Completed a unit of Swiss Mercenary Arquebusiers from the canton of Saint Gall for my French Army at the Battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier. Saint Galls colours were red so a majority of the unit are painted in the colour with the white cross. The miniatures are from the WOTR Perry miniatures plastics range.
I like to paint commands first when I start a new army, so I have some 28mm First Corps Republican Roman command to go with the upcoming Wargames Factory Caesarian Romans. A little small to match but ok until I pick up some Foundry or Warlord figures. One consul with lictor and standard and one foot tribune with standard.
Cheers
Matt
Another English Archer unit complete, or are they..... this unit will be a proxy English unit. The Bretons placed 1700 men with Tabard of the Red Cross of St George, the victorious French at the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier put everyone wearing the Red Cross to the sword, only the young squire of Sir Edward Woodville (Lord Scales) survived as he was wearing his own arms.
28mm WOTR Perry miniatures
Cheers
Matt
A number of leading Breton nobles mustered to the call of the Breton Ordonances call to arms, like all border regions some families were split, especially those who had lands and Family in the border Marchers of Anjou, Maine and Normandy.
Prince Francois de Rohan the 19 year old son of Jean II Vicomte de Rohan and Marie de Brittany(daughter of Duke Francois I of Brittany) . His Father Jean II Vicomte de Rohan had elected depart his allegiance to Francois I Duke of Brittany to side with the French King handing his border chateaux over to the French armies, coming from the Blois line, he also an ancient claim to the Dukedom of Brittany.
At the coming of the war young Francois de Rohan like most young Breton Nobles was in the household of the Duke Francois, and in 1487 rallied to the Breton Duke, when Nantes was under siege lead the Arrie Ban of Cornouaillais and Leonard in its relief breaking the siege.
In 1488 at the battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier he lead one of the Breton MAA companies on the right Flank, he was killed it was thought by French artillery.
My next unit for the Guerre Folle-Mad War is Louis II Duc de Orleans, born at Chateau Blois, raised from a minor by King Louis XI. A very interesting figure in the early French renaissance. After the death of King Louis XI, his son young Charles VIII was crowned in minority (13) the regency was then held by his older sister Anne de Beaujeu.
Maximillian I of Austria raised the most famous of mercenaries in the Renaissance, the Landsknectes. These mercenary Saxon princely bands started to become more common after 1488. As part of his support for his future wife 11 year old Anne of Brittany, he sent a small contingent as a body gaurd of 32 Halberdiers in 1487 commanded by Henri de Villespern. When the French launched their invasion of the duchy a promise came from Maximillain I that he would send 3500 mercenaries to support the Duchy of Brittany.
Only 840 men arrived in Brittany in time for the battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier, the contingent contained three troop types, Pikemen, Halberdiers and arquebusiers, they were placed under the command of Louis II duc de Orleans (plus he added his retinue of 230 MAA, Louis became the future king of France Louis XII 10 years later) 700 pikemen and Halberdiers commanded by Captain Bhler of Jullac (thought to be the bastard son of Duke Heinrich VIII of Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel), and 90 arquebusiers. I will break this into three contingents, one pike, one Halberdiers and a skirmish base or Arquebusiers.
The figures are from the Perry Miniatures mercenaries box
Another Breton unit off the table for my Breton army for the Mad War. The Breton Ordnance companies were required to have one Archer (crossbow, longbowman, or spearman) per every 10 hearths. In 1488 less than 20 per cent mustered, mostly because the French Army invaded during the harvest season. Some of the northern Arrie ban did muster from the city of Rennes and the border marches( Vitré, Dol and St Malo was occupied by French) and the Comte de Laval sided with the French, and many of the Marcher lords of Maine and Brittany owed fealty to both sides and did not even take part on either side.
Perry Miniatures again, the pavises are Perry plastics, lots more coming this week.
cheers
Matt
Completed another Gaulois tribal stand for my Aulerci Cénomani, again I have tried to make them look a little different with plumes and larger plaids, the miniatures are 28mm victrix miniatures.
Also as a plus I completed some casualty markers from my project drawer, they are the Wargames Factory Gauls, which are not the best sculpts, but with a few cuts and a little green stuff to fill gaps make good casualty markers.
Back to medievals for the next few days mostly completing standards as I think I have 8 bases to complete, then I will complete the last 40 odd Gallic figures before the analogue painting challenge begins on the 15th of December.
Cheers
Matt
Completed these two as the same time as the main unit but I needed to cut out some 50mm command stands from mdf and then base them.
Both 28mm warlord figures the standard bearers hose had to be filled a little with green stuff. The warlords mace is quite flimsy and I did consider replacing it, on the next set that will get painted next year I will do I have some variation for the command.
Cheers
Matt
Contrary to the belief of many, the bretons also conducted practice for archery, quite often gathering at the local parish church, after 1425, 1 in every ten hearths raised a longbowman, at Saint Aubin du Cormier only about 1700 of the army was armed with them and a further 500 with the crossbow. This Archer unit will join my Rennes contingent. I do like painting livery, it is very quick, I have another couple of units not far behind.
Cheers
Matt
Again miniatures from the 28mm Victrix plastics, and LBm transfers.
Cheers
Matt
Completed one of my English Mercenary longbowmen bases to add to the Breton army. 28mm Miniatures are from the Perry Miniatures Range.
Edward Woodville, known as Lord Scales, fought in the war of the roses supporting Edward IV, after Edwards death he fled when the Duke of Gloucester seized power and declared himself Richard IIIrd, his brother Anthony was executed being an ally and uncle of the two princes who later die in the tower.
Edward Woodville flees to Brittany and along with the future King Henry VIII, he later returns to England and fights at Bosworth, leading the valiant vanguard. After Henry VIII became king he inherited his brothers estates which was confirmed in 1485 including the captaincy of the Isle of Wight and his castles at Portchester and Carisbrooke.
Edward uncle of the Queen Elizabeth, approached Henry VIIth to raise an army to support the Bretons who had a long alliance with England, However Henry had been also supported by the French and the Bretons for his return to England, so he was undecided upon what action to take.
On April 23rd 1488 two ambassadors of Francis II of Brittany arrived in England to plead with Henry VII, also partaking in the investiture of Sir Edward into the order of the garter due to his prowess at the battle of Bosworth. Henry VII is unconvinced by the Ambassadors and he explicitly orders on the pain of death that no one from England was to get involved in the war in Brittany.
Edward departs for the Isle of wight with the two Breton Ambassadors and offers his services as a mercenary Captain as he had done previously for the Bretons in 1472 and the Spanish in 1475. The exact size of the company is unknown, some contemporary Breton accounts say 300 others as large as 800. I am leaning toward a mid range numbers due to the claim in the Breton financial accounts of 660 men. It is thought 400 archers, 40 knights and squires depart the Isle of Wight. Armed with pikes bows and arrows and dressed in white tunics with a red cross.
On May 20th 1488 Edward departed the Isle of wight with his company and arrived in Saint Malo a few days later(although accounts have him landing at Honfleur also, but that could be more english mercenaries ?). Edward and his company fight a small skirmish at Dinan against the comte de D'Aunay, losing 20 odd men (French accounts inflate this to 240). A further 200 odd english mercenaries arrive from Portsmouth on a Breton salt ship and a French ship captured in Portsmouth harbour along with an Ambassador of the Scots and his son, all of the 200 english men were veterans and had previously fought with Edward in Spain in 1487.
Edward arrives in Rennes on the 5 of June, they are welcomed by a reception committee, in their honour two red Bordeaux wine barrels are opened in rue Haute, and two barrels of white in place Bout du Cohue (next to medieval grand hall). A group of musicians and play and a young boy is doing tumbling tricks. A banquet is held for the officers in the ducal palace, a menu still exists and it consisted of one and a half vealers, two and a half sheep, three kids (goats), two hares, twenty eight rabbits, eight goslings, thirty six chickens, twenty-eight pigeons, one barrel of Bordeaux wine, one barrel of white wine, and seven estamaux (cauldrons) of hypocras (mulled spicy wine). The company and was the only available force in arms to protect the Breton Capital as a ceasefire was in effect and the remainder of the Breton Army was in Nantes and the Rennes muster had returned to their homes for the summer harvest.
On May 27th Henry VII letter of apology arrives in Paris informing Charles VIII of the rouge Edward Woodville, and that he had also seized other ships and men who were to join him. (One knight and more men at arms were seized in Portsmouth)
The French were in a strong position and capture of the key Breton marcher fortresses of Ancenis, Chateaubriant, La Guerche and Redon in May of 1487 and Vitré, Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier and Dol-de-Bretagne in September left Brittany split into north and South and the French on and in the interior lines of the Breton Duchy.
On June 12th Francois calls the muster, but many men do not return to arms as the harvest is not complete, finally a army musters in early July and marches north to Rennes.
On the 6th of July the ceasefire ended and the French immediately advanced from Mayenne and sieged the largest castle in France on the border marches, arriving at the key northern Breton fortress of Fougeres on the 12th of July.
The Breton Army departed Nantes on the 9th moving North and arrived in Rennes on the 25th of July. A council is called in Rennes on the 25th of July between the leaders of the Breton army and the mercenary contingents. On the 27th the Bretons then march to Andouillé-Neuville to gather the muster and join with the men coming from south western Brittany via Dinan, they are then inspected by Francois II and and Princess Anne. The army now numbering 7000 bretons 4500 mercenaries marches towards Saint Aubin du Cormier on the 28th of July. The Bretons felt they needed a phycological edge over the French and clothed two Breton mixed archer divisions with white tunics with the red cross badge of the English some 1700 men in total, giving the French impression that a large contingent of English were now with the army.
Fougeres, the greatest castle of Brittany had fallen after a six day siege on the 17th of July, the great French artillery train had breached the walls in three places and the garrison had surrendered with full honours so the city was saved from a pillage.
The French army departed Fougeres on the route towards Rennes, the Breton capital, clashing with the Bretons on route in a field south of Ville Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier.
I will complete an article about the forces and the battle next week.
cheers
Matt
200 Aulerci Diablintes painted
cheers
Matt
cheers
Matt
