German Men at Arms at Poitiers

Before I left on vacation, I was able to get a start on my Poitiers project.  I began working on the vanguard infantry.  The vanguard was led by Constable Brienne and was the only combined arms command at the battle.  There were the two mounted units led by Audrehem and Clermont, a significant number of crossbowmen, and a fair number of dismounted knights and men at arms. It's also likely that the crossbowmen were divided between Genoese mercenaries and feudal levies each fighting on a wing of the command.  Also divided were the men at arms, divided between a foreign contingent of Germans led by the Count of Saarbruck and some Scots, and French knights.

I've painted up my German command.  The figures are Old Glory from the Crecy and Poitiers range.  These are the French dismounted knights with shortened lances combined with the command figures from the same range.  They are relatively easy to paint.  The figures wear the jupon over their armor, which often makes painting the heraldic emblem a little difficult navigating around various arms.

The flags were printed off a color laser printer.   They are available free from Dansk Figurspilsforenings, a Danish miniature wargame site.  The site itself is in Danish, however there are many high quality flags available for download including AWI, ACW, the Crusades, later middle ages and others.  They also include a fine collection from the Hundred Years War, including specific standards/banners from Crecy, Poitiers and miscellaneous French, English and Gascon flags, as well as those from the guilds of Ghent, and the kingdom of Aragon.  I like my banners visible, so I left 'em big.  They are mounted on Northstar lances, shortened for the occasion.

Poitiers: Les Crapauds

That's not a very fair title.  Of course, I am English speaking.  Oh well.  For all those French speakers out there, I apologize.

Poitiers map showing the consecutive advances of the French divisions, allowing their numerical superiority to be squandered.

Unfortunately the French in 1356 were not blessed with dynamic leadership on the battlefield at Poitiers.  King Jean II responded to Prince Edward's chevauchee through Poitou by calling for the arriere ban, summoning his nobles and local militia to him.  Though he dismissed a great many of the more poorly equipped dross, he cornered Anglo/Gascon force near the important town of Poitiers. He proceeded to throw his army away in a series of uncoordinated attacks that tested English resolve, but ultimately wrecked his army, led to his capture and the economic and political humiliation of his country.

Green estimates the strength of the French at Poitiers as follows:

8,000 knights and men at arms
2,000 crossbowmen
5-6000 light infantry.  These could be a collection of the rather nice OG militia, halberdiers, pavisiers with spears.  They lack arms, armor and most of all motivation.

The French were divided into several divisions including a mounted contingent.  As you can see the French seriously outnumber the English, according to Green, some 15-16,000 against one that maxes out at 8,000.  Historically the size of the French army was estimated as much larger, perhaps as many as 30,000.  As Anne Curry (in Agincourt: A New History) has suggested, however, this is likely apocryphal-English mythmaking.  Armies this large were simply too large to maintain in the field, and many of the troops, local levies, simply more trouble than they were worth.  

Scottish knight William Douglas rides to his doom with the Marshals of France.

For game purposes, I will follow the same rules I laid down for the English.  Knights and men at arms are mounted four to a 50mm X 50mm base.  Light infantry and crossbowmen are three to a base with skirmishy types mounted two to a stand. One stand of infantry represents approximately 100 men.  Cavalry are mounted two to a base and 50 men.

Vanguard-The French vanguard represents the opening cavalry charges by the Marshals and the first infantry assault that closely follows their charge.
Marshal Audrehem: 4-5 stands mounted knights
Marshal Clermont: 4-5 stands mounted knights
Vanguard foot under Constable Brienne:
Knights and men at arms (includes a German contingent under the Duke of Sarrbruck and others)
12-15 stands
Light inantry:  5-8 stands
Crossbowmen: 15 stands

1st Division (Dauphin Charles)
Knights and men at arms: 20 bases (includes at least two bases of Scots led by William Douglas)
Light infantry: 10 bases

2nd Division: Duke of Orleans.  These guys were not happy campers, with at least half the division drifting away before their attack.  This division may never have contacted the English.
Knights and men at arms: 10-20 bases
Light infantry 10-20 bases

3rd Division: King Jean
Knights and men at arms: 30-35 bases.  20 of the bases should be elite
Light infantry: 15-20 bases
Crossbowmen: 5-6 bases

In this fanciful picture, King John is captured by the Black Prince.

As you can see, by simply counting the bases, the French are considerably larger than the English.  The facts of the battle are simply that the French failed to combine their disparate divisions to swamp the English/Gascon defenders.  However, it is clear from all accounts the English took many losses along the way, and were worn down by the constant fighting. The appearance of Jean's massive division was dispiriting when it appeared, advancing on the defeneses. 

Order of Battle for Poitiers: The English

James Audley's banner appears with the Black Prince's battle at Poitiers.

Poitiers is one of the big three battles from the Hundred Years War.  Big three because it was one of the decisive English victories, the other two being Crecy in 1346 and Agincourt in 1415.  There are other important English victories, and some big French victories, but we mostly forget them because we speak English and in these battles the French, to put it politely, got their asses kicked-hard, many times.

Of these battles, Poitiers may be the most important, the least remembered, the most unusual, and the most interesting to game. At Crecy and Agincourt, the French behave incredibly stupidly and are annihilated in a storm of arrows.  On horseback at Crecy (so the wounded horses aid the archers in dispatching their riders) and on foot in the mud at Agincourt. At Poitiers the French again behave stupidly, but there aren't so many archers or so many arrows as at the other battles, so it takes on more of a medieval slogging match. There's a mounted charge, an off board flanking movement, the King of France is captured, "humiliations galore" to quote Inigo Montoya. But it didn't have to be that way

Old Glory Welsh spearmen carrying the sometimes lethal Northstar spears. These will be light infantry

Lots more to write about the battle, but there are many better print accounts if you are interested, including some of very recent vintage.  Christian Teutsch's 2010 reinterpretation of the battle

VICTORY AT POITIERS: The Black Prince and the Medieval Art of War is on my birthday list.  However no book can be handier for the wargamer than David Green's The Battle of Poitiers, 1356. This 2002 account provides information about the battle, the composition of forces and the leading characters.  There is even a section on wargaming Poitiers.  A few not terribly useful color plates and some maps, make this a worthwhile purchase. Unfortunately, it's not currently in print, but can be had used for about ten bucks.  One more book that is quite useful if you can lay your hands on a copy is Don Featherstone's guide to gaming the battle, Poitiers, 1356.  Published in 1976, as one of the Knights Battle series, it's also a handy guide to the action, though not as well guided by recent scholarship.  Featherstone included a set of very playable rules I'll hope to adapt over to my game. Is available quite cheap used.

I currently have 12 painted stands of English knights and men at arms.  I only need 18-28 more!!

Poitiers is not a small battle, and the French army is especially large.  I've chosen to recreate the battle in approximately 1:25. 50mm square Infantry bases with 2-4 28mm figures to a stand equal about 100 men. Though there isn't much cavalry at this battle, I'm counting two figures on a 50mm square base as 50 figures.  I'm more interested in counting bases than I am figures.  You'll see the required number of bases is pretty big, so I've decided to use Old Glory figures.  Their Crecy and Poitiers range is quite acceptable.  I acquired quite a few figures a few years ago, but I'll need more.  My target is to have both sides painted for the anniversary in 2016.  To have any hope of finishing this and Bladensburg, however, I've begun painting now. 

According to David Green, the English army is composed of the the following troop types: 

3,000-4,000 knights and men at arms.

2,500-3,000 archers

1,000 light troops

The English order of battle is pretty straightforward.  The English army is divided into three commands: 

The vanguard is commanded by the earls of Warwick and Oxford, and includes the Gascon noble, the Captal de Buch.  According to Green, this command consists of 500 men at arms, 500 light infantry, and 1000+ archers.  For my purposes this will equal out to the following: 

6-8 stands of dismounted knights and men at arms.

5-6 stands of light infantry (these could be Welsh spearmen, Breton bidets or Gascon militia types)

12-15 stands of longbowmen (though the case could be made these could include some Gascon crossbowmen. 

As a note, these should also include three stands of mounted knights that delivered the final crushing flank attack against King Jean's division.  

The center is commanded by the Prince of Wales.  Many of his favorite retainers are included in this division, such as Sir John Chandos, Sir James Audley and Sir Reginald Cobham. This force totals some 2,000+ men at arms.  I plan to build them as: 

20-25 stands of dismounted knights and men at arms.  I'll likely split the stands into several smaller commands. 

The rearguard is commanded by the Duke of Suffolk. His command is similar to the  vanguard. I'll represent them as follows: 

6-8 stands of dismounted knights and men at arms

5-6 stands of light infantry

12-15 stands of longbowmen.  

One further consideration when fighting this battle.  When the action entered it's terminal phase, and King Jean's final battle was wavering and beginning to retreat, there is some suggestion that some of the English knights and men at arms ran to their horses and managed a charge against the French.  I don't know how much of this is true and I'm anxious to read Teutsch's account to see what he suggests. If you wish to include this, there might need to be a an English mounted contingent to replace some of the dismounted knight stands.