Good to see someone who likes the era :2thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by tutankamon
OK, I will tell you if I need anything :idea2:
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Good to see someone who likes the era :2thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by tutankamon
OK, I will tell you if I need anything :idea2:
Some Saxon Ideas:
Great Fyrd - peasant rabble, unarmoured, clubs
Select Fyrd - miltia unit, unarmoured, round-shield, spears, throwing clubs
Thegns - land-owners, leather armour, round-shield, spears, throwing clubs
Hearthwerod - hired professionals, leather armour, round-shield, swords, javelins
Huscarles - elite unit, chain-mail, kite-shield, axe
Royal Huscarles - Nobles Bodyguards, chain-mail, 2-handed axe
It might also be good to use the different millitary heritige of the various areas.
Kent was compact and heavily populated and had been heavily influenced by the Frankish millitary, the use of francisca was known among the Kentish, the idea of a great landed elite as say in Wessex was not as powerful i Kent where towns were stilly heavily populated. Kent also lead the way for the Germanic kingdoms in terms of fortification which it developed at a faster rate.
In Wessex we have a more mixed Celto-Saxon millitary but still basically Germanic in structure. Here the great nobles held a Burgh which were by the time of Aethelsan's death more like towns than millitary complexes. As Wessex was almost constantly at war its had developed a quickly mobilised force of lesser nobles called thanes, lanless proffesional warriors were also common. Men on Church land were also required to serve whenever the nedd arose, often to mantain public works (bridges, dykes and walls). The fyrd had also developed into a highly effective force. The great Fyrd was basically made up entirely of Coerls. The lesser fyrd was a much smaller affair but consisted only of the local landed elite of five-hide holders the thegns. These men were heavily armed and by this stage once again heavily armoured (in the 7th and 8th centuries armour seems to have become less common, most likely because the old roman stuff was wearing out but by the 9th century armour again became more common in the elite). The Coerls aswell made use of armour, just not of the same quality of that of the thegns.
In Mercia there was no real small local defence force. Thus Fyrds were bigger but less common and sigularly more costly to raise than those of Wessex. This army also included a large group of landed elite known as Twelfhyndes, who held the same amount of land as six Coerls (by this time about 2 hides).
All in all making a Mercian invasion a dangerous prospect to centred kingdoms such a sKent and Sussex.
The Northumbrian millitary is harder to pinpoint as it was very localised and almost always a static institution gurading a long and dangerous frontier while also keeping down its large Celtic underclass. This Celtic peasentry also had millitary obligations which probably reflected the Celtic way of war, tied together by family ties and carrying slings and perhaps Flatbows.
It must also be remembered that the Germanic tribes made use of Longbows (of about 2 metres) and they were often a large contigent by the 11th century as seen at stamford (they no doubt were an under-class and couln't keep up with Harolds fast moving mounted elite. by the mid 1050's the Saxons alos made use of heavy cavalry along the Weslh and Scottish borders.
King Macbeth suposedly made use of Norman mercenaries who were wiped out in battle against Saxon cavalry.
The elite of the Englisc kingdom as created by the Alfredian line were the Husskarls, made up of Earls, Gesithas, and after the conquest of England by Aethelsatn cnihtas and Thegns. Tthe Royal houshold guard probably numbered at around 3000, and Earl's houshold guards probably about 600-800 by the 11th century. Cnihtas were often the heavy cavalry of the Welsh borders.