Stoke Field 1487

[UbiqueMatt]

Excellent conversions.

[Gangleri]

Well, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that in the tumult that followed my return from vacation I almost forgot what day it is.  June 16th is the anniversary of the Battle of Stoke Field.  So to commemorate the day I took a few photographs of the Yorkist army in its current state (not the best - I had to rush to catch the few minutes of sun we had).  I'd say it's about 50% complete. 


(More on the blog).

Far less that what many other members of this forum could have completed in the same length of time.  But I'm pleased all the same, despite the slow progress.  Needless to say, the kind comments and encouragement from all of you have helped keep me at it.

[Gangleri]

Hello, folks.

It's been a while since the last update, but I've been slowly (read: very slowly) but steadily working on the project.  Not all that many miniatures to show for my labors, but I'm very pleased with what I've produced.



That's the crossbowmen, Colonel Schwartz, and a few individually based men finished.

More on my blog.

[grant]

Stunning collection - very beautiful! 

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Brilliant Well done

[Atheling]

Brilliant Well done

Indeed. Really well done 

Darrell.

[Stuart]

Wow, some striking composition there and excellent work on the pavises, well done !

[Captain Blood]

A lovely mish-mash (in a really good way)
They look a proper rag-bag mercenary rabble.

[Atheling]

A lovely mish-mash (in a really good way)
They look a proper rag-bag mercenary rabble.

I'm not so sure that Mercenaries would have been such a

rag-bag mercenary rabble.

No more than the other soldiery that's for sure and likely to be better off and subject to the latest military fashions too.

Still, to take nothing away from the painting and modelling, these are beautifully done and they will look fantastic on the table top  

Darrell.

[TadPortly]

Lovely figures.

I've always been interested in Col. Schwarz - what source do you have for the flags/livery colours?

[Gangleri]

Thanks for all the kind words. You're all making me blush a bit    Seriously, I'd run out of steam on this project, so your flattering remarks are a nice pick-me-up.

No more than the other soldiery that's for sure and likely to be better off and subject to the latest military fashions too.

Yes, I agree.  I've tried to make them look a bit sharper and more uniform than the English - they all have at least a little of the Schwartz livery somewhere on their persons.

Speaking of which:

I've always been interested in Col. Schwarz - what source do you have for the flags/livery colours?

I don't have a source, actually.  I was unable to find any information on this topic, and so all of the colors/designs are basically my own invention, though grounded whenever possible in fact.

Black seemed like a natural choice for a man named Schwartz- this kind of heraldic punning was common, especially for "newly arrived" men (the white is there as a complement).  The red saltire is a reference to Margaret of Burgundy, who hired Schwartz for the expedition, and also matches the red Fitzgerald saltire that will appear on some of the Irish troops.  In addition, in the next century Landsknechts distinguished themselves from their Swiss rivals by slashing their garments with saltires instead of the Swiss cross, and the saltire is a little nod to the founding of the first Landsknecht regiments in 1487, the same year as Stoke Field.  There are a few yellow/black designs here and there as well, a reference to Schwartz's Imperial service.  His personal flag with the shoe is a variant on the arms of the Shoemakers' Guild (Schwartz's father was a shoemaker), and there are a few heraldic references to Augsburg, Schwartz's home city. 

I'm working on the last English banners now and hope to have something to show you all in a few days' time.

[Captain Blood]

I'm not so sure that Mercenaries would have been such a <rag bag mercenary rabble> No more than the other soldiery that's for sure and likely to be better off and subject to the latest military fashions too.

Darrell.

I stand corrected 

I didn't mean rag-bag as in ill-equipped or tatty - I meant variegated

[Arlequín]

Lovely work, a very impressive bunch! 

I've no idea about colours or heraldry, but Schwartz was not new on the scene. He had fought for Charles the Bold in 1475 and went into the service of Archduke Max after 1477. Schwartz carried Max's sword of state when he claimed his deceased wife's possessions in 1482. He took part in the assaults on the rebel towns of Alost and Nineveh at the head of Swiss and German mercenaries, and was with Max when Ghent surrendered in 1486. This was a man a bit more than a 'cobbler from Ausburg' turned soldier, but a seasoned professional and in almost continual employment over a twelve year period.

'Colonel' is a term applied later, it didn't exist back in 1487, unlike Oberst which did.

[Gangleri]

Here's the Earl of Lincoln, along with Lord Scrope of Masham.  I like to think Masham is just bringing Lincoln word of the arrival of the Royalist van.

Lovely work, a very impressive bunch! 

Thank you!

Schwartz was not new on the scene.

When, in my previous post, I called Schwartz "newly arrived," I was referring to his "heraldry," not to his military record.  Perhaps "self-made" would have been more precise.  The fact is that, having risen from a middling background to a position of some clout, he was probably able to select his own livery and emblems, and it seems reasonable that he might have punned his colors or badges on his name, as was common among newly ennobled men.  I hesitate to use the word "heraldry" in this case, since he was not to my knowledge properly armigerous, not having been knighted, but he was well-known and presumably wealthy enough to select a "uniform" of his own design.

[Arlequín]

Ah, I get you now... and yes it was common for 'heraldic' puns to be made with regard to badges and liveries etc. With 'black' featuring in mercenary circles quite a bit, I might bet a small amount of money that Schwartz would use black somewhere too.

By coincidence the de la Poles were originally wool merchants a couple of generations back too.