Barbarian Invasion - updated FAQ

[RandyKapp]

Im not careing because they look goood and have big swords. Just the kind of unit i likes for my fantasy games.

[KSEG]

Can anyone answer whether description on BI site correct or not?

[RandyKapp]

It is not as stated above ^
In terms of equipment its on the markish, 2 handed sword etc. But its out of time period and such.

[Ranika]

The description is way, way, way off. Real gallowglass were 'galloglaidh' or 'galloglaich'; it means 'foreign warriors'. They were a mixture, armament-wise, of Gaelic and Norse traditions that were cultivated in the Hebrides. They were no 'elite' of any actual kingdom; they were mercenaries. They fought for the Scots, English, French, and a huge list of others, but most notably the Irish. They resembled, in many ways, a mixture of Gaelic 'Ridire' (Knights) and old viking 'Huskarl'; with Gaelic clothing, a style of Gaelic chain, with a viking inspired helmet, and with the sparth, a long handled axe of viking design; they later adopted, largely, various Irish and Scottish two-handed swords, or the shorter Irish and Scottish longswords, with a two-handed grip (which predate the larger greatswords). The Irish hired so many of them to replace their badly decimated ridire; the retainers of the flath (chiefs) and other arras (nobles). They were given, by the Irish, lands in Ireland, but everyone else who hired them generally gave them some parcels of land too (they generally wanted a lot of land; the Hebrides weren't exactly the greatest position to be in economically). Gallowglass weren't some Celtic elite of a king; they worked for anyone who'd pay them. Real elite Gaelic soldiers were generally the arras, or their retainers, the ridire, and in some cases, around Dublin generally, the Ostmen, though they were also generally mercenaries, and the distinction between Gaelic Dubliners and Ostmen had pretty much ceased by this time. Even in the period that gallowglass were hired by the Irish, they were generally placeholders until they could train themselves local heavy infantry again, though many chiefs, in latter periods, steadily relied more on gallowglass, since, without the support of an actual king (since many chiefs no longer had a king; the Irish kings were mostly replaced by Norman lords, though some Gaelic kings still held some claimancy), training and equipping their own heavy infantry was usually too expensive. As an aside, 'ridire' is actually of Saxon origin; it's what they refered to the Gaelic heavy infantry as; said infantry were generally armored in chain or bronze scale armor, with a metal helmet, likely with cheekguards, and generally an axe, but sometimes a sword.

The 'gallowglass' unit is also ahistorical equipment wise in that, they're wearing trousers; they'd be wearing a knee-length shirt, be barelegged, have a longsword as a sidearm, as well as probably a hand axe. Otherwise the equipment isn't that bad; they did use two-handed swords (as noted above), and they did wear cloaks.

[bodidley]

The 'gallowglass' unit is also ahistorical equipment wise in that, they're wearing trousers; they'd be wearing a knee-length shirt, be barelegged,

I thought that the plaid was a post-medieval development Could you esplain?

[Ranika]

Plaid, no, kilts, yes. Plaid would be worn on cloaks; Celts had worn plaid for centuries and centuries, kilts were a renaissance era invention. However, wealthier Gaels didn't tend to wear trousers regardless. I explained above; they wore a knee-length shirt. It comes from Iberians, who settled Ireland and heavily affected the subsequent Gaelic culture. While poorer Gaels wore 'trews' (skin-tight pants that stopped just above the ankle), wealthier Gaels (including the Gallowglass, who were very wealthy mercenaries) wore the 'leine', the knee-length shirt.

Gaelic soldiers were generally split in two classes; 'proper' soldiers wore the leine; indentured servants, slaves, and militias wore a shorter, similar shirt, along with trews; however, in west Ireland, almost all soldiers wore a leine by the late dark ages, but in the west and Scotland, levies still wore trews. Gallowglass would've fallen in the upper echelon of soldiers though, and would've dressed like a 'proper' soldier; a knee-length leine shirt, bare legs, and leather boots. It is presumed by many that the difference between levies and real soldiers started when Ireland was originally conquered; pre-Iberian/Celtic soldiers would've been grouped as levies, and would wear the trews to distinguish them from the emerging Goidilic culture soldiers.

[Spongly]

Aren't there pictures of Gaelic soldiers in the Book of Kells wearing what looks like a pair of natty bermuda shorts with a sort of dinner jacket looking thing? It's the guy crouching down with the spear and tiny shield.

[bodidley]

Plaid, no, kilts, yes. Plaid would be worn on cloaks; Celts had worn plaid for centuries and centuries, kilts were a renaissance era invetion.

Thanks for the explaination. By "plaid" by the way, I didn't mean the English pronounciation "plad" as in tartan pattern, but the kilt itself.

[GoreBag]

Plaid, no, kilts, yes. Plaid would be worn on cloaks; Celts had worn plaid for centuries and centuries, kilts were a renaissance era invention.

Later than that, actually. It was more like a modern-era invention. The Scottish Romantic period was a little later than the rest of Europe's.