Vive la Bretonnia! The Bretonnian army finished.

I have finished the 3rd Edition Warhammer Bretonnian army from the Warhammer Armies list. The details of the army list are in the previous blog update here :

http://goblinlee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/bretonnian-3000-point-army-list.html

The army itself is made up of a combination of 1980's 'F' and 'C' series Citadel miniatures, re-released C26 Men at Arms Citadel Miniatures from Wargames Foundry, and a few odds and ends including Essex miniatures I had. They are very characterful miniatures, and were more fun to paint than many of the 'clone like' modern miniatures around now.

When painting the army, I decided that the infantry and crossbowmen should be based on the late 15th Century 'French Ordinance', with red tabards/coats with white cross on them. To tye them in and make them feel Bretonnian, I then used blue on leggings etc to balance the red and to link with the blue used on the King and his flag.

For the peasant units, I kept the Rascals brown and dull colours, and the same for the Rapsacllion archers, although I did add a few Ordinance coats too for them.

With the knights, I decided that as the Noblesse D'Epee being rural backwater Knights and being made up from older period miniatures, they should have a slightly more 14th Century look to them.
 For the bulk of the Knights, in the Chevaliers D'Honneur and Chevaliers De Norte Dame de Bataille regiments, rather than painting them to be in specific units I painted them individualistic and then form units from them. It's only the unit leaders and thier standards that need to go together.

I painted the cannons and crew blue as I assumed they were paid for or sponsered by the King, and so would wear his colours.  Thought it would be fun too for the Wizard to be from the 'Sacre Bleu' cult in the Warhammer Armies book too! 

I picked slightly modified medieval French Coats of Arms for the flags. I chose personal standards for the Knight units, and regional flag for the infantry. I might pick up some historical pre-painted banners or re-do them at later date when I have a working printer as I am not 100% happy with them.

The army was great fun to paint, and has got me interested in painting up and English army for the Agincourt era, or a War of the Roses army. I think the army came out well, and looks colourful on the table.  I also enjoyed looking into late 14th and 15th century English and French history.

Not sure what to do for the next project, I still have several armies to paint before completing the Warhammer Armies book. Might take a short break and paint Slann or 40k Preatorians for a change.

Shame I could not make it to Oldhammer day, I have seen some photographs and it looked excellent.

 The army arrayed for battle.

 Battle line.

 20 Knights; 

Chevaliers D'Honneur and Chevaliers De Norte Dame de Bataille.

All C26 men at Arms/Wargames Foundry re-releases (except for the King).

 Chevaliers D'Honneur including the King.

 'Vive le Roi!'  

The Bretonnian King and the Army General. 

He is an old Essex Miniature I have had for years.

He looks slightly portly, and reminds me of the Bretonnian background in the 3rd Edition Rulebook book (P201) about Charles I, L'enorm, the fat Bretonnian King!

 The Kings Standard Bearer. loosley based on the Medieval banner of France, only I only painted just one Fleur de lis rather than three.

 Chevaliers De Norte Dame de Bataille.

 Unit leader.

 Unit standard. 

I loosely based the flag on Livery of Charles d'Albert, Constable of France at Agincourt.

 Two knights. 

I did'nt go for particlar known liveries, but generic knightly looking colours and designs. If I was doing a 'proper' historical army then yes, but this is a Bretonnian army.

 Two knights with sallets.

 Two more knights.

 Noblesse D'Epee. 

These knights are more 13th to 14th Century in style, and so I thought suited the rural provincal knights.

 Unit leader and standard. 

I based the flag on the flag of Comte de Aunoy, except I put a little white Fluer de lis in the corner as it looked a little bland. I think he was a French leader who fought the Black Prince in the Hundred Years War.

 Wizard of the Sacre Bleu cult.

 L'Ordonnace and crew.

 Single cannon  with crew.

 20 Brigands armed with halberds.

 Command group.

The female leader is a Hasslefree Miniautres model. I have used her as a 'Joan of Arc' type, and so have painted the units flag similar to the flag of Orleans, and given her a preist model to act as a (singing/praying!) musician.

 Halberdiers from C26 Citadel/Wargames Foundry. 

Again, as with the Knights, I have not put the miniatures specificly into particular units. Only the command figures should be used together.

 More Citadel fighters. 

There are a mix of miniatures in the units, some more 14th century, others 15th, to give a mixed feel to them and to use up the general medieval miniatures I had.

 20 Villians.

 Halberdiers, the one on the left being from the Foundry artillery crew pack and armed with a flail.

 Command groups. The flag is loosely based on the flag of Valois, whos rulers later became Kings of France and founded the House of Valois.

 Halberdiers, two Foundry/Citadel, and the one on the right is a Maruader miniature.

 20 more Villians.

 Command group. As this unit has a bagpiper in it, I chose to base the flag on Limousin area of France, which apparently is famous for playing a French form of Bagpipes.

 Halberdiers.

More Halberdiers.

 Even more Halberdiers! 

The army has 60 of them all told.

 20 Rascals, peasant militia. 

They are made up of miniatures from a mix of Citadel ranges including F2 Fighers, C04 Thieves,  C46 Milita, and a couple of Alternative Armies miniatures.

 Left is a Peasant, centre and right are Citadel C04 Thieves Elshender Nightman, and Talbot Steptoe.

 Two F2 fighters and C04 Thief Renold the Roof-Rat.

 Alternative Armies peasant, and another two C04 Thieves, Nathpinel Sneaker the cut throat, and Scragger Luke.

 A F4 Feudal named Filch, and old solid based C04 Thief, and a begger.

 10 Arblastiers.

A mix of Citadel F4 Feudals and F2 Fighters.

 Unit leader flanked by two other crossbowmen.

 3 more Crossbowmen.

 15 Rapsacllions. 

 Both units of Rapsacllions are made up of Citadel C26 Men at Arms/Wargames Foundry, F4 Feudals, and two spare F4 Normans tucked away in there.

 Centre is one of my favorite miniatures of the army, the drinking archer!

 3 more archers. I kept the colours muted, depsite the red tabards.
 The sand on their legs is left over from when I based them, and brushed off easily. I did'nt notice it when I photographed them  :( 

 More archers, two of them with hammers for hammering in archer stakes.
Oops, more sand again! 

 The second unit of Rapsacllions.

 Archers.

 More archers, including a fat one!

 Last of the archers.

Lastly the Gold Dragon, that seems to fit in well with the Bretonnian army.