"Cumans" Topic

Ok, since I am building lots of DBA armies in 28mm over the next two years… I am wanting 28mm Cumans.

My go to expert tells me about the cuman cap (13th century) and I need lots of light horse – and I don't see any in 28mm

anyone got any suggestions?

I am also looking for Polovtsy figures as well…

1st Corps have a pack of Pecheneg horse archers, i believe they were an offshoot of the Cumans.

I think Old Glory have Cumans in their Medieval range.

Essex has two light horse and two foot in their Crusader range, plus a Pecheneg in their Asiatic range.

Yes, Essex and Old Glory has a bag in their 'Mongols in Europe" range. Here is one Essex link and another one Essex: link

Unfortunately, I have no Old Glory ones…

Is the Cuman cap like that worn by the Cuman in the Fresco of the Velka Lomnica church, Slovakia, around 1317 and the Cuman in All Saints' Roman Catholic Church of Bijacovce (Szepesmindszent), Slovakia, second half of the 14th or first quarter of the 15th century
or in The Saint Ladislaus legend in the Képes Krónika, 1360 or Cumans in the Church of Rimavska Bana (Rimabánya), Slovakia, after 1375?

Druzhina
Hungarian Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Or maybe both?

Could we rule out that those "Cuman" caps are representations of an unknown type of cap based on the artist's knowledge of caps, and thus using a known form of cap?

Couldn't it be that Cuman caps looked like the usual Turkish cap, such as Mongol caps (and Hun caps before them)? You know, upturned brim, pointed, sometimes furry…

In such a case, Fireforge steppe (light) cavalry could work as Cumans, although maybe the saddles should be reworked (they are the rounded Mongol types).

Dogged, there were still plenty of Cumans in 14th-century Hungary so there seems no reason that Druzhina's Hungarian artists shouldn't have known what their caps looked like.

By their very position on the steppes the Cumani traded and fought with the Russians, Byzantines, Bulgars and Hungarians amongst others so making them all look the same is not really accurate, they would wear whatever they thought so in reality any light cavalry from the area would do. As they were steppe nomads, the light cavalry all carried bows with the odd lance or spear, so from a figure point of view I would suggest a mix of Pechenegs, Khazars and Arabs with the occasional Hun and/or Mongol figure for even more variation.

I'm with Duncan, there are loads of consistent images and descriptions that suggest that the cap was widely worn throughout the tribal confederations who made up the Pecheneg,Cuman, Qypchaq/Kipchak.

Tom..

Maddaz111 isn't asking for the cap worn by everyone else, but asks for the "Cuman cap".

Are these "loads of consistent images and descriptions" contemporary or modern? For possible Pechenegs see top of a Byzantine Ivory Casket, 11-12th Centuries A steppe nomad may choose any headwear but groups tend to self-identify by wearing similar costume. The group may be as small as a clan. This costume can change over time.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

#Druzhina. Good point about the identity thing. I know the Mongols used different types of hat and/or leatherwork to distinguish certain tribes so it was probably the same elsewhere. I still stand by the trade mix though, so maybe different units may be from different tribes within the Cumani group.