After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Byzantine power eroded and the Armenians took this opportunity to gain their freedom from Constantinople. Wars against the Seljuq Turks resulted in the Armenians allying with the Mongols in 1255, and the Armenians helped the Mongols throughout the next century.
The Crusader holdings in the Levant diminished as well and armies of recruited Frankish mercenaries from Cyprus could be found in the Armenian armies as well as Bedouins. Paradoxically, the Christian military orders continued to hold onto areas of Cilician Armenia long after other Christian domains in the East had fallen.
This is a colorful and interesting army, with plenty of lance-armed cavalry and foot archers to support them. Added to this are large numbers of loose order spear or javelin-armed foot as well, and this army can do well in virtually any terrain. The foot must be used offensively with the cavalry on the flanks or behind the center, ready to exploit any enemy mistakes. A decent army for any level of player.
| Stands Permitted | Troop Type | Armour | Morale | Training | Weapon | Figures/ Stand | Point Value | Basic Army |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commander in Chief | HC | Veterans | Irregular | Lance & Shield | 3 | 52 | 1 |
| 0-3 | Generals | HC | Veterans | Irregular | Lance & Shield | 3 | 37 | 1 |
| 6-18 | Armenian Cavalry | HC | Veterans | Irregular | Lance & Shield | 3 | 12 | 8 |
| 18-48 | Armenian Foot | UI | Warriors | Irregular | Javelin/Sh or Spear/Sh | 3 | 3 | 24 |
| 8-16 | Armenian Archers | UI | Warriors | Irregular | Bow & Shield | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Any | Downgrade any foot and archers to Skirmishers | 2 | -1 | 0 | ||||
| 1* | Beduoin Ally General | SC | Veteran | Irregular | Javelins & Shield | 2 | 30 | 0 |
| 0-8* | Beduoin Cavalry | SC | Warriors | Irregular | Javelins & Shield | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Only From Mid-11th to Mid-13th | ||||||||
| 1* | Frankish Ally-General | FMC | Veterans | Irregular | Lance & Shield | 3 | 39 | 0 |
| 2-6* | Frankish Knights | FMC | Veterans | Irregular | Lance & Shield | 3 | 14 | 0 |
More Armies For Medieval Warfare
-
Cilician Armenian: Late 11th to Late 14th Centuries
Later Crusader Kingdoms: Early 12th to Late 13th Centuries
Back to Saga #75 Table of Contents
Back to Saga List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2000 by Terry Gore
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com