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Looking to pick the hive mind's ideas on what the Breton and Frankish wings looked like at Hastings for the Normans. Bring me your king!I’d argue not like that. Not sure there’s a huge amount of evidence for lamellar at Hastings. As far as I’m aware there would be very little difference between their appearance, arms or armour. Lots of wargamers distinguish between the Normans and their allies by giving them round shields although again I don’t think there’s much to suggest that this is accurate either.
In the 4th century the local Bretons of England fled the Angles invasion and later on the Saxons invasion fled to modern Brittany
Not quite.Whilst there were Britons in Roman service based in Armorica (modern Brittany) in the 4th Century and established trading ties between the West Country and the region, there is no evidence for a substancial migration until after the Roman withdrawal from the British Isles in the 5th Century. Similarly, aside for Germanic Auxilliaries and merchants, there is no evidence to support their migration to the British Isles until the 5th Century. There appear to have been two significant Briton waves to modern Brittany: one that coincided with the Roman withdrawal and a second, well over a century later, as the West Country came under 'germanic' pressure.Interestingly, the Tribal Hidage and other evidence indicates the Britons remained the dominant culture in, what is now, Cornwall and Devon as late of the 7th Century, possibly onto the 9th.
There was probably no difference in appearance between Bretons and Normans in the 11th century. Norman fashion in weapons shields armour and clothing etc. was overwhelming in the whole area which now is north-west France.The difference was more in tactics. Breton cavalry was renowned in the 9th century to avoid contact, fight with javelins and use feigned flight. There was probably still some remembrance of this at Hastings.
So how would you look to model this? Lighter armed troops with javelins rather than lances?
Janner, in retrospect you are quite right.