Showing posts with label the Scots-Irish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Scots-Irish. Show all posts

Thursday 5 October 2023

The 5th century in Britannia part 10: Arthur’s 8th battle: Guinnion Fort: 489 AD:

 This article is my personal interpretation of events at this time. Any mistakes are my own.

At the Winter Solstice of 488AD, all the Kings are present once again at Caerleon for the Round Table Council:

Tutagaul: The usurped King of Alclud.

Einon: King of Gwynedd ( and Tutagauls host).

Cadell: King of Powys.

Geraint Llyngesic: King of Dumnonia and “ Navarch “ of the British Fleet.

Iddon Ap Ynyr: King of Gwent and close ally of Arthur.

This is a critical meeting. Arthur’s failure to pursue the Scots-Irish and Picts after the battle of the River Croquet is seen as a mistake. As the chorus of disapproval continues, Arthur’s temper starts to rise. At this  point Merlin, sensing the red mist enveloping Arthur, makes his presence felt. Although elderly and frail his mind is sharp and his eyes miss nothing. People fall silent at the sound of his voice;

“ The Saxons, Angles and Jutes ( collectively known to the Britons as Seaxons ) are now established in the East and as far West as Vectis ( the Isle of Wight ). Caw will attack Cambria ( the Roman name for Wales).. None of those present are strong enough to face the Dal and the Picts alone. None are prepared to work in alliance. The Commitatus led by the Pendragon is the only force that can face Caw”. The Dal and the Picts wish to restore their authority here. They will come in force”.



Arthur’s request that his army be expanded to 6000 men is reluctantly agreed to by the Council. King Iddon sends 2250 of his own men to Arthur.

In May of 489AD, Caw is Dunaverty, a Del Riatan settlement. It’s here that he meets Loarn Mac Eric, a High King of the Dal. He has bought 125 ships with 5000 warriors.. In agreement, Caw has also supplied another 5000 warriors with another 125 ships. Caw had nominated Briacat as war leader of his Pict army.

The three leaders are aware that the ships cannot make the trip down the West coast in one journey. Using the knowledge gained from warriors who have sailed the waters, a plan has been formed. 


In early June, the fleet sails from Dunaverty . The first landing is at Insulai Manavia ( the Isle of Man ). The warriors are told not to take slaves, only food and weapons. After the first trip of ninety miles, the next part of 54 miles is from Manavia to the Llyn Penninsular. Once there the fleet lands on the northern shore, just below the abandoned fort of Caer Gybi. Some warriors were once again sent ashore to gather what food they could find. On the next trip the fleet sails the 80 miles  to Aberaeron on the Gwent coastline,

As the warriors come ashore a camp is made. There is no opposition and no guards. On the third day, 8000 warriors start their advance South. The other 2000 are to guard the camp and raid the area.

At this time, Arthur is finally told of the enemy arrival. His suspicions have risen. Why had the Scouts not reported their presence?. On hearing the news Arthur orders the assembly. Light Cavalry were immediately sent out to find the enemy and report back. 1000 troops were assigned to defend Caerleon.

Within a few hours 5000 men of the Commitatus are ready to march. A few more hours and the Scouts come in to the fort. The word is, that the enemy are coming South toward Dolaucothi. Arthur orders the Army to  march to Brecon Gaer, a fort the Romans called Cicucium. This is where he will face the enemy. The fight for Cambria had begun.——————.



THE BRITON COMMITATUS: 5000 = 5pts x 8 = 40 points.

1 stand of Arthur’s Bucellari           @ 3 points.

4 stands of Veteran Infantry   @ 3pts = 12 points.

4 stands of Auxilliary Infantry  @ 2pts =  8 points.

4 stands of Light Archer Infantry  @ 1pt = 4 points.

3 stands of Auxilliary Cavalry  @ 2pts = 6 points.

Arthur  @ 3 points

Cadwy @ 2 points.

Owain  @ 2 points.

IDDON,S  MILITIA:  2250 = 2.250pts x8  = 18pts.

Rogatainus        @ 2pts.

4 stands of Archers  @ 1 pt = 4 pts.

6 stands of warriors @ 2pts = 12 pts.


THE SCOTS-IRISH ( DAL-RIATA ): 4000 = 4 pts x 8 = 32 points.

Learn Mac Eric    @ 2pts

4 stands of Archers/Slingers  @ 1pt = 4 pts.

12 stands of Warrior Infantry  @ 2 pts = 24 pts.

1 stand of Warriors on captured ponies.  @ 2 pts.

THE PICTS: 4000 = 4 pts x 8 = 32 pts ( inc 1000 Saxons ).

Briacat  @ 2 pts.

9 stands of Pict Warriors @ 2pts = 18 pts.

4 stands of Saxon Infantry  @ 2pts = 8pts.

4 stands of Light Archers @ 1 pt = 4 pts.



HISTORICAL NOTES:

Nennius wrote that Arthur’s 8th battle took place at Guinnion Fort. At first, I thought it might refer to Gobannium ( Abergavenny ). However archaeologists say that this was a wooden fort that fell apart after the Romans left the area sometime in the 3rd Century AD.

Brecon Gaer ( Roman Cicucium ) was the main fort in the area. It was a substantial structure and was inhabited well into the 5th century. At the height of the Roman occupation, this fort was one of the strongest Auxiliary forts in Wales, the stone wall dressed in white plaster ( the White Fort ? ). Arthur made a stand here but must have suffered a reversal because the next battle is at Caerleon, Arthur’s headquarters.

I have stated that the Scots-Irish, ( the Dal Riata ), and Picts were Arthur’s adversaries in this battle. Caw was an historical figure. He became war leader of the Picts and he did usurp Tutagaul and take Alclud ( Dumbarton Castle).

The Seaxons had suffered defeats from both Arthur and his late Uncle Ambrosius. Therefore they were in no state to mount another major attack. There was a continuous stream of Jutes, Angles and Saxons heading for Eastern Britain. The Briton “navy” such as it was spent most of its time guarding the Western coastline.  The ships could cope with one or two raiders but not with a whole fleet.

The Seaxons were preoccupied with settlement rather than attacking Cambria..Even then Arthur could not ignore that threat to concentrate on the situation in the North.

Arthur’s lack of striking power would have been noted by his enemies. The Picts and Scots could not advance on land as they would run the risk of being cut off from their homeland and starving to death.



Better to attack by sea, where they had a superior numbers and could strike where they wanted. I haven’t ruled out treachery either, with some of the Kings and Nobility jealous of Arthur’s success. What would be the future for their personal power and prestige ?. All this, and Medreut in the shadows————-.



GAME NOTES.

Those historians that have studied Arthur’s battles are split on wether this battle was on Hadrians Wall or within Wales. As far as I understand the situation, Hadrians Wall had, by this time, ceased to be of any military value. The forts along the wall had either fallen into disrepair or were occupied by small groups of locals.

I have gone with the latter conclusion, with Arthur’s headquarters being at Caerleon. King Iddon,s personal fortress being Carwent. Arthur must have lost this battle because Nennius puts Arthur’s next battle actually at Caerleon, therefore;

* The Scots-Irish and Picts retain the Initiative Point for the entire battle.

* The battle is played for 8 Game-Turns.

* The Scots and the Picts move first on the first Game-Turn.

* From Game Turns 2 to 8, both sides roll their die to determine who moves and fires first, who determines combat and wins any ties.

* I have represented the fort with a normal wall, my thinking being that although strong some decay would have set in. The wall itself counts as “ trench” for firing and close combat. The huts within the fort block movement and line-of-site..There may well have been the remains of a double ditch around the wall impeding movement.

* The winner, after 8 Game-Turns is the side that has lost the least number of stands.



CREDITS:

The Saxons, Scots-Irish and the majority of the Britons are Hat Industries figures. The Picts are from Redbox. Arthur, his Bucellari and his Veteran infantry and archers are from Newline Designs 20mm figures. The Boats are scratch built and the crew are Emhar Viking Ships crew.

The Picts and Scots standards were hand painted. Arthur’s standard and shield decals were from Little Big Man Studios.

The base cloth was from Deep Cut Studios. Some of the scenery tiles were made by Brian of Essex Miniatures supplemented by homemade ones consisting of two layers of cork tile. The trees were from various manufacturers one being Guagemaster.

The roads and rivers were of thin card. The stands were cut from picture framing card 40 x 40 mm square. The command stands are 40mm mdf and supplied by Minibits. The large mountains are made from blocks of roughed up packaging.

The buildings are from Peter Pig. The stone wall is from Alternative Armies.






Friday 5 June 2020

Roman Britain part 3: The Opposition.

As explained previously the Roman Army of Britain in the 4th Century suffered repeated raids from tribes on the periphery of Britannia.

The Picts:

This group of people lived North of Hadrians Wall  The Picts lived in the Central and Eastern part of  what is now Scotland. The Romans called the area Caledonia. At one stage the Romans tried to bring this area under their  control.

To do this the Antonine Wall was built, North of Hadrians Wall. This wall was made of turf. It was not held for long as the Romans realised that holding the territory was not gaining any advantage. Eventually, Hadrians Wall marked the Northern  boundary of Roman Britain.

As the Roman garrisons on the Wall were reduced the Picts saw their chance to launch raids into Roman territory.


The warriors themselves went into battle semi-naked, their bodies being tattooed in a blue dye.
Only the Chiefs wore any sort of armour if at all. More usually just a helmet. All the warriors carried a shield either square or round.


Only the Chiefs carried swords. The warriors carried a mix of javelins with either spears or axes. Some also carried long spears thus when they assumed a basic close order formation, the long spears would extend out over the front rank.

Some of the men may have been armed with crossbows and short bows..
The Picts used horses or ponies probably ridden by the nobles and their hearth troops.

The raiding parties could range from maybe 50 or 60 men up to 4,000 warriors for a serious attack. As previously stated, the Picts were also capable of mounting seaborne raids as well, using small ships carrying 50/60 men.

The Scots-Irish or "Scotti".

These people lived on the East Coast of Ireland ( known to the Romans as Hibernia ) and the West Coast of Scotland ( Caledonia).
 The warriors raided the coast of Wales, Devon and Cornwall. Wales was called Britannica Secunda. Devon and Cornwall together were known as Dumnonia which became part of the Roman Province of Britannica Superior.

The Scots-Irish were very much like the Picts with the same mix of weapons. The Scots-Irish were also known as the Del Riatta, " the people of the Chariot ".  I don't know if they were actually using chariots in this era. However in recent times some metal parts of chariot harness have been found in the North-East of England. Therefore personally I've gone in favour of a bit of colour and added some to my collection!.


These would be light chariots which in my own rules have a chance to avoid combat.
The Scots-Irish also had ships capable of carrying 50/100 men.

Both the Picts and the Scots-Irish were not enemies who were easy to beat, especially when allied to the terrain they operated in, which was a tangle of hills, valleys and forests.

Like the Picts, pitched battles were a rarity with guerrilla tactics being the norm. Warbands could be 30 to 50 individuals up to about 3 or 4,000 strong for a serious attack.

By about the 8th century ( I think?) both nations had amalgamated in Caledonia to become the Scots.

The Saxons ,Angles and Jutes.

These people were the ones who exercised the most influence over Roman Britain and its future history especially in England.

During the time of the Roman Empire these three nations shared the territory of Denmark, which if I understand correctly was called Himlingoje at this time.

By the 4th century there were groups of these people already living in this country. They had been bought in by the Roman army and settled here as Federated troops.

Update 25th August 2010
As stated in a previous article, any Angles, Saxons or Jutes in Britannia prior to 450AD would have been living within the military posts
They may have bought their families in with them or married into the local British population.

Most of the warriors were armed with shields and a long knife with a single edge called a seax. Throwing weapons were javelin and spears. Those warriors who were really poor carried a bow.


The Chieftains, apart from having swords and shields could also have had body armour.
On the continent, the Saxons lived in close proximity to the Frank's, so, there is a chance that the Saxons had horse-handling skills. They could also have used the throwing axe ( the fransisca ) and the spiculum ( a metal javelin akin to a pilum ).

Those warriors recruited into the Army would be armed with Roman equipment.

Like the Picts and Scots-Irish, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes were also capable seafarers.


These Germanic people were capable and loyal troops until the money ran out. There is a history of embezzlement in this and subsequent eras of the Late Empire.
Some Roman officers were retaining money that was supposed to go to the men.
There was also "dead mans pay" where Officers drew money for more men than they actually had!.

This was one of the reasons why, when someone like Maximus came along and looked after the troops they in turn would promote the General in his quest for Imperial power.


Frankish and Frisian Pirates.

As previously stated the "Saxon" raiders could have been Franks or Frisians. As they spoke a Germanic dialect the Britons could have just labelled them "Saxon" as the Romans did.

The Franks and Frisian when they came in as raiders sometimes allied themselves with the Picts. It would not be unusual to have Romano-Saxon troops fighting  these other tribesmen.


By the end of the 4th  century the situation in Britannia continued to get worse but luckily the Civil Administration continued to operate albeit in a ramshackle state!

There is a possibility that the Christian Decuriones ( the rich, land-owning Civil administrators ) paid some of the troops to protect their area and property, giving the rise to private armies. This was happening within other parts of the Empire.

The figures are mostly from Hat miniatures. The Scots-Irish chariots are Hat Miniatures Gaulish Chariots.  The chariot figures have different heads and shields. The Pictish Army is mix of Hat Saxons, Hat Gothic Cavalry, and Red Box Pict Infantry. The Saxons are a mix of Hat Goth Infantry and Miliart German Tribesmen.

 The Roman heavy cavalry are a mix of Roman, Sassanian and Parthian Heavy cavalry with changed heads. Some of the horses are Ceaser miniatures. The spears and lances are 28mm from North Star. All the Roman infantry are from Hat Late Roman Auxilliaries. The fortifications are scratchbuilt as are the boats. The stand are 40mm square picture framing cardboard. The round bases are 40mm mdf from Minibits.