My Early Henrician 15mm army (WIP) - Whole army shots with scenery P.3. Feb 16

[Ockius]

I just mentioned it for pleasure, actually the Bretons were already fighting on the French side since a few years, as before at the famous (um, probably famous only locally) naval battle of St-Matthieu in 1512.

Thanks, you’ve given me some more things to research!

[Ockius]

More mercenaries - some arquebusiers.

These are by Museum, like the majority of the pikemen. They are lovely to paint; the detail is so clear and they are made for contrast paints, which make light work of all the slashes and folds.

Henry also had some English arquebusiers, who I might try to represent later, if I can find the right models.

[Ockius]

Back to the homegrown soldiery with some heavy infantry Yeomen of the Guard.
Models by Khurasan.

I really like these models. They are wearing 'Almain rivet' armour, probably imported from Germany, and carrying continental style halberds, and wearing more modern, 'fashionable' clothes than the general line infantry. As far as I can tell, they were a sort of professional or at least semi-professional core to the mostly levy army.

Carrying the Earl of Northumberland's standard (or is it a banner? I remember reading that there was a difference, but cannot remember what it was)

Just three bases of them finished but more to come.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Nice work - not only were there English arquebusiers, but a majority of the Yeomen of the Guard appear to have been so armed.  I learned that from Stuart Mulligan who has the Army Royal blog site and has posted on here about his own Henrician army in 28mm.

[Ockius]

Nice work - not only were there English arquebusiers, but a majority of the Yeomen of the Guard appear to have been so armed.  I learned that from Stuart Mulligan who has the Army Royal blog site and has posted on here about his own Henrician army in 28mm.

Thanks Baron,
Yes I think I originally learnt about them on one of your posts on the Slitherine site! It is in many ways quite a niche army, so there are only so many people talking about it online, so I think I've read most of the conversation about it by now 

I get quite a bit of my info from the Osprey book on Henry VIII's army, but have also read around the topic elsewhere. There's a good resource for free at the moment here if you have the inclination to read Tudor English - lots of Henry's state papers summarised or transcribed, so you get a real insight into the fine detail of what went on https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol1

[Ockius]

The first of the artillery.

I don’t know much about artillery of that time, so not sure what type of gun this is - an older fashioned sort I think from the hoops around the barrel.

All models from Old Glory. They are dressed in quite German style, which fits as Henry brought over gunners from Germany and the Low Countries. I’ll also get hold of some more English looking ones too eventually.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Ockius - apologies if it sounded like I was trying to teach granny to suck eggs!  As you say, there isn't a lot about this army on t'interweb, so it stands to reason anyone keen to learn more will have absorbed pretty much everything on-line.  Thanks for the link, which I was not aware of - I'll be spending much of today having a look at that.

[Ockius]

Ockius - apologies if it sounded like I was trying to teach granny to suck eggs!  As you say, there isn't a lot about this army on t'interweb, so it stands to reason anyone keen to learn more will have absorbed pretty much everything on-line.  Thanks for the link, which I was not aware of - I'll be spending much of today having a look at that.

Not at all, the info is very much appreciated. As I said, I have learnt some of my stuff from reading your own posts!
Didn’t mean to sound arrogant or miffed or anything myself. Limitations of typed communication and all that!

If you know anything that runs counter to anything in my portrayal of the army then I like to hear it, as it’s partly a research experience

[Stuart]

Impressed with the effort and also the range of suitable figures which isn’t quite the case in 28mm.

It’s a tiny thing but the YOTG weren’t under the Earl of Northumberland and being a royal guard carried one of the standards associated with the monarch such as the royal arms, st George, the trinity and Edward the confessor.

Hope that helps and keep it up !

Stuart

[Stuart]

Here’s the breakdown of the army of the french campaign in 1513

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol1/pp918-940

All 600 YOTG with the king ‘bearing his standard’ presumably the royal arms or the livery banner but equally possible that it could be the others I mentioned. They included gunners which might be fun to replicate.

Northumberland’s retinue is 500 for which he orders a similar number of sets of almain rivet which is interesting as most were archers. He had a 50 man guard included within this and armed in that manner with halberd. Though note they weren’t YOTG. That said their appearance would have been as you’ve represented them.

You could do a base of YOTG with different banners do you could do both.

[Ockius]

Impressed with the effort and also the range of suitable figures which isn’t quite the case in 28mm.

It’s a tiny thing but the YOTG weren’t under the Earl of Northumberland and being a royal guard carried one of the standards associated with the monarch such as the royal arms, st George, the trinity and Edward the confessor.

Hope that helps and keep it up !

Stuart

Thanks for that info. I did wonder about the issue of the banners - I had got a delivery with the Northumberland banner, got excited and stuck it straight on without thinking it through. I will however use your info in the other post and put this stand in a different unit to be his retinue, and use the King's standard (which I now have too, courtesy of the excellent Pete's Flags) for the Yeomen of the Guard.

The link to the army breakdown is really good - I hadn't actually read that page.

I wonder if you have any idea what the 'strangers horsemen' are? They're mentioned a few times in considerable numbers (800 at one point, and that may only be part of the total).

Also interesting was this: "pikes of the Lord Lisle, 900; pikes of the Duke of Buckingham, 100; pikes of the Lord Burgany, 100". I had been wondering whether there were English pikes this early, but here's my answer. I have a few figures in mind for them too, so that's another unit to eventually make!

[Stuart]

‘Strangers’ were basically mercenaries. In that campaign they were Burgundian heavy cavalry employed to fill that deficiency in England at that time - something that continues throughout Henry’s reign.

A great book in that subject is Tudor Mercenaries and Auxiliaries by Gilbert John Millar.

Yep, the pike reference is from what I can gather, the first effort at home grown pike in England. The nobles whose retinues include them were some of the richest who could afford to equip and arm them.

Henry also employed landsknecht pike and shot who get a mention in dispatches during this campaign but the English pike don’t so the conclusion is they saw no action. Most of it during that campaign was cavalry, artillery and bows.

On artillery get yourself some organ guns as they were in the arsenal en masse.

All the best

Stuart

[Patrice]

In that campaign they were Burgundian heavy cavalry

Interesting... That would mean from some part of the "Burgundian Circle" of the Holy Roman Empire (as the Duchy of Burgundy had diseappeared)...

[Stuart]

They were provided for hire by Maximilian, he did very well from the Tudor treasury in that alliance.

Though indeed from Maximilian’s HRE they’re distinctly referred to as Burgundians by the English throughout which would indicate an origin in the Low Countries.

[Ockius]

Thanks for the info l, Stuart. My Burgundian men at arms are yet to reach the painting desk, and I’m still working out which models to use for them as I’ve ended up with some rather mismatched horse sizes across the makes I’ve sampled so far.
Likewise with the Border Horse / Staves, who will probably be produced first.