I have been working on units for the Norman army beginning with he composition of the southern Italy invasion force. The army should consist of a large number of horsemen and many archers as well. Pictures of these units can be found in the Bayeux Tapestry: http://www.geocities.com/beckster05/.../HaArmies.html
Also, the Normans used mercenaries alot. While the Normans were militarily powerful as far as quality of troops goes, they did not have sufficient resources and manpower to conquer England with Norman soldiers alone and thus relied upon Flemish, English, Britons, French and German mercenaries to fill their ranks. The same kinds of mercenaries were present in the Norman invasion of Italy and should be represented in our game.
Here is my proposal for the composition of the invading force:
Norman soldiers:
Knights (milities)
Norman Cavalry
Squires
Spearmen
For an idea of what these soldiers would have looked like, check out the Bayeux tapestry. There is also a good picture of a knight here: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...&ct=image&cd=1
Keep in mind, they would not have used lances at this time, but rather spears. For the most part, the denominations of horse rider (Knight, cavalryman, squire) would have been dressed the same, but the knights would surely have had better equipment. Knights would also have brought their own military retinues with them consisting mostly of foot soldiers, thought I doubt there would have been too many swordsmen at this time. The Cavalrymen, Squires and Spearmen (maybe some swords) should represent the retinue of the Norman knight. Norman aristocrats actually kept a full-time professional force of knights on hand at all times, but the retinues of these knights would only have been called on in times of war.
Mercenaries:
The Normans brought with them to Italy mercenaries from Flanders, Brittany, Poitiers and Anjou. The soldiers from Flanders would probably consist of archers, cavalry, spearmen, merchant soldiers, and an early form of pikemen perhaps. The Bretons were Celtic in origin and I am not too sure what type of troops their armies consisted of. No doubt some spearmen and light infantry with skirmishers. Probably some light horse as well. The units from Poitiers and Anjou would be mostly cavalry (knights, horsemen, and squires) with spearmen and archers as well.
Note: Some crossbowmen may also have been present in the ranks, though not until the 13th century did they become very popular for the Normans, and none were depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry nor mentioned in accounts of the battle, so if they were used at all it would have been very minimally at this time.
Thats it for now. I will edit this post later when I write something about the Norman army in southern Italy.
2.1 Post-Conquest Units
Here is some general information I gathered regarding the armies of Siculo-Italian southern Italy:
- The people who united southern Italy were a group of somewhat unexpected warriors from the far north - the Normans. Although their conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the second half of the 11th century was far more viloent that what had gone on before, the result was the creation of one of the most cultured states of the Middle Ages - the Norman kingdom of Sicily and Southern Italy. They maintained the existing trade links with the Islamic world, and themselves adopted a remarkable array of Islamic-style military structures, court ceremonials and forms of architecture.
- The army of the Italo-Norman kingdom was essentially feudal, though the king maintained stronger control over his barons than was seen, for example, in the rest of Italy, France or Germany.
- The Normans also imposed heavier feudal and thus military obligations on the church than had the Lombards. (perhapd this could be the grounds for unique church-levied units, though I am not sure if they would differ from other units as I am sure churches simply had to provide the means for a soldier's involvement in the army).
- The heavy militia duties which the Byzantine Empire had imposed on the towns of southern Italy probably also continued after the Norman takeover.
- At first the Normans were not keen on drawing 'low-born' locals into their military structure, but even in 1054 Robert Guiscard recruited non-Norman mercenaries for his invasion of Sicily. On the other hand, the entire population of the Norman kingdom had some military obligation under a general arriere ban. (maybe we could incoporate this somehow? Give them the ability to have the levy script run more often perhaps?) After 1142, King Roger imposed a more regular feudal-military structure.
- Although half the arny was still drawn from royal vassals the most reliable half now consisted of a permanent professional force, paid by the treasury. These included the Muslims who, though paid, owed military service in return for religious toleration. (a possible game mechanic?)
- Knights usually owed 40 days' service with hauberk and destrier - armour and war-horse - each year. They also brought their own military followings, some or most of whom would have been infantry.
- An Islamic military elite survived in parts of Sicily well into the 13th century, with its own aristocratic leadership, cavalry and infantry forces. Even after being transported to Lucera and other parts of the mainland, these troops still included horsemen and foot soldiers, largely archers though with an increasing number of crossbowmen. (The player should be able to recruit several different types of units of muslim soldiers in Sicily, especially the west).
- Within the Norman state non-feudal urban militias again played a role which may have been quite important, at least in the coastal cities Inland the situation is more obscure, though the term nostre milite may have included urban militias. Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta contributed men and ships as a form of feudal obligation, but the naval obligations of Sicilian coastal towns were greater; in fact the mainland towns generally enjoyed greater autonomy did those of Sicily.
Units of Norman Southern Italy/Sicily
City Units
Firstly, it should be understood that urban armies played a decreasing role in southern Italy during these centuries. The Normans themselves were content to leave some citadels and fortified gates under the control of local citizens, Capua being one example. As long as tribute was forthcoming, there would have been no issue. As such, the Norman urban armies should be weaker or at the most on par with the urban armies of other factions.
Militia spearman - Standard unit.
Militia unit hailing from the coastal regions - the coastal regions remained pretty well autonomous and had a more effective militia system than the rest of Norman-ruled Italy. Not sure what they looked like though.
Maybe an archer and/or cavalry unit as well. Not much specific information on them.
Rural Units
Infantry
Servientes Defensati (Serfs Defending) Were expected to provide their own equipment. Another demoination of serf, the villeins, had to undertake specific garrison duties. These were perhaps better equipped than the lower-level serfs.
Levy Spearman - Of course
Serjeant spearman - Dismounted version of the bayeaux tapestry cavalrymen.
Southern Italian Infantry - Dressed in a short sleeve mail tunic down to his knees with a leather helm. Carrying a roundish tear shield. This should be a skirmish-type unit as he carries javelins, but also wields a melee spear suggesting he could be proficient in the melee.
Siculo-Norman crossbowman - armed with a crossbow and a short sleeve mail tunic. Also wears a metal helmet with a pointed top and wide brim. Carries a shortsword at his side.
Cavalry
Norman Knight - Needs no explanation. Should be one of the best, if not the best cavalry unit in the game. A picture I have shows one wielding an interesting axe.
Squire - Not sure how this would be implemented, but there certainly would have been squires in the Norman army though they would not have been separated into their own units, but would have followed their knight into battle. This would probably hold true for all knightly units in the game. I will leave this to the discretion of apalca.
Mounted serjeant or Mounted spearman - Check the bayeaux tapestry for reference. These units are somewhere between Heavy and light cavalry, dressed all in mail with a conical helm. (I have pictures available). They carried a spear and tear shield, supported by a sword.
Light cavalry - Like a hobilar, with a spear and faster horse.
Light cavalry bowmen - Yes Normans actually had mounted bowmen, though they were not as effective, nor did they fight in the same manner as their Turkish counterparts.
Unique Units
Siculo-Muslim infantry - Carries a small shield and a mace. Wears only cloth for armour. Another version has a scale tunic, or perharps more accurately lamellar.
Siculo-Muslim light cavalry - I have no pictures of this, but I am sure we can use our imaginations.
Siculo-muslim siege engineers - played a big role with siege equipment. As well the muslims were more advanced in the use of siege engines at this time than the western world.
Siculo-Muslim archers - already found in vanilla. The archers were renowed for their spead of movement and rate of fire. Often they would fight interspersed between cavalry units. Fought with composite bows, small round shields and short swords.
Camera Guards - An elite, significantly drawn from the infantry archers, who formed a guard for the Royal Treasury (camera). They also protected the Norman ruler himself.
Neopolitan Infantry - Infantry unit hail from the region of naples. The picture I have shows a man dressed in mail with a conical nose helm. He is carrying a tear shield, orane in colour and is wielding a single-edged saber-like sword.
Rizico - The Norman armies contained contingents of volunteers who fought without pay but for booty alone. These men seemed to have recalled the muttawiya (probably another form of military volunteers) who figured prominently in previous Muslim forces.
An interesting note about the muslims: A Muslim landed aristocracy also survived in western Sicily. Although probably depleted and in decline, it seems to have held a number of small castles and to have fielded its own forces of both infantry and cavalry (lead by their own captains) throughout the Norman period and into the 13th century. Most of the muslim troops serving Norman rulers were clearly mercenaries paid by the treasury rather than being a part-time militia. Though paid, their service was in a way quasi-feudal, for it was performed in return for religious toleration. They also were organized into a jund system which was very feudal. As such, there shold be some muslim units in the Norman levy script. I could get more specific about the system if need be.
Note: Over the years, as the Norman kingdom became more centralized and wealthy, they abandoned their feudal-dominated structure and began to rely heavily on mercenaries. Even as early as 1054, Robert Guiscard recruited non-Norman Calabrians, Greels or Slavs, for the invasion of Sicily. Troops as well as sailors were drawn from Italian states like Pisa and Genoa, these being used to garrison coastal cities as well as to man the fleet. In fact, it has been suggested that the Norman rulers of Sicily relied on strictly Italian troops Far more than has previously been realised. (I tend to buy that argument as well, the Normans simply did not have the population to maintain a purely Norman army). At all times though, there would have been an elite feudal core of an army, supported by Siculo-muslims. As such, any units deamed as actually being pure Norman in origin should be limited in the player's ability to recruit them.
2.6 One of the definate evolutions the Normas of southern Italy and Sicily went through was taking on the dress of the native Italians, Muslims and Byzantines. For example, shortly after their conquest, Normans themselves began wearing byzantine-like lamellar armour. Normans also began to wear the dress of the muslims such as different helms and longer under-skirt type garments with their armour. I know pictures would help, but I don't see a reason to post them.
