Monday, 31 January 2022
Sunday, 30 January 2022
By Fire and Sword 15mm
Have to mention this rule and figure system while on the subject of the Deluge. Now available in the UK.
Charles X's Wars volume 1 - Armies of the Swedish Deluge 1655-1660
Michael Fredholm von Essen
A little known conflict to English readers this is an essential volume
There were eight hostile powers involved in the Deluge. Sweden, the Commonwealth of Poland, Brandenburg-Prussia, Crimean Tatars, Ukrainian cossacks, Muscovy, Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire. They all had distinctly different military systems and armies and this is the great part about this book, First up is the forces of Sweden. Still maintaining the same system as during the 30 years war. Next up is the Commonwealth (Poland) and its famous military, encompassing eastern and western influences. Mainly a cavalry army with the celebrated Hussars. Next up is the army of Brandenburg-Prussia an army at its very beginnings and styled very much on the Swedish model. The next chapter os on the Muscovite military establishment with its horse archers and cavalry. The following chapter is on the Ukrainian cossack army. The next chapter is on the Transylvanian army and followed by a chapter on the Imperial army during the deluge. Final army examined is the Crimean khanate. All these chapters are well illustrated with colour plates by the talented Sergey Shamenkov. Flags are depicted and weaponry which is diverse in this war. Definitely a good idea to get this book. Would make a great wargames campaign.
Saturday, 29 January 2022
Van Dyck WSS news
All miniatures shown are 10-12mm(1:144)
See more at their Facebook page
Please let me show you some of our new miniatures covering this interesting period in history.
For those among you who remember, when we test started this range we had just two packs available, infantry with a ventral ammunition pouch and a complementary command pack. When we unlock the WSS slot on the new website this will be the list you’re going to see:
Completely finished with sufficient stock available:
SPS1-01 Infantry, ventral ammunition pouch
SPS1-02 Infantry, ammunition pouch right hip
SPS1-03 Grenadiers, British style
SPS1-05 Grenadiers, French style
SPS4-01 Infantry command pack “A”
SPS4-02 Infantry command pack “B”
SPS4-03 Infantry command pack “C”
SPS-100 French infantry Box
SPS-101 British/Scottish infantry Box
Almost finished, some will be added along with the opening of the WSS slot
SPS1-04 Grenadiers, Spanish style
SPS1-06 Grenadiers, French style in forage cap
SPS1-07 Grenadiers, Dutch style “A”
SPS4-04 Mounted officers
SPS-102 Spanish infantry Box
On this list are all the packs that are ready or in the finishing stages, I realise some of you are really waiting for cavalry and artillery, they will be added as well, we’re working on it.
Also showing are some improvements we implemented on the flag cords. Some of the hands that were to thin have also been replaced on all miniatures.
Kris Van Dyck
To be continued!!!
Thursday, 27 January 2022
Cromwell Museum Curator reviews the film 'Cromwell'
'Many people's understanding of who Oliver Cromwell was and what happened during the English Civil War is shaped by the 1970 film 'Cromwell', starring Richard Harris and Alec Guiness. Our curator, Stuart Orme, takes a look at the film and assesses what's good and bad about it from an historian's point of view...'
Uniform Coat, Swedish, 1718
From Oreivi where there are lots of interesting costume pins
Belonged to 18-year-old lieutenant Carl Wilhelm Drakenhielm who was shot and killed on the same day as Charles XII on November 30th, 1718. One of three preserved Carolean uniforms. After conservation.
Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Interesting developments from our Russian friends in the GNW
'The latest news of the new year!
FOR WHOM ?
For those who wish from the current members of the club and for those who want to join us only
WHAT IS THIS?
"Hungarian Dress" is an Eastern European type costume (Hungarian and Polish), which was popular in Russia in the 1690s and early 1700s.
In this uniform, the Preobrazhensky Regiment fought in 1700 near Narva and in 1702 near Noteburg.'Webpage
Polish Hussars in the snow
See more images here
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| Polish Hussars: set of “Pan Wołodyjowski” (“Colonel Wolodyjowski”), 1969 Polish historical drama set in the 17th-century Poland [source: Fototeka Filmoteki Narodowej]. |
Portrait of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (1688-1740)
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The Duke of Gloucester drilling his boy grenadiers.
By the great CCP Lawson 'History of the Uniforms of the British Army' (p.32). Thanks to Charles for this.
Book published in 1940 - and reprinted in 1962 - but the illustration is taken from a contemporary print
thanks to John C for this info.
The Battle of Nantwich 25 January 1644
The Battle of Nantwich was fought on 25 January 1644 in Cheshire during the First English Civil War. In the battle, Sir Thomas Fairfax in command of a Parliamentarian relief force defeated Lord Byron and the Royalists.Wiki
Monday, 24 January 2022
Marlborough 300 Pageant 30th - 31st July 2022 .
Celebrating the life of arguably Britain's greatest soldier and statesman.
Blenheim Palace was a gift to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, from a grateful nation. In July 2022, Blenheim Palace will come alive with a spectacular Pageant to commemorate Marlborough 300, the tercentenary of his death.
The Pageant will tell the story of John Churchill's early life, from his birth in 1650 to his emergence in society and at Court, his role as a soldier in the Sedgemoor campaign of 1685, and his relationship with his beloved wife Sarah.
Bring the family to have fun, learn about history and experience the thrills of battle - and maybe even have a flutter on the races!
Saturday, 22 January 2022
The 'Christian Amazon'
Thanks to Andrey E from Historu at Books for this. Also see here
Alberte-Barbe de Saint-Baslemont (14 May 1606 † 22 May 1660 in Neuville-en-Verdunois) was a Lorraine noblewoman who became known as the Christian Amazon Amazone chrétienne during the Thirty Years' War. In German texts she appears as Barbara von Saint-Baslemont, in French sources as Madame de Saint-Baslemont or Madame de Saint-Balmont.
She was born at the Château de Neuville-en-Verdunois,[1] the daughter of Simon d'Ernécourt and his wife Marguerite Housse de Watronville. The family had made their fortune in the leather trade,[2] and Alberte was sole heir after the early death of her brother Nicolas. She was brought up mostly by her father's sister, Madame d’Etrepy. In 1623, she was given in marriage to Jean-Jacques de Haraucourt, lord of Saint-Baslemont, who was an infantry commander in the service of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine.
The couple had at least two children:
- A son, name unknown (c.1630-1644)
- Marie-Claude, who married Louis des Armoises, seigneur de Jaulny et de Commercy
Alberte remained at Neuville-en-Verdunois when her husband was away serving the Duke of Lorraine, but needed to defend her property against French, Swedish and Croatian soldiers who were roaming the countryside. She dressed in men's clothing, assuming the persona of the "chevalier de Saint-Baslemont" (supposedly her brother-in-law),[3] and is said to have participated in hand-to-hand combat, adopting military tactics she had learned from her husband. She also took responsibility for the protection of the shrine of Notre-Dame-de-Benoite-Vaux, with its statue of the Virgin Mary. She created a fighting force from among her tenants, and succeeded in maintaining some order within her family's territory.[4] As a result, her lands attracted many incomers from other areas whose own homes were threatened or destroyed.[5]
Early in the war, her husband Jean-Jacques was taken prisoner, but was ransomed. However, in 1644, the same year their son died, she received the news that Jean-Jacques had been killed in battle at Merode in present-day Germany. At around the same time, Anne of Austria became regent of France, and forbade the practice of women dressing in men's clothing, and Madame de Saint-Baslemont was obliged to discontinue her military activities. The war having ended, Henri de La Ferté-Senneterre, who became governor of Lorraine in the 1650s, took possession of her home, forcing her to enter a convent, where she died aged 53.[2]
Three plays are attributed to her, and she is said to have also written religious verse. Only one play has survived, Les Jumeaux martyrs (1650), a tragedy about two Roman twin brothers who are Christian converts.[6]
An equestrian portrait of Madame de Saint-Baslemont, by her contemporary Claude Deruet, is held at the regional museum in the Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine at Nancy, France.[4]
30th January - the King's Army Whitehall March 50th anniversary
from Kieran B.
'Next Sunday marks the anniversary of the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649. It is also the 50th instance that the soldiers of the King’s Army, the Royalist section of the English Civil War Society, have commemorated this event.
There will be musket, pike, artillery and mounted cavalry on the march, I understand ECWS are the only non-military organisation given permission to parade on Horse Guards Parade in central London.
They will form up on the Mall, right in front of Buckingham Palace and St James Palace. The army form up between 10 & 11am, Sunday 30th January.
The march makes its way in funeral order down the Mall and onto Horse Guards, following Charles’ last route. On Horse Guards, a religious drumhead service is held, a colour is trooped and blessed, the Oath of Loyalty is administered and awards and commissions are presented.
The wreath is then trooped around the army before being taken by the honour guard through Horse Guards Arch and across to the Banqueting House and laid where the execution of Charles took place'
Thursday, 20 January 2022
Sunday, 16 January 2022
Friday, 14 January 2022
Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Khurasan 15mm late 16th century range
Been reading the book One Faith, One Law, One King - French armies of the Wars of Religion 1562-1598 by T J O'Brien de Clare. It is very good and it spurred me into looking at the ranges out there. Khurasan do a nice 15mm line. Here
1672 a year to remember
So it is the 350th anniversary of this notable year. Some famous events occurred this year - see here. I suppose most famous event is the murder and cannibalisation of Johan de Witt. Militarily though the Franco-Dutch war will be of interest to us here. Anglocentrically the Third Anglo-Dutch war. Anybody planning on celebrating 1672 let us know your plans
Sid Field - Cardboard Cavalier 1949
Of course comedy and the English Civil War have been together before most notably in this 1949 film that also stars Margaret Lockwood.
Monday, 10 January 2022
The Witchfinder - BBC2 comedy for 2022
Forthcoming Comedy set in the ECW. The below blurb is from here
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| The Witchfinder' on horseback with Tim Key and Daisy May Cooper. (Image credit: BBC/Baby Cow) |
Article here
Comedy series following a witchfinder and his suspect on a road-free road trip through an England gripped by civil war, famine and plague.
It's the year of our Lord 1647 and fear of witchcraft is rife. Puritanical Christianity, deep-seated superstition and a willingness to scapegoat outsiders have created a tinderbox of suspicion in which few are safe. In this environment, witchfinding has flourished, as self-appointed witch experts achieve hero status by investigating accusations of witchery and extracting confessions.
A failing witchfinder transports a suspected witch across 1640s East Anglia to a trial that could change his fortunes forever. But his captive is the worst possible travel companion: an inquisitive, uncouth woman whose ability to prick his pomposity and ask uncomfortable questions turns a straightforward journey into a life-changing ordeal.
More from here
Friday, 7 January 2022
A history of English Civil War drummers, drum calls and marches
This has just gone up and it's very good. An in-depth look at English Civil War drummers and a demonstration of the drum calls and a selection on marches
Thursday, 6 January 2022
The Anglo-Spanish war 1655-1660 Volume 2 War in Jamaica
By Paul Sutton
This was a great read. Perfect antidote to a cold December reading about the Commonwealth against the Spanish in the Caribbean. It is all there mutinies, disease and privateers. An in-depth study of the garrisoning and the naval activities around Jamaica and how it affected events in Europe. Illustrated by many maps. The efforts Cromwell made to colonize Jamaica with settlers are covered as is the attempts to fortify the region. This is a scholarly work using Spanish and English sources and so is a balanced view of these early days of Empire. A great series. More here
Wednesday, 5 January 2022
Tuesday, 4 January 2022
Saturday, 1 January 2022
Events of 1622
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| Sebastiaan Vrancx - Battle of Wimpfen on 6 May 1622 |
Happy New Year! So what happened in 1622? Two major battles, in May Wimpfen and June Höchst. Also the siege of Bergen-op-Zoom and the siege of Heidelberg.