Vikings!!! In the Loire

Vikings, striking terror in the Loire and Brittany!

The first raid in the Carolingian empire was on the monastery of the coast of Nantes in Pays de la Loire (Nuestria) on the Île de Noirmoutier in 799 in the bay of Biscay. The northmen finally departed the Loire and Brittany in 1076. Noirmoutier monastery became the most regularly raided monastery in France and a major base for Viking raids of Neustria and Armorica (Loire, Brittany, Normandy and Aquitaine.)

I have been painting the lovely V& V Vikings on and off for the last two weeks while I prepare our Vikings in the Loire tour information and battlefield Wargame and tour release for 2020.

These figures will be for the skirmish raids that made up most of the fighting locally, as they tended to raid Monasteries, trading centres, salt and Linen production  centres along the Brittany, Pays de  la Loire, Normandy and Aquitaine coasts and up the large rivers and tributaries. Lots more coming this weekend.

Cheers
Matt

Republican Roman Impetus markers

Completed some more markers this week, done them on the side while I was doing some transfers for some dark age figures. Again left over shields from first corps plus some first corps markers which are quite nice helmets shields and swords plus one with a stump. Again markers for impetus.

Cheers
Matt

Liticiani-Letavi -Letavii-letaniae or more Bretons!

Breton light infantry 

Liticiani-Letavi -Letavii-Letaniae, much conjecture surrounds them as to where they were located in Brittany during the dark ages. Mentioned in a number ancient references with the field army of Aetius by Gregory of Tours. Mentioned by Jordannes at Challons with the Roman army of Gaul against the Huns and with Paulus and Riothamus defending Angers against the Goths,   some suggest they were a Saxon German tribe or perhaps even a mainland Welsh tribe.

Personally I follow the thought train that a Celtic Godess is named Letavia and the mentions on name of a Latin region in the Armorican peninsular in a large number of documents refer to the southern region of modern Pays de Loire as Letavi and the recent archeological find at Clisson near Nantes pointed toward an inscription on a partial tile of a military unit building with “Leto”(waiting for the full report though, before fully drawing my bow).

Looking at all of this I have settled that were either Auxilla or old veterans in Armorican peninsular, around Nantes and Angers defending the Breton Marshe under command of Riothamus.

Figures are 28mm Footsore miniatures, I have elected to depict the unit of skirmishers in pure white bleached tunics and shields, and for the following heavy infantry I will do the same. The current pandemic has allowed me to complete another two units which I will roll out over the next few days.

Cheers
Matt

Late Roman Sagittarii Tungri

Late Roman Sagittarii

A unit completed for my late Roman Western army,  ready to fight my Goths, Franks, Huns and other Romans. I will also use them in my Romano Breton army. This unit represents a cohort of a Auxilia Palatina unit the Sagittarii Tungri.

Figures are from the footsore range

Cheers
Matt

Anjou-Maine dark age shieldwall III

Carolingian Franks - Anjou-Maine Infantry III

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

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

Cheers
Matt

Auluerci Diablintes tribesmen IX

Another unit off the table the final naked unit, now to complete some more plaid!

Cheers
Matt