More Dark Age and Medieval Armies (Part 5)

More Dark Age and Medieval Armies

Part 5

By Terry L. Gore

34. CONQUEST PERIOD PRE-FEUDAL SCOTS: LATE 9TH TO EARLY 12TH.

This is another favorite of mine, representing the armies of Kings Alexander, Malcolm and David of Scotland. The Scottish lords fought continually to maintain their independence and extend their power southward, into England. Perhaps the most famous battle of this period was fought at Northallerton in 1138 (the Battle of the Standards). An army of various Scottish contingents under King David met the Anglo-Norman forces under Thurstan of York in a bloody, hard-fought battle. The Scots, unable to coordinate their attacks, finally retreated in defeat.

The Pre-Feudal Scots have a varied and wide-ranging scope of troop types to draw from. There are small numbers of Anglo-Norman allies, large numbers of spear-armed foot as well as wild Galwegians and Highland clansmen. Viking Islemen and a fair number of skirmishers, both horse and foot, make the Scots one of the more versatile armies of the medieval period.

Scots generals used the spearmen in blocks to hole clear terrain while the Galwegian/Highlanders would ambush out of woods or fanatically charge forward with their fearsome two-handed axes into whomever was in the way. The heavy cavalry were used to exploit a gap or to charge wavering enemy foot. Another great army for any level of player.

35. EARLY FEUDAL GERMAN: LATE 9TH TO EARLY 12TH.

The armies of Otto I, Otto II and Henry IV are covered by this army list. The Germans were notable for their cavalry charges, which were instrumental in destroying the Magyars at Lechfeld in 955 and initially, the Moslems at Controne, Italy in 982, though in the later phases of the battle, ambushing Saracens caught the Germans in the flank, smashing them in the end. Always keep a reserve available, if possible, to avoid the same fate.

The Germans relied on their armored cavalry, like the Normans, and fought in wedge formation, also. Their close-order and Frisian foot are of high quality and are formidable in their own right. Use the cavalry to roll over an enemy flank or even the center, there are plenty of knights to use them in wave attacks. The foot should hold the opposite flank or center with skirmishers screening the cavalry advance. When facing elephants, the Germans must use their missile troops to eliminate the beasts before the cavalry can be of any effect. Again, a great army for any level of player.

36. JAPANESE: 10TH TO 14TH.

This is one of the most beautiful and powerful armies, when capably led. The Samurai warriors of feudal Japan were veteran fighters, steeped in tradition and trained for continuous warfare. Their religious fanaticism could throw the enemy into a panic, and likewise destroy the best laid battle plans as warriors attacked the nearest enemy.

The mounted Samurai were deadly fighters, able to shoot their opponents into disorder before charging into them. Foot Samurai likewise were formidable and tough to break. Warrior monks are best used on a flank or in ambush. Use the cavalry for frenzied charges in wedge formation with the foot following close behind in support. Any level of player can successfully use Japanese, but they can be roughly handled by experienced opponents.

37. KHITAN-LAO: 10TH TO EARLY 12TH.

A nomadic group from southern Manchuria, the Khitan-Lao managed to defeat the Chinese with regularity for almost 200 years. Their advantages lay in their triple-armed armored cavalry and plenty of double-armed skirmish cavalry. they also have capable, numerous artillery. The foot are of poor quality and are best left holding hills or behind obstacles.

The cavalry should be able to pick their points of attack, supported by lighter horse, artillery and missile troops. There are not many other cavalry which can stand up to the Khitan-Lao in a head-to-head charge. This is a great army for an experienced player, but fun for any level of player.

38. KOREAN: EARLY 10TH TO LATE 14TH.

For centuries, the Koreans sought to control their own destiny as first the Khitan-Lao and later the Mongols invaded the peninsula. Often defeated, they would fight a partisan style of warfare until the invader tired of the steady attrition and retreated.

The successful Korean commander would use the cataphracts as a battering ram to smash a hole in the enemy line, then rush in with horse archers and exploit the breakthrough. The foot are able to fight against most opponents and can be used as a moving wall to force the enemy back while the cataphracts pick their target and destroy it. This is an excellent army for the capable general, though a beginner may have problems.

39. GHAZNAVID: MID-10TH TO LATE 12TH.

The Ghaznavids fought in revolt against the ruling Samanids, then as a conquering army in their own right, subjugating Northern India for a shorttime. They are a colorful and powerful army. The Ghulam heavy cavalry are excellent and are armed with both bow and lance. There are armored foot, double-armed as well with bow and spear. Add to this the veteran quality elephants, double-armed horse archers, mercenary loose order and skirmish foot, as well as artillery and you have a force of great strength.

The most successful Ghaznavid general was Sultan Mahmud. Tactics favored a massed elephant charge, with the cavalry pinning the enemy wings and the foot following up in support. This army is good for any level of player, but with its combined arms capabilities, it can be positively deadly in the hands of the right commander.

40. EARLY HUNGARIAN: LATE 10TH TO LATE-13TH

Transformed from the Magyars into the armies of Medieval Hungary, these hardy warriors continuously fought against the tides of horse archer armies which attempted to penetrate into Western Europe. The armies relied heavily upon mounted heavy cavalry, the allied lancers, and large numbers of horse archers. King Stephen I (997-1038) broke the powerful Magyar military and was responsible for the founding of the Hungarian Medieval kingdom.

Usual tactics involved the light horse archers lining up in front of the heavier horse and preparing the targets of the charge by attempting to disorder it with archer fire. The Hungarian infantry were usually in the center of the army, providing a solid nucleus upon which to rally and fall back to. The Szekely fanatics should be used on a flank, as a driving ram to punch through a portion of the enemy line. At Marchfeld in 1278, the skirmish cavalry 'prepared' the targets of the heavy cavalry charges.

This is an okay army, but not for the very beginner. It is a challenge for the experienced gamer to use it effectively.

40a. Early Medieval Polish: Early 11th to early 14th

The Polish armies of this period were patterned largely along Western lines, particularly German and Bohemian. Both uniform/armor styles and tactics from the West were adopted by Polish forces althouth this Western influence was most pronounced in those areas such as Silesia and Wielopolska which had direct contact with the Imperial German Empire. In addition, the proximity of the Malopolska, Masovia and Kuwany regions of Poland to Russ and Hungarian contacts resulted in the mixing of patterns of dress and tactics between East and West.

At the beginning of this era the Polish Kingdom expanded its influence under the leadership of Boleslav the Bold (1058-1079), Wladislav I (1079-1102) and Boleslav III the Wrymouth (1102-1138). On Boleslav's death the nation fell into a period of disunity marked by internal struggles between Boleslav's son's and their descendants for power. The nation was again unified under Casimir the Great in 1333.

During this period Polish princes regularly entered into alliances with German, Hungarian and Russ forces in their ongoing disputes with other family members or neighboring regions. These alliances also resulted in Polish forces being sent into Hungary and Russia to assist various allies.

The tactics of the Polish armies in this period focused on the role of heavy cavalry, but contact with the Pecheneg and later Cuman tribes introduced light cavalry into the Polish forces. The disastrous experience of the Mongol invasions starting in 1241 also reinforced Polish use of bow-firing light cavalry to supplement their knights. As with most armies of this period foot was relegated to a secondary role. Polish infantry were armed with either long spears or axes and also were characterized by large contingents of archers, although the cross-bow does not seem to have been used in significant numbers.

Armor varied, with hastily armed militia having little or no armor, but each Prince or Duke would have had available a core of Polish infantry that was outfitted in complete armor similar to their Western neighbors.

The Poles adopted several tactics from their contacts with the horse tribes, including feigned flight and a horned formation that put the light cavalry on either flank, enveloping the enemy forces and exposing them to flanking missile fire and attack.. Several German accounts also speak of the significant use of archers by Polish armies. Very few Poles participated in the Holy Land Crusades and it is unclear whether any of the tactics developed in those Crusades would have been available to Polish forces, although exposure to German armies might have resulted in use of the wedge formation and crusader mixed tactics. Throughout this period the Poles were regularly engaged in their own Crusade against the pagan tribes of the Baltic, including the Prussians and Lithuanians.

41. ABYSSINIAN: LATE 7TH TO EARLY 16TH.

The Abyssinian armies remained Christian amidst the overwhelming Moslem surge which engulfed northern and eastern Africa in the late 7th century. The armies were large and contained huge numbers of unarmored spearmen, many of whom would be fanatical religious zealots. There were also numbers of armored and heavy cavalry, also often fanatics, as well as many skirmisher foot.

Having fought against this army many times, I can attest to its strengths. Rough terrain makes it even more formidable. Tactics were basic: line up and attack. This is a good army for any level of player who wants a fierce, bloody and quick game.

42. GEORGIAN: 11TH TO LATE 16TH Another favorite of mine, the Georgians were also a Christian enclave in a sea of Islam. Their fanaticism is legendary and their allies tough as well. The aznauri heavy cavalry were double-armed with lance and bow. Their fanatical, frenzied charges were brutal. Alongside them rode equal numbers of light cavalry with bow and javelin. Crusader knights also accompanied their fellow Christians on campaign against the hated infidels.

Large numbers of spearmen and archers provided blocks of solid infantry to anchor the Georgian center or flanks. Allied Russ provided even stronger close-order foot. Tactics were simply to pick a section of the enemy line and run it over! This is a fir army for any level of player, but it takes some care to keep close control of the unruly horsemen. A beginner may find this army quickly out of his control.

43. CONQUEST PERIOD SAXON: LATE 10TH TO LATE 11TH

This is the formidable army of Cnut and Harold Godwinson. The Saxons had evolved into a very homogeneous 'nation in arms' due to the inexhaustible Viking raids from the 8th century on ward. Their strength lay in the hardy, armored land-owning thegn and household warriors (huscarls) backed by large numbers of unarmored militia fyrd. Danish mercenaries fought for pay or for their kinsman (Cnut) alongside the Saxons. Years of research has convinced me that the Saxons could and did have the ability to fight on horseback. They did not use the couched lance, but javelins (almost all of the documentary physical evidence shows them using an overhand thrust). Thus, I allow a number of thegns and huscarls to convert to cavalry status.

Saxon armies would cover as much of the field as possible and either await attack in a defensive mode or move forward as a virtual wall of fighters. At Brunanburgh in 937, Aethelstan and his English army of 15,000 defeated an allied Scots, Welsh, Irish and Viking army of similar size by holding defensively until launchong a counterattack at just the right moment, breaking the enemy. Mounted troops were reported as being present in the English army.

Harold, in his Welsh wars of the mid-11th century, used loose order fighters to destroy Llewelyn of Wales' ability to hide in the rough terrain of his country. To simulate this, use the Danish allies as thegns and fyrd. Normans accompanied Saxons on several expeditions (they were friends of the court of King Edward and had the run of the court before Harold's crowning in 1066).

I hesitate to recommend this army to beginners simply because it is not very mobile and a poor deployment can cost you the game in two or three turns. For the experienced gamer, however, it is a joy as well as a challenge to emulate Harold's success over the Vikings at Stamford Bridge while avoiding defeat at Hastings.

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© Copyright 1999 by Terry Gore
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