Were viking monastery raids ever contested?

[Zaheer]

The title puts it in a nutshell really. I'd love to get around to making a few more 'celtic monastic' buildings eventually, but the historical pedant in me keeps asking whether there may reasonably have been any two-sided action in these locales. Did the monks fight back? Did they ever succeed in repelling the raiders? Were lay brothers present and might they have been used as security? Were secular forces ever involved on the monk's side? Of course, a little wiggle room is fine (and probably sought for) I do have some awareness of how bare the evidence of the period can be.

I apologise for the no-doubt naive questions, and look forward to any replies.

[traveller]

Well, at least in 794 they were repulsed when sacking the monastery at Wearmouth in Northumbria

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/durham/vol2/pp79-85#h3-0006

[Poiter50]

Local militia style forces were sent to track down raiders after they left the target.

[janner]

There is a lack of evidance to support 8th Century British monasticism being linked to militant Christianity, i.e. the monks seemed to have embraced a non-violent lifestyle. So I suggest sticking with troops from neighbouring villages and/or a mounted force (dismounting to fight) from a nearby royal garrison.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

I imagine most confrontations taking place in a monastery would be very one sided, and very quick. Of course, that's true for the majority of 'battles' in the Dark Ages. For every Clontarf or Maldon or Brunanburh, there would be thousands of small raids on vulnerable targets, where the defender stood no chance at all.

But those battles are a bit boring to represent on the table-top, so we sensibly make the assumption that the defenders have had enough notice to gather their forces and move to a suitable location for battle. In which case a monastery makes a perfect place to defend!

I say go for it, not least because your terrain buildings are always of an exceptional quality and I want to see more!

[Zaheer]

Haha, thank you Gracchus. Yes I think I'm convinced. I'll go back to them one day, we are lucky enough to have a big grey area to play in! Thanks for the replies everyone.

[Aaron]

Gripping Beast make armed monks in 25/28mm.

[Condottiere]

Those irascible Irish...

Raiding and Warrin in Monastic Ireland

[levied troop]

I imagine most confrontations taking place in a monastery would be very one sided, and very quick. Of course, that's true for the majority of 'battles' in the Dark Ages. For every Clontarf or Maldon or Brunanburh, there would be thousands of small raids on vulnerable targets, where the defender stood no chance at all.

But those battles are a bit boring to represent on the table-top............

There are some ways to make them a little more interesting.  Putting all players on the Viking side with the aim of maximising their personal loot, having one or two Viking players have the 'bully' brief where their success depends on beating up one other Viking player and stealing their loot to maximise their own personal prestige (your players may already have this trait of course  ), rampaging pigs/cattle running around with a random chance of crushing an unfortunate looter, running the monks as random/umpire controlled with a chance of ganging up on an isolated Viking, or the monk who's an ex-warrior/pyschopath, or the Saxon chief enjoying a quiet retreat who just happens to have his favourite Viking-slaying sword with him.  Adding drunken Vikings can also be a lot of fun.

[Dr. Zombie]

Or you could place the game post looting. With the Vikings having just "rescued" all the women and valuables from the burning buildings. When all of a sudden the Saxon rescue force shows up.

[YPU]

or the monk who's an ex-warrior/pyschopath, or the Saxon chief enjoying a quiet retreat who just happens to have his favourite Viking-slaying sword with him. 

For some reason now I'm imagining running this as a version of 7 samurai. Would be 7 knights then right. (actually one of them would secretly be peasant then) 

[jon_1066]

Or you could place the game post looting. With the Vikings having just "rescued" all the women and valuables from the burning buildings. When all of a sudden the Saxon rescue force shows up.

What kind of a monastery is this?  Those dirty monks!

[Dr. Zombie]

It could be a monastery filled with nuns in stead of munks...

Anyways it is a proud viking heritage to save women and valuables from burning buildings.

[OSHIROmodels]

I the longships were seen from a distance you could have a 'drip feed' of Saxons as the word goes out raiders are on the loose.

Anyways it is a proud viking heritage to save women and valuables from burning buildings.

 

cheers

James

[levied troop]

For some reason now I'm imagining running this as a version of 7 samurai. Would be 7 knights then right. (actually one of them would secretly be peasant then) 

The Magnificent Swein?