Kingdom of Galacia and the Emirate/Caliphate of Córdoba

[mellis1644]

I was listening to a podcast this week which talked a lot about the viking raids in Spain/Portugal. Supposedly this was a very common thing to occur on the Atlantic coastal areas. It is not something which is well known in the UK and even in those locations so much happened after this that the reports from the time (from monasteries etc.) etc. are now only starting to be really investigated. But it was a real problem for them.

This was exactly the period of Longships and made me. thing of the game.These would both be great additional forces to use as defenders in the game, so I wondered if anyone else had though of this...

I assume the Kingdom of Galacia forces likely would be quite similar to the Carolinians in forces so likely would not need many changes.

But the Emirate/Caliphate forces might be quite different than the others. They would have peasant levies and good mounted forces. But bows would likely be more common and they may have more skirmishing forces. It would be. an interesting option for games and allow all those nice 'Arab armies' to get used as well.

Anyone got thoughts on what the 'Arab' forces might look like?

[martin goddard]

I was unaware of all this.  Good uncovering.

Is this still the 9th Century?


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

That is interesting. The interweb tells me that the first Viking  raid on Spain was in 844, and they continued into the 11th century.

The early fights sound quite unfair. The Galicians' god was better than the Vikings' ones, and He sank many of their longboats in a big storm.

A little later, the Caliphate forces used Greek fire on the poor unsuspecting raiders' ships.

A very interesting alternative theatre for these rules!

Simon

[John Watson]

You could have Viking raids on North America, then Derek could use his Indians.
John

[Lluis of Minairons]

Yes there were numerous viking raids in Galicia (the northwestern Spain's one) in IX - X centuries.

The Roman province of Gallaecia was occupied by the Suebi in 411, who created there a kingdom of their own that lasted nearly two centuries; until the Visigoths subjugated them in 586. Visigoth domination of the province lasted only until 711, when the Muslims in turn took over most of Hispania. However, Galicia was only briefly occupied by the Cordova caliphate, their last garrisons there being evacuated by 740.

I have little knowledge in the so-called 'Reconquista', but given the pretty short Muslim influence exerted I guess that Astur-Leonese-Galician armies should probably look like any other western european army would - a mix of germanic and late roman gear, just as Carolingian Franks - or Saxons perhaps.

As for the Cordova Caliphate, I can only guess that their armies wouldn't differ that much. At such early stages, Muslims were likely a minority of their manpower - and Arabs proper, a minority amidst a majority of Berbers. So peasant levies as well as medium foot and horse would probably look like those of their adversaries, with Arab and Berber archetypes forming just their most elite troops.

It seems a quite seducing topics, so I hope that someone more learned will enlighten us further.

Lluís

[Moggy]

I suppose you could also do it with Barbary pirates raiding Ireland and the Southwest.  Just had a quick look and seems it was happening from early700s until mid 1800's.   Loads of choice to cover that lol

Derek

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

I'm researching a later C12 conflict in roughly the same area of N Spain (Navarre) and the standard auxiliary/light infantry used by both Christian and Muslim kingdoms were drawn universally from the hillmen of the mountains... javelin and sling armed shepherds of the Pyrenees clothed in furs who evolved into the Almogavars. They tended not to have shields so 9/26 would not really be suitable. I think I got mine from Minifigs and Irregular. At a pinch you could probably use Gladiator Games pagan Pruzz and Lithuanians designed by Josef Ochmann.
Galicia is noted for its forests and green wooded valleys so bow and probably axe armed woodsmen may well have constituted a large proportion of the levies. The lesser armoured Viking levy spearmen would do well as locals. It might be a good campaign to draw figures from the Viking range you wouldn't normally field. Cavalry would probably be fewer in number than their Carolingian counterparts.

Neil

[mellis1644]

I'm not an expert but seems like a good excuse to get a little different flavour armies at least. I would think looking at the forces from that area through the centuries that a more lighter/faster defending forces (especially the mounted ones) vs. the traditional heavy foot of the more Northern troops may be in order. There would still be loads of peasant levies for sure but the more 'interesting troops' may be a little lighter but faster.

I can see the Córdoba forces being a little like the Irish (maybe based on those)- but require some unarmoured mounted (but not too many) and are not allowed war dogs. The fanatics representing the elite would still work as well. Maybe they have to have a base or two of armoured mounted... The extra skirmishers the Irish get seems like it fits as well.

Galacia may force may be based on the Caroligian's force, restricting armoured cavalry use more though, but at the same time they could allow/mandate more skirmishing troops.

These add more flavour and scope yet at the same time do not really expand anything too much in the rules.

Would be a great thing to think about for an article or something if anyone has time...