100 years war Chevaliers and Écuyers Jean de Ouvroin V

 Jean de Ouvroin, knight of Maine

Jean de Ouvroin, lord of Chateau de Grazray, lord of Poligné. Captain of a company of Guy XIII de Laval and executor of his will. A Maine captain killed at the battle of Baugé. Another addition to my French army for the battles in the Anjou, Maine, Brittany and Normandy. 

Another Perry plastic figure

"Wargaming History"™ 

From Caesar to the Coldwar

Cheers

Matt

 The Final Countdown 2020

2020 is done and dusted, and as we all know a very strange year..........we are still here, and looking forward and currently planning for a prosperous 2021. 

A big thank you to our customers that did manage to attend and play a wargame this year. A big thank you for your continued support here on my blog, on Facebook, Instagram and the various Forums I haunt.

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Totals

Summing up my Wargame painting and terrain progress this year on my goals I achieved about 75% with a few minimal diversions. I may of completed more looking back, but motivation was up and down depending upon the external stresses of this strange year. On the positive side a lot of my stash completed with very few purchases of new lead or plastic.2020 Goals Achieved

War Room redecoration

95% complete, curtains still being made....lets just say this is not me......

Construction of the wargames table

16 ft Completed

28mm miniatures painting goal 2020

Gaulish 260 figs

59 painted roman auxilia

16th Auxiliary Cavalry 

9 Sassanid cavalry

50 early medieval cavalry

168 early medieval infantry

31 Medieval cavalry completed 

528 Medieval Infantry completed

18 Napoleonic cavalry 

12 Napoleonic infantry

1 Santa!

24 ACW union 28mm infantry (commission)

8 union 28mm cavalry (commission)

24 Napoleonic 28mm artillery guns (Commission)

16 Vikings 28mm (commission)

40 WW2 british 28mm (commission)

18 Pulp figures (commission)

48 7YW infantry (commission) 

24 7YW cavalry (commission)

Completed 28mm Infantry 1174 

Completed 28mm Cavalry 186

Completed Artillery 24 

WW2 1944 20mm 

160 infantry 

32 tanks completed

6 x Armored cars built

9 trucks completed

6 AA guns and crews

4 AT guns mixed 6pdr & 17pdr completed

5 gliders built

2 built-in buses

16 trucks and jeeps built

8 x AT guns kit built 

8 x Armored cars built

Bunkers 4 completed

16 landing craft built 

8 aircraft built 

20mm Infantry 160

20mm vehicles 56

Miniatures rebased and touched up

54 ACW rebased and touched up

8 cavalry rebased and touched up

34 Gauls rebased, touched up and hand painted shields

Other Science Fiction

1 Jedi Starfighter 

Total Terrain System For Now (TTSFN) Goals achieved

Castle board (1500x1200), includes  Gaulois fort, dark ages Motte and bailey, and 100 YW castle under construction ATM 40%  complete

Standard boards x 6 

Plowed fields 

Maize/corn crop fields 

Harvested crop fields 

20mm buildings x 8 

Dark Age Buildings x 6 

Medieval buildings x 10

20mm ww2 buildings x 6

Bocage mark V 12m

Stone walls  (master completed)

22 trees

Board game played

3 games

Wargames played

Ancient games x 3

Medieval games x5

Renaissance games

French Revolution games

Napoleonic games

Ww1 games x2

WW2 games x6

Modern games x1

Naval games x1

Fantasy

Science fiction x2

So quite happy with my results, although I am way behind on posting due to running out of my basing paint color....I did complete a further 18 bases of mostly medieval Infantry in the Christmas to New year including a lot of cavalry. I will post these over the coming week or so.

I think I will do a parade of the Medievals and the Gauls as they really were a big task. I think I have around 30 Gallic warriors remaining to do to complete the 300 figure starting goal so no spares in the drawers of doom. The medievals will continue this year, but WW2 will become the main focus as it makes up 75% of our main Wargames Holiday Business.

Completing bits from my project drawers and the focus on terrain has helped me a lot this year, as now I have space to plan 2021 which is well underway. I will continue to post every week as it helps me keep track of what has been completed. 

Let us all hope this pandemic can be over so we can socialize and share all of our new painted goodies, and watch our recently painted units flee off the table once again.

cheers

Matt

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year to all of my Friends and followers, let us hope 2021 becomes a more normal year at some stage

Cheers

Matt

Jedi Starfighter

 

Jedi Starfighter

In the December pre Christmas sales, I picked up three Revelle Star Wars1/80th kits for five euros each. Overall they were very simple, with clear instructions and easy to fit components for construction. I base coated the main colours with a brush, completed the pilots and interior, and assembled the kit.  Then completed the painting, blacklining, added transfers and finished with a clear coat. All up about 4 hours work.

Over the last 20 years I have a collected plastic kits for a fleet of spaceship in various scales, they will join my aircraft in their display cabinet and may come out for a game one day........ I really enjoy a quick fun game in the evening with guests, and StarWars and WW1 Aircraft, Naval Dreadnoughts are part of our collection on offer at French Warames Holidays. 

I have had fun trialing a new App, for the background of the photos. It is not perfect but certainly does the job, to give the photos a fresh context and works ok.

Cheers

Matt

Seasons Greetings & a Very Merry Christmas

 

Étienne de Vignolles (The Knave of Hearts)

La Hire (the Knave of Hearts) 

Étienne de Vignolles, Chevalier, seigneur Lord of Montmorillon (Nouvelle-Aquitane) de Longueville (Normandy). Etienne the youngest member of his family born in 1390, he entered the service of liege Lord Bernard VII of Armagnac (constable of France) 1415-18 was a écuyer in the campaign against the comte de Foix.

1418 La hire and Poton de Xaintrailles, Vicomte de Bruillois both mercenary company captains, successfully raise the Burgundian siege of Coucy (Aisne) (Pontons brother Pierre de Xaintrailles was the chateau Captain). 

In 1419 he defended the chateau of Crépy-en-Laonnais (Aisne) against the Burgundians, Philippe le Bon successfully takes the Crépy in 1420. 

In 1420 At the battle of Mons-en-Vimeu where he is captured and after his ransom, La Hire and his company then moves south to join René de Anjou in his fight against the English in Maine. 

In 1421, he returns to the north to reinforce Ponton de Xaintrailles based in Guise, he leads a successful ambush at Notre Dame de Liesse killing Hector de Saveuse, the Governor de Beauvais and Compiègne (nicknamed the price of thieves and assassins); that same year La Hire was injured by a horse, when it fell on him and shattered his hip and leg and was left lame. 

In 1422, he traveled through Champagne and Picardy, capturing a new base for his company at Vitry-en-Perthois, from here he generally raids and harases the Burgundian countryside, La Hire and his men burnt 18 villages in the region. He defeated Antoine Count of Vaudémont, capturing him in 1423 in a raid and raised a large ransom for him, he then attended the handover of Compiègne to the Burgundians for the peace treaty. 

In 1423, he attacks Châlons-sur-Marne, leaving Vitry-le-François and sacked Luxembourg. 

In 1424 he moves to Maine in the Service of the bastard or Orleans and was at the Battle of Verneuil.  With the French army almost completely destroyed after the battle, new Captains are required and from this La Hire rises to prominence, several mercenary companies join his company most notably Antoine de Chabannes and Jean de Bueil, he is appointed captain of chateau Vitry-sur-seine (now Vitry-en-Perthois, Val-de-Marne). He is besieged at Guise en Thiérache, Jean de Luxembourg successfully sieges the chateaux in the region capturing la Hire, he is ransomed again. and departs with Ponton de Xaintrailles and their companies back to Maine. He enters the service of the Bastard de Orleans and is successful in the recapture of Le Mans (capital of Maine; Le Mans controls the trade routes North from the Loire to Normandy and from the west from Brittany, and produces high amounts of metal and linen, it falls to the English general Thomas de Montagu, Comte de Salisbury later in the year).

1425 departing Chateau Saint Suzanne (Maine) with a large company hear that the city of Le mans is lightly defended. La Hire, Jean de Beaumanoir (Lavardin),  Baudouin de Champagne (known as Baudouin ( I st )Baron de Tucé), and Pierre de Pasquier, Seigneur de Malidor: mount a successful surprise escalade and capture the outer city but fail to capture the chateau, they hold the city for 24 hours but it could not be held and they retire from the city.

In 1427 La Hire and Count Jean de Dunois (bastard of Orleans) successfully capture chateau La-Ferte-Bernard (Maine), then raise the english siege of Montargis (Centre val de Loire), chasing William de la Pole, duke of Suffolk and Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick north towards Paris. A wrought iron cross was also erected southwest of the city. On it was written: “In memory of Gaillardin, citizen of Montargis, who, in the fight against the English, under the walls of this city, seized the banner of Warwick, September 5, 1427 "

In 1428, leading raids into North-western Normandy from Mayenne, (Maine), he besieges Le Mans again unsuccessfully.

1429, He is in Orléans as one of the captains of the city and at the battle of the herrings ("La Journée des Harengs"); he was then in the entourage of Jeanne d'Arc, and participated in all the deeds leading to the crowning of Charles. He was at the battle of Jargeau (10 juin 1429 - 12 June 1429), battle of Meung-sur-Loire (14 June 1429), battle of Beaugency (15 June 1429 - 16 June 1429) and Patay (18 June 1429), July 2, 1429 siege of Auxerre, July 4, 1429-July 10, 1429 : Siege of Troyes (In the Aube department, in Champagne-Ardenne), July 14, 1429 : Capture of Châlons-en-Champagne, July 16, 1429 : Capture of Reims, remaining with Jeanne d'Arc and partaking as the soldiers representative at the coronation ofCharles VII at Reims. Appointed bailiff of Vermandois, with a pay of 292 livres; he successfully retakes Château-Gaillard (Vexin) in 1429 (losing it again to the English in 1430), 

1430 August at the siege of Chateau Aumale (Seine-Maritine) and raid of Louviers (l'Eure), where he was then taken by  the Earl of Suffolk: 

"this week was taken the worst and the most tyrant and the least pitiful of all the captains who were of all the Armagnacs , La Hire was taken and was placed in the chastel of Dourdan. " 

He escaped from Dourdan in March 1432, and gathered a band of mercenaries to roam Normandy and Vexin based around Beauvais. 

1433, La Hire occupied Beauvais in the name of Charles VII. 

In 1434, he attacked Guy IV de Nesle, Seigneur de Mello & d'Offémont, besieging the chateau and ransomed it. 

In 1435, His victory at the battle Gerberoy, where John FitzAlan earl of Arundel was captured but died from his wounds.  La Hire and Xaintrailles resumed there brigandage of the countryside. During the Arras negotiations, La Hire and Xaintrailles continued to sack many of the Burgundian towns as far north as Amiens. 

In 1436 At the siege of Creil his brother Amadoc de Vignoles was killed.

1437 at the siege of Montereau, from Chateau Beauvais captained raids into English Normandy 

1438 received the seigneury of Montmorillon (January 7, 1438) (Aquitane). That same year, he was found in Alsace, where he and his mercenaries committed the worst abuses. 

In 1440, he tried in vain to take Harfleur, then fought in Picardy. 

In 1442, he accompanied the king to Guyenne (Tartas),  a few kilometers from his birthplace. 

Wounded at Montauban, where he died on the eleventh of January 1443.

 His epitaph: Cy gist noble homme Estienne de Vignolles dit La Hire, dans son pays d'origine

His tomb, installed at his request in the Saint-Laurent chapel in Montmorillon and decorated with a recumbent figure representing him, disappeared during the Revolution . A commemorative stone is still there in the chapel.

La Hire lives on........

One interesting feature of the French dominance of playing cards in this time is the attention given to court cards. In the late 1500s French manufacturers began giving the court cards names from famous literary epics such as the Bible and other classics. It is from this era that the custom developed of associating specific court cards with famous names, the more well-known and commonly accepted ones for the Kings being King David (Spades), Alexander the Great (Clubs), Charlemagne (Hearts), and Julius Caesar (Diamonds), representing the four empires of Jews, Greeks, Franks, and Romans. Notable characters ascribed to the Queens include the Greek goddess Pallas Athena (Spades), Judith (Hearts), Jacob's wife Rachel (Diamonds), and Argine (Clubs). The Knaves were commonly designated as La Hire (Hearts), Charlemagne’s knight Ogier (Spades), Hector the hero of Troy (Diamonds), and King Arthur's knight Lancelot (Clubs).

cheers

Matt

English Archers Guerre Folle-Mad War

 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