Though never meeting in actual battle, the Burgundian Ord. and Islamic Persians were contemporaries. Pitting these two armies against each other seemed like an interesting exercise, so here's the hypothesis ... and the result.

Gorlemane the Munificent had worn out his welcome in northern Africa. His army of Islamic Persians had made a Holy pilgrimage to Tunis, where stories of the abandoned riches of Spain caught the greedy ear of Gorlemane. His bored troops needed little incentive, other than the promise of loot and conquest to incite them to invade the Iberian Peninsula. Glad of the chance to be rid of the rapacious .. pilgrims", the Sultan of Tunis secured a flotilla to transfer the Persian army across the Straits of Gibralter to southern Spain. The fanatical Persians met little organized resistance as they landed and marched north toward Aragon ... and glory.

Bruce the Bold, heir to the Burgundian throne, had managed to make enemies of most of the crowned heads of Europe. Even so, when rumors surfaced of an Islamic jihad--another "Reconquista" in reverse in southern Spain, the rash Burgundian immediately swore an oath to take the Cross against the infidel. Seeing a chance of employment, the mercenaries of Burgundy flocked to Bruce's banner. The Burgundian army, confident of victory, marched across the Pyrenees and headed south.

The Plains of Spain

So it was that the two armies met on the plains of Spain ... there's a song there somewhere! The Burgundians had made their march with only four SHK and three coustilier units. The army was mostly foot: five units of mixed spear and longbow close-order foot, and three units of LI handgunners. The Burgundians also had a unit of mounted Household foot with excellent morale (Regular A & B) which immediately took up a position on a low hill upon sighting the Islamic forces ahead of them (See Map). The rest of Bruce's army set up on and between the two hills anchoring the Burgundian flanks, with cavalry in reserve behind the mixed LTS/LB foot units. Finally, Bruce the Bold aggressively force-marched two 4-man LI handgun units to the center of the battlefield...lucky them.

The Islamics also had two hills on their flanks. To the left, one of the 30-man LMI archer units force-marched to position behind stakes. To their left, two 8-man LC archer units supported by two 6- man EHC L/B/Sh units were stationed to hold the flank. In the center, the second 30-man LMI archer unit was positioned with two 6-man LI handgunnner units next in line, behind which Gorlemane's battle standard, bodyguard, another EHC unit, a larger 12-man HC L/B/Sh unit and an 18-man Irr B LMI JLS/Sh unit were established. To the right was the main attack force. Two 8-man LC units, one bow-armed, the other 1/2 B, 1/2 JLS/Sh supported by two 12-man HC units and two 6-man EHC units were placed to swing around the Burgundian flank and hammer the Christians into submission (the Burgundians, by virtue of their 12 scouting points had been badly outscouted and had to set up first). A simple plan, but with Irr. A cavalry, the simpler the better!

After giving a rousing speech to his men ("Look at all the rich nobility and walking marketplaces over there! We'll all be rich after we destroy the Christian dogs!"), Gorlemane ordered the general advance, forgetting his left flank general was a tad on the cautious side. Two turns later, the left flank covering force had still not moved, awaiting new orders! The right flank attack division, however, effortlessly swarmed towards the Burgundians holding the hill to their front.

Bruce proceeded to move forward with his central units of foot and supporting horse. Seeing the overwhelming force heading towards his lone Household foot unit holding his right flank hill, the Burgundian general ordered his HC units to proceed to the hill in support of the foot unit.

The Burgundian handgunners were overwhelmed by the Persians as they managed to buy time to keep the enemy from blithely marching forward (which halted my own March moves). Keeping my overly enthusiastic cavalry out of charge reach of them was difficult (Irregular A's have this nasty habit of charging ANYTHING in front of them, no matter what!), but not impossible, and destroying them as quickly as possible was an expedient solution to this problem.

As the two divisions on the Islamic left sat and watched each other, the Moslem right angled in for their attack on the Burgundian Household foot. The two LC units first made contact, with the horse archers threatening the enemy flank while the JLS/Sh unit held the foot frontally. As the two 12-man HC units positioned themselves for the attack, Bruce brought his two nearest SHK units into play. Instead of a 6 unit to one plurality, the Islamics suddenly found an even match! So much for overwhelming odds.

Maneuvering one of the left hand LC units (which had previously dispatched a Burgundian LI unit) into position on the flank of one of the Burgundian SHK units, the Persians proceeded to push two more EHC units into the attack. Then the Burgundian Household troops unexpectedly charged the Islamic LC units! The LC evaded and Bruce the Bold brought his two HC units up on the left flank to plug the gap tu his rear.

The Persians had mistakenly moved one of their 12-man HC units into support range of the EHC units, but also within charge range of the Burgundian SHK wedges. The SHK licked their chops as they absorbed two hits from missile fire and then impetuously charged the (likewise) impetuous HC. Taking another missile hit on the way in, the Burgundians hit tired, but confident ... until the Persians rolled up.

The Burgundians were suddenly in rout. AF7 if that weren't bad enough, the shieldless HC coustiliers, corifronted by horse archers, took 4 CPF from bow fire, and were in turn routed by a timely EHC charge. The Household foot managed to pass two waver tests, but the other Burgundians, the HC and SHK units were not so lucky.

Bruce, seeing his flank crumbling, threw his himself and his bodyguard into the Islamic CiC and his EHC bodyguard. The Islamics rolled up 3, adding two more for Irr. A, and routed the Burgundian CiC.

That was it for the Burgundians. Their right flank was still untouched, and the center foot were intact, but two generals were down and the cavalry were all in rout or Shaken. As night fell, the Burgundians fell back to their fortified camp and dug in. The Islamics were content to loot the field and exult in their victory.