Historical Overview Section
The region we now know as modern day Poland had existed on the peripheries of many empires and tribal confederations in the Dark Ages, including the Early Slavic, Great Moravian, Early Medieval German, Carolingian Frankish, Viking and Magyar spheres of influence. Eventually, in the middle of the 10th century a leader called Mieszko rose to prominence and was powerful enough to enjoy (subservient) diplomatic relations with Otto I of the Early Medieval Germans. Mieszko then married a daughter of the Czech duke Boleslav I and was baptised into the Roman branch of Christianity in 966, triggering a widespread conversion of his population which brought formerly pagan Poland into the Christian / Western world. As his power grew he allied with the Czechs in opposition to Early Medieval Germanic expansion, and started to take land of the Early Medieval German marcher Lords whilst their boss was off in Italy.
Mieszko's son Boleslaw continued the work of his father in increasing the autonomy of the country, and by 1000AD he had persuaded the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III to let him create the first Polish archbishopric. After the death of Otto III in 1002, Boleslaw turned up the heat on the new Early Medieval German emperor Henry II by taking over the Margraviate of Meissen and Lusatia, triggering a series of wars with the empire ending only in 1033. He also conquered Bohemia in 1003, but lost it the following year. He also defeated the Rus', storming Kiev in 1018. The Early Medieval Germans didn't take this lying down and Boleslaw was forced to give a pledge of allegiance to Emperor Henry II but shortly after Henry died in 1024 Boleslaw was crowned king. His coronation marked the full political and territorial independence of the Polish State.
Mieszko II was crowned in 1025 after his father's death, but fearful of the power of a strong monarch many nobles and landholders rebelled, triggering a mini civil war in which Mieszko's brothers turned against him and the Early Medieval German Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II attacked again, as did the Rus who managed put their own man on the throne in 1031. Years of chaos and conflict followed, during which Mieszko died (1034) in suspicious circumstances after his forced abdication, imprisonment, castration and a brief restoration (of his throne, not his tackle), and someone may even have been murdered by a swordfish. This left the crown to Prince Casimir, who's 1037 attempt to return to claim the throne (with his mum) precipitated another "Barons rebellion" and also the "Pagan Reaction" of many commoners, forcing Casimir and his mum to flee again.
Casimir escape first to post-Magyar Hungary, then to the Early Medieval German court where in 1039 his relative the Emperor Henry III gave him military and financial support in the form of 1,000 heavy footmen and a significant amount of gold to restore his power in the country. Casimir then signed an alliance with the Kievan Rus' which allowed him to retake most of his domain, earning him the epithet of "the Restorer".
The treaty gained Casimir a period of peace at the southern border and the capital of Poland was moved to Kraków, the only major Polish city relatively untouched by the wars. It is probable that the Early Medieval German Holy Roman Emperor was pleased with the balance of power restored in the region and forced Casimir not to crown himself the king of Poland. Three years later, against the will of the Emperor, Casimir seized Bohemian-controlled Silesia. In 1054 in Quedlinburg, the Early Medieval German Emperor ruled that Silesia was to remain in Poland in exchange for a yearly tribute.
Using the army in FoG
- The Polish LS armed cavalry look rather underpowered in this period, although they do have a small edge on the Magyars
- If you plan to skirmish, get into one rank early as your undrilled troops may otherwise fail a vital CMT
- A lot of LF archers, 12 cavalry and an IC will make you hard to beat in period if the terrain falls your way.
- Add you own suggestions here
- Just put each new suggestion on a new line, starting with an "*"
UK Tournament Results with this army
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army:
- Register and you can put you own link in here and then write some brief detail about the link here
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Allies
- Rus Any Wolves from the Sea 53 Average protected offensive spearmen, and 4 Druzhina too.
- Viking Any Wolves from the Sea 40 Large numbers of protected offensive spear, and a hard-core of optional ones with armour or heavy weapon. Not quite sure how this list managed to be an ally though. Early medieval German would seem a more likely choice given how much the HRE interfered in Polish politics.
Painting and Collecting the Army
- Paint schemes, insignia, shield designs? Put it here.
15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army
Not the most well represented army, but do-able with some fairly generic figures - probably starting with Slavs, Rus, Early Russians and some Early Medieval German mercenaries too. There are some specific figures out there as well. Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site
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- QR Miniatures Polish manufacturer - nice Early Polish, Early Germans, Slav, Wends, Vikings
- Essex Miniatures - sell generic dark ages guys by the bucketload
- Donnington Slav range, Ottonians too
- Isarus Slavs range
- Gladiator Miniatures by Fighting 15's (Gladiator Games) generic dark age ranges, lots of Eastern European stuff
- Irregular Sell some figures marketed as Early Polish
- Old Glory Slav range
- Magister Militum (includes former Chariot ranges) Navigators dark ages ranges
- Minifigs UK Slav range for this era in their dark ages section
- Two Dragons Slavs
- Tin Soldier Slavic range
- Outpost Slavic range
- Miniature Wars Dark Age Slavs
- QRF Models Feudal Castings & ranges, Vikings, Saxons,
Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
Wall of Plod Army - 800 AP
- 1 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
- 2 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
- 3 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 4 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 5 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 6 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 7 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 8 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 9 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 10 Heavy Foot HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 12 Cavalry Cv Armoured superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordsmen - 4
- 13 Cavalry Cv Armoured superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordsmen - 4
- 14 Medium Foot MF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 8
- 15 Medium Foot MF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
- 16 Medium Foot MF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
- 17 Medium Foot MF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
- CinC IC - - - - - - - 1
- Sub-commanders TC - - - - - - - 3
Dynamic Exciting Army - 800 AP
- 1 Slinkers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled sling - - - 6
- 2 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 3 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 4 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 5 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 6 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 7 Archers LF Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow - - - 6
- 8 Men with Sticks HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 6
- 9 Men with Sticks HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 8
- 10 Men with Sticks HF Protected Average Undrilled - defensive spearmen - - 8
- 11 Cavalry Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordmen - 4
- 12 Cavalry Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordmen - 4
- 13 Cavalry Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordmen - 4
- 14 Cavalry Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordmen - 4
- 15 Cavalry Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - Light spear Swordmen - 4
- General TC - - - - - - CinC 1
- Subbie TC - - - - - - - 1
- Subbie TC - - - - - - - 1
- Subbie to flank march with FC - - - - - - - 1
Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list
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