Anjou Maine Skirmishers VI

 Dark Age Skirmishers

Another quick unit off the table, I basically done these in between painting the Napoleonic’s figures as a break from belts etc. 

I do enjoy painting dark age - early medieval figures and this  unit can join my Anjou-Maine army for the 9th-11th century battles, which will become a focus in September as we are hosting a French professor of Carolingian to Viking history for three days, visiting sites and wargaming the local battles, so I have much to do, particularly Vikings and Carolingian cavalry. 

A mix of Footsore, Blacktree miniatures and mix of shields, LBM transfers and hand painted.

Dark Age Skirmishers

Cheers 
Matt

Morvan Lez-Breizh The first King of Brittany

  

Morvan Lez-Breizh

Morvan (Murman or Morman) Lez-Breizh (literally "the hip of Bretagne")750-818

Thought to be the first King of a unified Brittany in the Middle Ages, his rule last a short four years after the death of Charlemagne. The Bretons were always in Revolt against the Franks. The Breton lords particularly active along marcher borders raiding but were never really united. Morvan controlled an area in the north called Poher part of the Kingdom of Cornouaille close to the border of Domnonée, Bretagne. He had a fortified Castra/Palace it is thought at modern Carhaix-Plouguer, capital of old Poher.

In 753 Pepin the Short ordered Frankish troops into the Armorican peninsula to subdue the kingdoms and ask for tribute, the Breton kings would remain semi independent but still owe fealty to the Franks. In 776 and 777 Charlemagne ordered armies into the Armorican peninsula again to create the Breton Marches, marching from Le Mans, Roland (Hruotland) (song of Roland Fame) obtaining tribute and land from the three petty kingdoms and moved the border marcher between Neustria and Brittany to to a line from St Malo to Nantes and set up Carolingian Castra in Rennes, port city of Nantes and the port city of Saint Malo (when the border marcher moved from the Mayenne-Maine and Loire river to the west to the la Vilaine river, also the first wood and stone castra/palace was also built at this time in Ville Mayenne by the Bishop of Le Mans in the same location as the current chateau).

After a refusal to pay tributes by some of the great Breton nobles, in 786 the Frank General Audulf, departed Nantes and campaigned between March and August 786, laying waste to the Breton cities and destroying its defendable castras (leaving the coast vulnerable to saxon pirates). The chronicle of Sigebert de Gembloux noting that several castra were captured and nobles and hostages were bought before Charlemagne at Worms in 787. In 799 Guy de Widonides a Frankish noble was appointed as the marquis of the Breton Marchers and Comte de Nantes. Guy then also campaigned in 799 and had the Breton petty kings bend the knee in person at Tours in 800. Guy again campaigned in 811 breaking a alliance of the northern Domnonée nobles who had threatened Rennes.

When Charlemagne died in 814, Morvan lez-Breizh gathered together the nobles from the Kingdoms of Cornouaille, Domnonée and Bro-Gwened and rebelled successfully, while the Frank armies were busy in Spain and Italy.

In 818 Emperor Louis the Pious along with his marquis Lambert de Nantes (Widonides) lead a large army (10000) to clear the country of fortified castras, take hostages and fealty. They met the army of Morvan somewhere between Priziac and Carhaix, it is said the battle was on a fortified ford of the Ellé river near Langonnet. A ridge nearby is called Minez-Morvan and he is said to be buried nearby in the Tumulus de Kermain a bronze age tomb.

“He [Louis] marched in person in Brittany with a considerable army, and held the general assembly of the nation at Vannes. Then entering the province of which we have just spoken, he took all the strongholds of the rebels, and soon made himself master without much fatigue of the whole country. In fact, after Morman, who had arrogated to it the royal authority in defiance of the constant use of the Bretons, had been killed by the emperor's troops, there was no longer a single Breton who resisted, or who refused either. to obey the orders he received, or to provide the hostages that were required of him "

- Annales d ' Éginhard , (Year 818)

The king figure is Morvan lez Breizh from Footsore, unsure of the priest but I did add the cross from a plastic set. 

For those interested jaunty marching tunes, as I do a nice Breton pipes tune Lez Breizh was written some time after, as a Scottish bagpiper the higher pitch can be a little hard on the ears after a while but worth a listen all the same. I will use it to rouse the troops on the table to fight the perfidious foe the Franks! 

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

Cheers

Matt

28mm HUGE Castle -Chateaux build Part 1

Huge 28mm Castle/Chateau Epic Build

28mm Castle Project Part 1

Last week at French Wargames Holidays Phillipe and I joined forces for an afternoon of working on the new 28mm Chateau terrain. This terrain board is based on Chateau Sant Suzanne which is a famous medieval hill top defensive Chateau and town. This very early circa 1060AD stone castle dominates the valley and the pass north from Maine into Normandy. Most famous for its siege by William the Conqueror in the 1059s and the 1080s which became the only Chateau in Maine he could not capture.

Saint Suzanne is only 30 min from French Wargames Holidays and is one of our top destinations for visitors, being listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It really captures the reason why such a castle controls the landscape as far as the eye can see....


I have spent a lot of time planning this piece as I want it to be able to swap out the fortifications over a lot of periods, I have already started filming and will post it on Youtube in stages so you can follow what I am thinking and planning. I really want it to be very versatile options will include:-A Gaulois oppidum, of either the Aulerci Diablintes or Cenomani (Le Mans) the first siege in the 1st century BC (of which only the roman siege camp remains outside the walls and burnt remains on the dig)A Carolingian Fort and watch tower, based on remains that was found during the archaeological digs from the 6th century-9th century.10th century stone Donjon and timber Motte and Bailey walls, the chateau was sieged William the conqueror during his wars with his son and the duke of Anjou. And again during the Plantagenet wars of Stephen and Matilda and then again during Richard the Lion hearts rebellion against his father Henry and finally by Arthur of Brittanys Claim to the crown over John Lackland.15th century Hundred Years War being sieged three times in the period.Wars of Religion sieged by the duke of Mayenne against the Protestants.possibly also used as a big mountain for 20mm WW2 Swiss-Normandy hills (Domfront to Flers ridge) or large mountain 28mm games for French Revolution or Napoleonic Games.
For scale the terrain piece will be 1.50m long x 1.2m wide, and about 50cm high. The board will be broke into the upper Chateau and the lower town, with permanent pieces that lift on and off for ease of storage, plus with additional pieces could have a mountain grass land on top or even perhaps ruins for landscape games.
Some pictures for inspiration

The planning of the layout begins.....




wish me luck


cheers
Matt

Anjou-Maine Dark age infantry V

Carolingian Frank- Anjou-Maine Infantry V

Carolingian Frank - Anjou-Maine dark age heavy infantry, miniatures are plastic gripping beast, ready to repel the Viking or Breton invaders!

Figures are gripping beast plastics with Victrix plumes, a mix of hand painted, war flag and LBM transfers, with additional dry brushing.

Cheers
Matt

Anjou-Maine dark age shieldwall III

Carolingian Franks - Anjou-Maine Infantry IIII

Another unit of Carolingian Frankish Anjou Maine dark age infantry circa 800 when the comte de Anjou was created up to the Northmen invasions the fighting with the Bretons  for Maine in the 9th and 10 centuries. 

Next coming up are some Viking raiders, partnering with our Vikings in Maine battlefield and history tour, plus added with our historically themed local battlefield wargame  in our “salon de Guerre” at French Wargame Holidays.

Figures are Plastic gripping beast with LBM transfers, need to pick up another three boxes to complete the army I think

Cheers
Matt

Dark Age Franks heavy infantry I

Carolingian Frank Heavy Infantry I

Another unit completed for my dark age Franks, ready to fight the troublesome Bretons. Figures are gripping beast armoured dark age plastics with Victrix Roman and Celt plumes, flags and transfers a mix of LBM and warflag, getting low on transfers so need to make a order this week, hopefully they will make it through the border!

The yellow flower I place on all of my French bases is a common weed here locally and where Geoffrey V of Anjou got the Plantagenet nickname from, as he fathered a lot of bastard children so many they were like a weeds. The original name for the plant was planta genista in Latin before being changed in the 1900s to Cytisus scoparius or common broom. The plant was also used as a heraldic badge by five other Plantagenet kings of England, Anjou, Maine, Normandy and Aquitaine as the royal emblem.The "broomscod", or seed-pod, was also the personal emblem of Charles VI of France.

Much on the desk at the moment with six units awaiting basing, just waiting on yellow tufts to arrive from Germany.

Cheers

Matt

28mm Dark Age Anjou-Maine infantry III

Carolingian Frank Anjou-Maine heavy Infantry III

Another unit completed of Gripping beast plastics with a few head swaps of Victrix Celts, a few plastic javelins and a few metal shields in the mix. Transfers are LMBS and hand painted shields.
This unit could easily serve as any dark age unit, Carolingian Frankish Anjou-Maine infantry, Bretons, or even Goths.

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™

Cheers

Matt

28mm Neustria Franks Milities and Vassi I

Carolingian Frank Heavy Infantry I 

Off the desk some 28mm Gripping Beast plastic dark age figures. This unit will represent the first of my Neustria Franks for the 8th century defending the Breton/Maine Marchers. Shields are LBM transfers, based for Impetus.

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™

Cheers
Matt

28mm Dark Age Goth-Alani cavalry I

Gothic Alani Cavalry I

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. 

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™

cheers

Matt