Saturday, June 25, 2011

Swedish Allmoge Units

Here are some pictures of my Rebel/Swedish 1460´s army so far... A commander and 4 units of Allmoge soldiers under command of different Nobles. Most of the text below about the Swedish "army" during the Kalmar Union period has been whriten by my friend Ulf for a DBM army list...

Sweden had never really implemented feudalism and the commoners i.e.Allmoge had quite extensive legal rights and political agendas of their own. The Swedish nobles were a wilful lot and very keen on the King not getting too powerful. Efforts by the Union to extract more taxes and to modernize the country at the expense of traditional rights and privileges met with stiff resistance.

Sweden was almost continuously at war. Various factions either curried favour with the Union monarch or rebelled against him. The result was a confusing series of wars between factions vying for power while supporting or rejecting the Union King.




The Allmoge in each region (‘Landskap’, roughly the equivalent of an English county) to a large extent made their own decisions and frequently found themselves fighting against the Allmoge of other regions.

The Union King, usually a Dane or German, responded to rebellions by sending an army bolstered by lots of mercenaries. He also always tried to lure Swedish nobles over to his side. Rebellions could be very successful militarily, but infighting among factions meant that the country always returned to recognizing a Union King after political compromise, treachery and/or the odd murder.






The Swedish armies of this period differed quite a lot from most other European forces. Royal power was weak and there were always very few knights and other mounted troops. Instead the armies were dominated by the Allmoge troops, who were surprisingly effective. At their best (in the 1430s to the 1480s) the Allmoge infantry gave a very good account of themselves.

Their Achilles-heel was the lack of higher level leadership and the difficulty of keeping the armies in the field for long periods. The Allmoge were farmers, not professional soldiers, and simply went home for harvest, etc. This led to quite a bit of campaigning in winter, when farmers have some free time.



No known Swedish army of the period could deploy more than a couple thousand mounted troops in total, the overwhelming majority of other troops were Allmoge, with a few mercenaries (artillery specialists, for example) sometimes available.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Midsummer in Sweden...

Happy Midsummer:)

Today it is Midsummereve here in Sweden, here are a little IKEA film about the Swedish Midsummer...not realy;)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

House of Sture

Today we have some Allmoge commande by a real main character in the struggle for the Swedish crown in the 1460´s... Sten Gustavsson from the House of Sture or more known as Sten Sture (the Elder, nowerdays not back them...)

Sten Sture will develop to the Commander in Chief of the Swedish rebel forces and lead them in open battle with the Union/Danes in the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471. The Victory at Brunkeberg made it possible for him to remain in place as regent for another 26 years.

Now I will paint some more units for the Union/Danish side, and then have me my first small game with them...The Battle of Helgeandsholmen in 21 August 1463... I hope that I have managed to paint all the minis I need for that battle until the 548 years anniversary... its a Sunday so it should be possible to get a game together at the club:)











Monday, June 20, 2011

Swedish Traditional Fence

Can´t game in the Swedish 15th century and not have some traditional Swedish fence,; "Gärsgård"...Roundpole fence in english...

I built my fences of barbequesticks in 12cm sections. made 10 sections so far...might make me 10 more...


A roundpole fence on my way to the Haraker Church.


4 sections of roundpole fence and my fence template...

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Stockholm Medieval Museum

Last Weekend I visited the Stockholm Medieval Museum...not the first time;)

The museum are built around a excavation site in central stockholm, so inside the museum they have large sections of the city wall and other stuf they found during the excavation in the 80´s.

The focus are of course the medieval history of Stockholm, and they have a realy good and cheap (80sek/$14/£8/€10) Museum Guid Book that not only describe the museum but give a good context of the Swedish medieval history.

It might be possible to order the book from the museum shop, through a e-mail to: butiken.medeltidsmuseet@stockholm.se , Ask for the Book called: "The Museum of Medieval Stockholm. A guide through the new permanent exhibition as a presentation of the medieval history of Stockholm. English version.

It realy is a nice museum with a good shop and it is free entrance:)

Here are some pictures.


Model showing Stockholm about 1500. You can clearly se the Castle "Tre Kronor" in the uper left part of the mail island.


1:1 Model of the City gates.


House or Church under construction, In the museum they have buils several Medieval style houses.


A old artillery piece.


Knight and Allmoge soldier, with some Banners from some of the Swedish Houses in the back ground.


Model of a House inside Stockholm, the House was destroyd in a fire.


28mm minis:) On theirs way to the Battle of Brunkeberg 1471...

Friday, June 17, 2011

House of Natt och Dag

One more unit of Swedish Allmoge this time under command of Nils Bosson Sture from the House of Natt och Dag.

During the civil wars in the 1460´s Nils Bosson Sture manage to get support and lead the belligerent Allmoge from Darlecarlia to he´s cause against the Union King.


Coat of Arms for the House of Natt och Dag.











Thursday, June 16, 2011

Nostalgia

Last weekend I and my 2 children was to the Stockholm Medieval Museum. On our way we watched the Royal Life Guard on theirs way to the Royal Palace for the change of the guards.

About 20 years agoe I did my military service at the Royal Life Guard and did ride to the Royal Palace dress in these uniforms...

Pictures from the Medieval Museum by the end of the week...


First you have the Royal Dragoon Trumpet Corps...


And then the Royal Life Guard...

In the background you can see the Royal Opera.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Medieval Scandinavian History

I just got my hands on a quite nice book about Scandinavian History from 800-1500 IN ENGLISH :D

I haven´t read it all but it seems quite nice and a real good overwiev of the Medieval Scandinavian History it cover quite a bit...but no focus on war, battles or fancy battlemaps...

Medieval Scandinavia
from Conversion to Reformation
circa 800-1500
By Birgit and Peter Sawyer


Later Kalmar Union War army list for Basic Impetus

Here are on request;) a first draft of a Later Kalmar Union War army list for basic Impetus. Covering the period of 1497 the The Danish King Hans managed to retake the Swedish Throne, and all wars between the Union/Danish followers ant the Swedish Rebells up to 1523 and the Coronation of Gustav I from the House of Vasa as Swedish King and the end of the Kalmar Union.

The Changes from the early period are thar the Danish German mercenarys now have developed in to true Landsknechts and that the Swedish Allmoge have extended the use of Longer Spears to be able to meet the charge of Knights in the open...

Monday, June 13, 2011

Haraker Church

Last weekend I had the opportunety to passby the church of Haraker, and the battlefied of 1464...

Realy nice to be working on a painting project there you can visit the actual sites.


View of the Church from the North, i.e. The Rebells view they had the Hälla Forest in the Back.


The Union/Danish View from the Church looking north against the Rebells and the Hälla Forest.


From the Church looking west against Svartån (The Black stream)


The stone wall that surround the Church was used in the danish deffence. In 1464 it was higher, at least 1.5m but might have been up to 2m high.


How the Church looks today after a major rebuild in the 18th century.


A drawing of the Haraker Church early 18th century, before the big rebuild.

The first stone Church was built in the 14th century, but there have probably been a wooden church here already in the 12th century, as the oldest effects are a sandstone baptismal font from the 12th century.

In the second part of the 15th Centary the church got a new internal stone ceiling with external support columsn and a bell tower. I will probably build my church during the reconstrution and building of the bell tower in the 1460´s.


The sandstone baptismal font from the 12th century and The Rosery Madonna from the 15th century.


Wooden sculptur of the Saint Olof standing on the troll Skalle.


The 15tn century ceiling.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

House of Bonde

Here are unit of Swedish Allmoge milita under command of Bo Djure from the House of Bonde. Bo Djure was the cousin of the deposed Swedish King Charles VIII Knutsson from the House of Bonde.

I will ofcourse make a command stand for the King Charles, as after the rebellion in 1464 he was reinstalled as king for the 2:nd time...

at least for a couple of month...

until Swedish Nobles, among others the Bishop Kettil Karlsson and the newly released Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson, this time allied with their former enemy the Union/Danish King Christian I managed to depose him again...











Bo Djure one of King Charles closest relatives and allied during the 1460:s Swedish Civil War.

The banner are based on King Charles Coat of Arms as the real Coat of Arms for the House of Bonde have reversed colours, i.e. Yellow background and a Red Boat...

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

2nd Hail Caesar game...

Last monday I and Björn played our 2nd Hali Caesar game. We played a scenario I writeh inspired of the Battle at Iberia in 215BC that was a part of the Punic war between the Romans and the Carthaginians. You can see Björns AAR at our clubforum.

The rules work fine, and we made less mistakes this time:) But we discovered that we should have used 2/3 of all ranges for weapons and movment etc. as we used such a small table i.e. 120x180mm, will do it next time;)


Set up


Björn have made several maps over the battle.


Roman Legioners advancing against the thined out Carthaginian center...


Roman Legioneres with Psilo support had a hard fight against the Carthaginian Hoplites...


Carthaginian Elephant...didn´t do much this day...