C11 Southern Italian Armies

[Whirlwind]

Does anyone have any suggestions on the most appropriate models – ideally in 6mm, but interested in size/scale agnostic suggestions – for making armies suitable for the last Lombard cities in Southern Italy in C11?

[Not Connard Sage]

11C knights, archers, poorly armed peasants and better armed peasants for town militia?

 

I suppose Baccus Norman cavalry and archers. If you have a 3D printer, MMF have some revolting peasants that would do for the poorly armed cannon fodder. Militia, lightly/un-armoured spearmen with a round shield?

https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-6mm-revolting-peasants-235670

I’ll have a look through Ian Heath’s Armies and Enemies books later.

 

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Tony Hughes]

Town militia could be better armed than you might think as many town dwellers were ‘Greeks’ (i.e. leftovers from the Byzantine/late Roman era). Light spear/javelin seems to have been the main armament but not skirmishers – probably equivalent to DBX Auxilia. In some combats they gave Norman cavalry a deal of trouble. Goth or Arab mercenaries possibly ?

6mm is a tough call for this period, 10mm is better but still not brilliant and easiest is 15mm but I too like small scales so I can sympathise.

[Whirlwind]

Thanks both, useful start points. How widely were kite shields used at this time? Or will I just have to make do (fine if so)?

[Tony Hughes]

Kite shields seem to be fairly common but not with every army. Byzantines, Normans & even ‘Saracens’ use them, possibly all as early as 1000 other ‘Franks’ a bit later. Goths & Lombards may have stuck to circular ones longer, I seem to remember some imagery from Italy having oval shields in use too.

Problem is that much imagery is either of debatable date or known to be from a later period and the habit of depicting troops in the mode of the time of creation was very prevalent. Hence Herod’s guards in plate armour and visored helms in biblical texts.

Didn’t see too much in the Baccus catalogue that would fit perfectly but Byzantine Peltastoi might do as town militia and there were plenty of Byzantine forces in southern Italy from time to time. The Goths from the ‘Roman’ ranges would just about be OK, at least the mounted types, and their foot might do as rural rabble. Late Roman Lanciarii might work too.

There must be some other bits that would work but it depends on how you plan to base them – a large no on a base makes it easier to disguise a proxy figure, just a few per base and that gets less true.

 

[Whirlwind]

Thanks Tony. I guess a mixture of less armoured Byzantine infantry and a mixture of Norman, Byzantine and Goth cavalry should work okay?

[Tony Hughes]

I’d say that is a reasonable solution given the limited choices available. In 15mm you’d have more specific figures but, as far as I can see (and I’m no expert), they would be close enough.

 

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