One Hundred Years War Chevaliers et Écuyers du Maine VII

 Chevaliers et écuyers du Maine

Based a number of figures in this last week or so as my basing material has arrived, a lot more coming as I have completed all of the English foot and some more French foot for my armies. 

I think I need another three or four boxes to complete the army completely, two cavalry, one french foot plus some metals to flesh out some commands etc.

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

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

100 Years War English archers IV

 

 English Longbow IV

Another two units of Perry HYW Archers, this time plastic, one unit are English the other possibly mercenary! More coming as I crack on through the basing process this week. These chaps are skirmishers retiring before the French and Scottish MAA!

"Wargaming History "™ 

From Caesar to the coldwar

cheers

Matt

French Bandes d'Infanterie Pike Guerre Folle 1488

 

 French Bandes d'Infanterie Pikemen

As I am basing and completing miniatures this week, I have some more foot this week for my own project for the Guerre Folle, the 1488 campaign in Bretagne. 

The French Bandes d'Infanterie pikemen performed well in the campaign with a number of veterans from the Burgundian wars.  The Bandes d'Infanterie (old Arrière-ban) were to be formed along the Swiss model, but were in some documents were still referred to as Ordonnance still. The units if formed along the old ordonnance structure of one mounted MAA, 3 archers (mounted for transport) and one polearm foot, this gets confusing trying to make the numbers match up for the units, for the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier. 6000 odd of the Normandy Arrière-ban were raised for the invasion (only 3000 were present at the battle though)

These chaps will be one of 8 French pike double base units (representing 1000 men) for the French army, plus attached crossbow, archers and flanks of halberds, I hope to have them all finished by April this year.  Figures from the Perry plastic mercenaries box, which I think is the best box available.

Normandy Bandes d'Infanterie

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

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

100 Years War English Archers III

 

English HYW Longbowmen III

My basing material has arrived so more Perry HYW metal archers, then onto some more English plastic lowbow, then English foot tomorrow.

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

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

100 Years War French Longbow II

French HYW Longbowmen

French longbowmen in skirmish order, the 60 x 60 base fits into the castle towers I am building for my big terrain project this year. lots more on the way for the next week or so before my birthday parade! 

French Perry Archers, Agincourt plastics range

"Wargaming History"™ 

From Caesar to the Cold War

cheers

Matt

100 Years War English Longbow II

 English Longbow II

Finally onto some infantry types, I have a few bases of these on the way this week, around 30 completed on the table along with more cavalry as my basing materials have arrived lots of figures coming in the next ten days or so

Perry Metal  English archers suitable for the mid to late 100 years war

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

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

100 years war French Chevaliers and écuyers du Maine VI

French Chevaliers and Écuyers du Maine   

Finally completed some stuff of my own this week some Perry 28mm chevaliers for my French Armagnac western HYW post Agincourt army based on the armies in Maine and Anjou.  The first of the 20 odd figures coming. All Perry plastics as always lovely to paint.

Jean de Boissière, seigneur de la Boissière, Maine
In the company Guy de Laval, at La Brossinere, Le Mans, Fresnay, Baugé, and Verneuil, owed thirty days service La Gravel chateau.

Jean de Quatrebarbes 1407 Motte of Ampoigné , Motte-Sorchin, Genest , others still in Cosmes , Cossé , Astillé (fealty to Baron of Chateau Gontier-Sceau 1441). His father Pierre armorial seal 1372 seal is mentioned as "où étoit empreinte la figure d'une tête d'homme portant une grande moustache fourchue".
Pierre , his son, Jean, Gilles and his grandson Jean, all died at the battle of Verneuil 

Fought at Baugé, La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, Verneuil where he died, in the company of Guy de Laval.

Guy d’Orenges,Seigneur de la Feuillée, la motte d’Orenges, Saint Jean Mayenne.
At Baugé, La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, Verneuil, Vassal de Guy Laval

 

Bertrand de Parthenay, Seigneur de Soubise
At La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, Verneuil, Vassal de Guy Laval

Lancelot de Rouvray, écuyer, seigneur de Fournes
At La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, killed at Verneuil, Vassal de Guy Laval

Guillaume de Sacé, écuyer, sire de Brain-sur-Allonnes, château Sacé (destroyed 1361)
At La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, killed at Verneuil, Vassal de Guy Laval

Jean L'enfant, écuyer seigneur de the Patrière and Cimbré,
At La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, killed at Verneuil, Vassal de Guy Laval

Jean de Foucault, écuyer, seigneur du Cerisier, Maine
At La Brossinière, Sainte-Suzanne, Saint James, Le Mans, Orleans, Vassal de Guy Laval

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

From Caesar to World War Two

Cheers 

Matt

Republican Roman command II

 

 Republican Roman Command

Earlier last week I was getting a little jack of Medievals, tree renovation and Napoleonics, so I switched and opened up my project drawers and looked at my early republicans and decided to complete some more of my commands as I like to have spares in case of civil war etc for my early republican four urban legions. All figures are First corps figures except the dog who is warlord I think, decals VVV on the Roman shields, Impetus markers are Gallic pieces hand painted.

First up is a mounted Equites with his faithful dog, as a commander of my foreign and mercenary cavalry

A Simple legion commander base 

A foreign legion commander

Impetus disorder markers (as I like to do some every time I paint Ancient figures......)

and a supply train, more medieval than roman, a mix of brands and scratch built pack saddles

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

From Caesar to World War Two

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

War of the Roses look out for the billhooks 3

 War of the Roses Mounted MAA

Completed some more mounted Perry miniatures, these are such a joy to paint! 

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

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt