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.

Roman Britain part 2; The Roman Army in the 4th Century

I am no historian, and this article is my own interpretation of events during this turbulent era.

As previously stated, units of the Roman Army were gradually withdrawn from Britain to fight on the Continent. As the  domestic situation deteriorated, the ruling pro-Roman elite decided to leave the towns and make for their fortified villas in the country.

Although most of the fighting troops had been withdrawn, it's seems that some were left to put up a defense against the gangs of bandits and deserters, the Warbands of Scots-Irish,( the Del-Riata) and Picts along with bands of Franks and Frisians.

Addendum July 8th 2020:

 As mentioned in a previous article my own belief is that the "Saxon" raiders could have been Frankish or Frisian Pirates.
The Franks and Saxons detested each other. There were Saxon Federated troops already in Britannia at this time. I have read that, there is very little archeological evidence of Saxon settlement in Britannia during this period, and prior to 450AD. Therefore I’m assuming that any Saxons, Angles or Jutes were posted within Roman military forts.

The Forces Involved.

This is a bit of a tough one. There is  information available on regular units for this era but not actual numbers, so this is my best guess.

Cavalry;
There was only one formation that stayed in Britain. This was the Ala Petriana. It was based near Carlisle ( Luguvalium on the map ) at a fort on Hadrians Wall ( Uxelodunum ).

There was also a fort at Verbeia ( Ilkley) which contained a cataphract cavalry unit. This could have been  a unit detached from the main Petriana Ala.

The original formation was 1000 men but by the time of the 4th century that number could have been half or less. My own estimate is 300 to 500 men, tending toward the lower figure. I also think this unit would probably have ended up at Eboricum ( York). There may have been other Cavalry formations but they were only stationed in Britannia for a short while.

When the unit first came to Britain they may have been composed of armoured cavalry. As time went on the armour may have become lighter in order to become more mobile. Also, in campaigning it may have been the experience that less armour was required against lighter armed opponents.

In regard to weapons, it seems that the cavalrymen were well trained in the use of the lance, spears, javelin and bow. Therefore any cavalry you have in your collection will fit the bill.

The Prefect of the Ala was the Senior Prefect within the Roman Army in Britain. Some of the cavalry unit may have been taken to Gaul but it is not known wether this transfer took place if at all

The Heavy Infantry.

In the early days of the Empire there were six Legions based in Britain and involved in campaigns against the tribes. These were;
2nd Legion Augusta,
2nd Legion Adiutrix,
6th Legion Victrix,
9th Legion Hispana,
14th Legion Gemini,
20th Legion Valeria.

Three of these Legions ( or sub-units of these formations ) were still in Britain during the 4th  century;

The 2nd Augusta. Based at Rutupiae. ( Richborough ).
The 6th Victrix.  Based at Eboricum. ( York )
The 20th Valeria. Based at Deva, (Chester ) with some units at Camuludunum. ( Slack near Huddersfield ).

Originally of 4/5000 men these unit numbers would have been changed under the Diocletion reforms. The original number was reduced to 2000 men per Legion. This number could have been weakened more by Imperial claimants taking troops back to Gaul.

The Auxilliaries;

Originally drawn from all over the Empire and coming in with the Legions, up to 30,000 Auxiliary  infantry served in Britain. These were organised into Cohorts of 500 infantrymen and armed with bows, slings, javelin and spears. Most of these infantry were also withdrawn leaving roughly 7000 men still manning their posts.

Citizen Qualification:

This was a major influence on the organisation of the Roman Army. In 212AD all Freemen within the Empire became Citizens. The difference between Legionary and Auxilliary disappeared and every man was a " Peditatus"or Infantryman. The Cavalrymen were always known as Equites.

The Later Army.

The Army was now divided in half. One half was the Field Army ( the Commitatenses ) which engaged in mobile operations. The other half was the Limitanii. These were used as static units to defend the borders.

There has been a debate over the years about the quality and armament of these border troops, but recent thinking has decided that these men were just as well trained as the field troops.

Some of the Limitanii may well have been experienced veterans retired from the Field Army.

These men also had access to the equipment when required. On most occasions they went up against lightly armed raiders with at most a shield. Therefore, a shield and helmet were all that was needed. Body armour (mail or leather ) was available if more serious fighting was intended. The large heavy shield was dispensed with in favour of a smaller round or oval shield more suited for dispersed fighting in woodland.

Therefore all the Infantrymen of the 2nd, 6th and 20th would have been Limitanii style infantry. Their main weapon is still the famous Pilum, the weighted heavy javelin used by all Roman Infantry since the early days of the Republic. However this weapon was now gradually being replaced with the Verutum ( a spear that could be thrown or used in close combat ), and the Spiculum, an all-metal javelin similar to the pilum.

There was also the Plumbata or martiobarbouli This was a small weighted dart, 4 of which were clipped behind the shield.

The Peditus were also trained in the use of bows and slings. Therefore your Cohort could have four stands all armed differently.

Troop totals;

Taking into account the above numbers, the reforms and Rebellions I estimate 13,000 infantry and  1000 cavalry. I think the Cavalry would have been  kept at full strength as long as possible. Without good quality remounts being available the Ala would have slowly lost its strength.

Note: Between 367AD and 372AD, Count Theodosius The Elder was made Comes Britannarium and sent to Britannia by the Emperor Valentinian with a force of 4 units. Not a great deal is known of the exact composition, but it was either Cohorts or Ala or a mix of both Cavalry and Infantry. As both types were of approximately 500 men, that would make this force about 2000 strong.

At one point Magnus, during 383 to 390, while still attempting to take the Purple, was forced to send back a Legion plus cavalry to Britannia. This force was led by the Comes Gallium with the name of Vallio. Although successful he was assassinated so that he could not threaten Maximus.

At this time the Penine and Welsh forts were abandoned, with the 20th Legion being withdrawn from Glevum. There is a possibility that Eboricum became more prominent as a central base for the Romano British forces.


Troop command.

During this era the Provinces were subdivided to reduce any Provincial Governers chances of gathering a large army. Next,command of army units were taken out of the hands of local Governors and retained within the Army. There were two Senior Commands in Britannia ;

The Dux Brittanarium; He commanded units in the North and East
The Comes Litoris Saxonici; The Count of the Saxon Shore. He commanded the units stationed in the South and South-East of the country.( The Romans may have used the word “ Saxon “ as a broad description for any Germanic tribes, therefore Frisian and Frankish pirates being “ Saxon” hence The Saxon Shore.)

The Dux Brittanarium was the Senior of the two. There are two that are known of;

Fullofaudes. He met his end during the Great Barbarian Conspiracy.
His replacement, Dulcitius carried on the command.

How long these two men were in charge during the 4th century is not known.

The Count of the Saxon Shore; one was Nectaridus. He was also killed during the Conspiracy but his replacement is unknown. When Theodosius the Elder  came to Britannia he may have taken over command.

The troops themselves were organised into 500 man Cohorts led by a Prefect or Tribune. The word “ Cohort" was gradually changing to “ Numerus”.

Suggested scale of troops;

Using the Table Top Battles system;

1,000 cavalry = 1 point x 2 = 1 stand of cavalry @ 2 points.

13,000 infantry = 13 points x 2 = 26 points =

 4 armoured infantry @ 3 points = 12 points.

4 stands of unarmoured infantry @ 2 points each = 8 points.

4 stands of unarmoured archers @ 1 point each = 4 points.

2 Command stands @ 1 point each = 2 points.

Total = 28 points.
The infantry composition can be changed by withdrawing the armoured infantry for lighter armed troops. The cavalry can be upgraded to 3points if you withdraw 1 General. The Cavalry always remains at one stand.

Alternatively; A stand is equal to roughly 25 to 75 men; with four stands equalling a unit. A 1 point stand equals 25 men. A 2 point stand equals 50 men. A 3 point stand equals 75 men.

As you can see by the photos the 4 stand unit is the one I am using ( the practical reason being, that you get a lot of plastic in a box!!) but I still use a mix of individual stands in an “ ad hoc” arrangement if required. The 3 point stand is the “ heaviest” available in Britannia in this Era.

That's the end of this chapter. The figures are 20mm Hat figures with some Newline designs 20mm metal. The map was hand drawn by myself with info gleaned from The Ordinance Survey map of Roman Britain.