord Cavalry

off the desk this week another unit of Breton warlord cavalry, again from the footsore miniatures range. Should be quite flexible to be Alans, Goths, Franks and late Romans. A real pleasure to paint with LBM transfers.

Cheers
Matt

Goth-Alani 28mm cavalry

Next unit to join my Breton army are some Alani-Goth cavalry from the Footsore range. These. Will be for my later 5th century Armorican army, but I will possibly also use them for Goths, Visigoths or Burgundians.

The Vandals, Alani (including Sarmation confederation tribes) and other confederate Germans crossed the Rhine in 406AD pushing far into western Roman territory. Alan tribes settled along the Loire and up the Sarthe river beyond Le Mans and west to the Mayenne river. Many place names in the Pays de la Loire region still relate to this period of 40 odd years of occupation. This I believe also lead to the unique horse breeds in western Pays de la Loire

The Alani leader Goar agreed with the romans to ally with them and in 440 the Alan's were gifted Orleans and the lower And Upper Loire to act as a buffer in the west with the Bucaudae of Armorica, and to the south the Visigoths and Burgundians. The Alani also played in the internal politics of the western empire supporting Jovinus as emperor 411-13. The Alani had contingents in the Roman army at Chalons against the Huns and again at at Orleans against the Visigoths. Contingents were still with the Roman army at Soissons, and retreated to Armorica after the defeat, coming to terms with Clovis and the Franks, becoming part of the Merovingian and Carolingian empires.

Ammianus Marcellinus writes their military customs resemble the Huns "they enter battle drawn up in a wedge shaped masses, while their medley of voices make a savage noise". The Alans like the Huns disliked fighting on foot, and unlike the Huns they seemed to have utilised armour for themselves and their horses.

References
Alans in Gaul Bernard S Bachrach.
The History of the Alans in the West Bernard S Bachrach 
Long Haired Kings JM Wallac-Hadrill
Rerum Gestartum libri qui supersunt XXXI 2,21. Ammianus Marcellinus. 

Greuthungi Ostrogothic Pirates

In the campaign I was awarded 20 (impetus) points of Ostrogothic Pirates to help me raid the Roman eastern territory's on the black sea, so of course I needed some unit to represent them! So I hunted around my spare fig box and came up a little short with a few BTD archers that would be suitable. Alas I had no warband types, so I trundled off to the cardinals house of wonders and sure enough he had some spare dark age figures I could use. The old glory miniatures are from the viking pack (I think) and were castoffs........so I ended up with the infamous bard figure, so what better figure for a leader!!!!!

cheers

Matt

German heavy cavalry

Another addition to the Late Roman army some German Heavy cavalry a real mix of ranges, gripping beast, foundry, old glory on gripping beast horses (I think?), the shields are a mix of hand painted and LBM dark age transfers. The Draco is from the WF plastic Saxons I think..... I will be using these in my Frank, Goth, Alamannii and Roman armies

cheers
Matt