These figures are a unit of Carolingian infantry by Gripping Beast. The figures are very nice as they rank up very easily and are intended to represent some of Charlemagne household troops. Historical sources seem to indicate that sometimes a portion of the Carolingian horsemen could dismount and fight on foot (Montpensier against the Vikings for example) and these figures would be the better equipped Scara to do so. I also chose to give them a slightly uniform appearance with dark blue cloaks with a off white linen color border. The blue cloaks represent the capability that the Carolingians could do so....that is providing uniformed cloaks (blue being one of the colors they used) to their household troops. How uniformed the Carolingians would be I am not certain of and if one looks at the various pics of my figures I chose not to uniform them but did utilize colors that were popular under Charlemagne.
Some notes for those interested:1) Charlemagne was very much wedded to the idea of a society that was dressed in some type of uniform appearance. 2) Ambassadors from Haroun al Rashid in Bagdad marveled at the novelty of the uniforms and arms worn by members of Charlemagnes court. 3) Early in the wars against the Saxons there is an incidence recorded that the Saxons were able to infiltrate a Frankish camp by intermingling themselves with a foraging party that returned to camp causing considerable damage. However, in order to do so they appeared indistinguishable from the Franks suggesting they copied their appearance in dress or uniforms. 4) Undoubtedly, group or unit cohesion and recognition can much more easily be maintained by some type of uniformed representation.
Again I only choose one unit for such an appearance but one would not be unhistorical to include in ones own collection of their miniatures to have some type of uniform theme for their Frankish units. It could be similar type of shield color or using banners for example. Some popular colors recorded and that I used were the following that the historian Notker recorded: palace troops had very white uniform shirts and uniform britches of dyed scarlet and often the puttees (linen wraps) of scarlets also. They were all equipped in leather boots and their cloaks were blue or white. It has also been recorded some of the cloaks were also uniformed with stripes. For other popular clothing colors for tunics deep red, brownish red, yellow and ochre colors would apply as well as creams and brown’s especially for legging colors in addition to the scarlet. As for shields much of my miniatures were by Artizan so the shield appearance was already solved by the sculpting. For these Gripping Beast figures that have no pre design on them I went with a lot of radial lines something that seem popular with the Carolingians. Hopefully, soon I will post more of a complete image of the Carolingian army I have as it comprises some 90 plus mounted and 90 plus foot figures.
