Wargrunt: HOTT Crusaders of Antioch

I've put together a Crusaders of Antioch HOTT army as a morph of my Later Crusader DBA army. The army is set in the First Crusade and is based on the Crusader army that fought Kerbogha’s Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Antioch on 28 June 1098.

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The Crusaders of Antioch army

HOTT Crusaders of Antioch Army

Knight General @ 2 Ap x 1

Paladin (Saints George, Mercurius & Demetrius) @ 4 Ap x 1

Cleric (Bishop of Puy with the Holy Lance} @ 3 Ap x 1

Hordes (Ghostly Troops) @ 1 Ap x 1 - 3

Blades (Dismounted Knights) @ 2 Ap x 1

Spears (Crusader infantry) @ Ap x 3 - 4

Shooters (Crossbowmen) @ 2 Ap x 2

The General's element

(L - R) Alternative Armies, Museum Miniatures, Alternative Armies

My army uses later Crusader models rather than those of the 1st Crusade. I can only deeply apologise and justify this by saying that manuscript illustrations of the battle often show caparisoned knights.

The Battle of Antioch

After capturing Edessa, the Crusaders of the 1st Crusade began to lay siege on Antioch in October 1097. By June 1098 the city had fallen into Crusader hands, though the Seljuk Turks still held the citadel. Two days later, a large Turkish army under the command of Kerbogha of Mosul arrived and laid siege on the Crusaders now occupying Antioch.

The spearmen

Miraculously, on 10 June, a monk named Peter Bartholmew had a vision of where the Holy Lance used to pierce the side of Christ as he hung on the cross, was hidden in St Peter’s Cathedral at Antioch. When found, the morale of the starving Crusaders was greatly boosted.

Metal Magic figures

The Turkish army of around 35 000 - 40 00 men outnumbered the Crusaders, regardless, on 28 June 1098, some 20 000 Crusaders marched out of Antioch to offer battle.

The Crusade had been mercilessly harsh on horses, with most of the great war horses brought from Europe having perished. On that day the Franks were fighting mostly on foot. Only a few hundred remained mounted, of which perhaps only 200 rode quality horses whose strength wasn’t wasted by hunger.

The dismounted knights. A mix of Alternative armies & Metal Magic figures

The Crusaders were in six divisions. Each of the divisions placed its infantry in front, with the dismounted knights in the first rank. Those knights and commanders who were fortunate enough to still have a horse to sit formed the reserve of each division; supporting and increasing the morale of the infantry. Overall, this led to a better balanced, combined arms force that was less susceptible to the common Turkish tactics.

More Metal Magic figures

In the fourth division, carrying the Lance of Christ tacked to a wooden cross with him as the army’s standard, was the Bishop of Puy, together with his people and the army of Raymond.

The Bishop du Puy with the Holy lance attached to the banner

All Irregular Miniatures

The next part of the battle is narrated by the author of the Gesta Francorum ("Deeds of the Franks”), which is an eye witness chronicle of the First Crusade by an anonymous knight of the lower ranks. It is here we encounter the fantastical elements of the Army of Antioch.

(L - R) St Mercurius, St. George, and St Demetrius.

“Then, there came out from the mountains, also, countless armies with white horses, whose standards were all white. And so, when our leaders saw this army, they were entirely ignorant as to what it was and who they were, until they recognized the aid of Christ, whose leaders were St. George, Mercurius and Demetrius. This is to be believed, for many of our men saw it.”

Some of the countless armies - Horde elements. Alternative Armies figures

Kerbogha had underestimated the size of the Crusader army was nonplussed, however he was committed to battle. The lightly armed Turkish cavalry attempted their usual skirmishing and outflanking tactics but the Crusaders maintained discipline.

Kerbogha was not a popular leader and once battle was commenced, many of his rivalrous allies deserted him, at least in part because they feared giving Kerbogha more power through victory, and the Turkish army soon disintegrated.

The crossbows

Alternative armies figures

Bohemond of Taranto rushed back into Antioch to take the surrender of the citadel, and announce that he was now Prince Bohemond of Antioch.

I’ve classed the three Saints as an element of Paladins for their, well, Saintliness. St. Mercurius lived around 250 CE. He became a distinguished soldier Imperial Roman army but was ordered to sacrifice to an idol during the persecutions of Decius and when he refused he was martyred. St. Demetrius of Antioch was a Bishop of Antioch around 260 CE. He was later exiled and martyred among other 22 companions, by King Shapur I.

(Front - Rear) Tin Soldier, Irregular, Chariot Miniatures

The Bishop of Puy and the Holy Lance standard are surely a Cleric element.

The Bishop du Puy with the Holy lance attached to the banner

Because the armies coming from the mountains were countless, I’ve listed them as hordes.

More of the countless armies - Horde elements. Irregular Miniatures & Metal Magic figures

If you"re interested in how I did the ghostly basing on the hordes, click here.

I’ve included an element blades to represent a particularly strong unit of mixed dismounted knights and spearmen.

The CinC’s element of knights represents Bohemond’s mounted reserve of knights. (Quick fess-up here, the banners and caparisons aren’t remotely Bohemond's).