"Medieval Archer units, w/ or w/out banners?" Topic

Just a modeling query, not a historical one.

I've only done the Medieval period in 15mm previously and I always thought banners looked funny in Archer units.

I'm just getting started into 28mm for Hail Caesar and I was wondering what people's preferred practice is banners and Archer units.

Thanks for any tips.

Banners are only carried for a knight banneret or senior.

Charles the Bold of Burgundy's ordnance archers carried, or were intended to carry, a flag for each company of archers and one for each squadron of cavalry. How much this was a standardisation of existing practice I don't know but would certainly justify a flag for a Burgundian wargames unit.

I do use flags with units of archers – and most others – usually a "national" flag and the banner of the unit's captain but my units are usually 24 figures and they look nicer with colours.

At link is a modernised rendering of a 1355 muster of the Norwich militia. The centenars (commanders of 100) have banners, the vintenars (commanders of 20) have pennons ("pyncell"). Some of these men are archers – only a minority, though.

Well, of course, in the medieval and/or renaissance eras, there are archers (those with bows and arrows as their primary weapons), and then there are "archers", the latter of which seems to me to really be lesser men at arms, on unarmored horses, who carry lances. Of course, perhaps they also carry bows too, hence their name of "archers".

I can see "archer" units carrying banners, if they are more of the men at arms type unit(s).

The mixed, but mostly bow and crossbow armed Brotherhood of St George is shown carrying a banner
link

In this case I'm strictly referring to missile units Thresher.

I'd include it just to show it off in my army. ;-)
You can also add a removable banner to a figure's base to give you the option of including one (or not.)

Thanks all. Banners it is.

Gurkhan,

Thanks for the Norwich militia link. That is very interesting indeed. Particularly are the two women who were assessed:

"Leticia King's servant, with staff and dagger.
Petronilla de Bokenham is to find a man with staff and dagger."

Cheers

I always supposed that the status of archers/missile equipped troops changed from the early medieval period, where they were broadly there to make up the numbers, to the middle and later period where specialists like longbow and handgunner units were highly respected and regarded as essential for success in battle.

In line with this idea, I assume a levy unit of bowmen or slingers probably wouldn't have any accoutrements besides their weapon, whereas a unit of professional longbowmen would have a uniform/livery, hand weapons and armour, and were likely to have a banner too.

I suspect the term 'unit' is unhelpful in terms of describing some medieval armies though, especially pre-WOTR.

whereas a unit of professional longbowmen would have a uniform/livery,

In the WOTR archers would usually be in a lord's retinue, in which case they would wear his livery. Mercenary troops might have some kind of "uniform", though I am not aware of any mercenary archers in the WOTR.

There are also the crossbow flags such as Siena's from various frescos such as the Val de Chiana (late 14th) and of Fogliano (early 14th).
IIRC, the Libro di Montaperti (1260) shows troops in units other than simply by sesto, but it is a while since I waded through it.

I always thought archers were commanded by a Knight, who will have had his own banner.

I always thought archers were commanded by a Knight, who will have had his own banner.

There is evidence that in the medieval period groups of 20 men were commanded by a "vintenar" and groups of 100 men by a "centenar" but I am not aware of any evidence that either of these leaders was or had to be a knight.

Also bear in mind that a knight did not have a banner unless he was a knight banneret.

My understanding is that vintenars and centenars were drawn from the common born freemen, and provided the requisite number of infantry (not just archers) for their rank, under the employment and patronage of a nobleman.

I'd assume that any banner carried would therefore be the banner of the nobleman.