Sutton Hoo

 While we were in England I finally visited Sutton Hoo, what a great site, the reproduction pieces were magnificent and was shocked to find out about the horseman and the queen burials I had no idea they were also undisturbed burials also. Seems there are more mounds along the river with a further two being investigated this year bringing the total to 22. 

We had a great time recommended anyone visiting the Uk should visit leave at least two hours to fully visit the site, house and museum. 

Cape clasps

Drinking Horn 

Warriors belt

,

Spoons were remarkable 

Septre 

Sheild 

Standard? 

Harp

Queens clothing 

Gilt serving bowl 

Coins from around the Mediterranean 

Pouch

Tablet when belt

Belt buckle is very Merovingian 

Belt plaques

Reproduction of the horseman 

Horseman’s grave goods, extraordinary  

Horse bridle 

Cheers

Matt

 

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

Dark Age markers

 Last week was hectic with Vanessa’s birthday, renovation of a timber floor and guests from Holland and France,  plus another birthday party so not a lot of time to complete much at all. I did get some time on the bench for terrain and a complete the basing of a few units. Today as a rest day I completed a few plastic kits that remained from my 30 day kit challenge.

This week I should complete another two units for my Breton independence wars and some more work on my ongoing Napoleonic projects, Baden, French and Prussians. Later in the week some more ww2 and medieval are also lined up in the queue as the weather has improved perfect for the airbrush! 

These markers were simple and have been sitting in my to do’s pile for some time, the shields have been completed for a long time, all transfers except for the Norman kite shield. I just needed to sand the bases paint and glue them on. More dark ages coming as I have started assembling my Victrix Vikings …..perhaps next month. 

Dark Age Disorder Markers

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

Loire Vikings V

More Vikings, striking terror in the Loire!

The first raid in the Carolingian empire was on the monastery at the Île de Noirmoutier in 799. It became the most regular raided monastery in France. They raided up and down the Loire and its tributaries. Another two  28mm V & V miniatures. 

Cheers
Matt

Vikings IV

Another 3 Vikings completed for my Saga raiding group. Again lovely V&V miniatures, three more to complete before back to 100 years war.

 

Cheers
Matt

Vikings III

Vikings, striking terror in the Loire. The first raid in the Carolingian empire was on the monastery at the Île de Noirmoutier in 799. It became the most regular raided monastery in France. They raided up and down the Loire and its tributaries. Miniatures are 28mm V & V miniatures.

Cheers
Matt