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OCTOBER RELEASE π 13th century Mounted Teutonic Knights, Teutonic Crossbowmen and Lithuanian Warriors
🕑 Added 2023-10-27 16:10:33 +0000 UTCHi all, the October release is here!
It includes:
- 13th century mounted Teutonic Knights modular kit:
10 separate Horses
10 separate Riders
3 separate Shields
1 separate Lance
In the 13th century, horses held a position of paramount importance for knights across Europe. These warriors relied on their steeds for a multitude of critical roles in their military and social lives. From the perspective of the Teutonic Knights, cavalry played a pivotal role in their military campaigns, as these mounted warriors were the backbone of the Teutonic Order's military force. On the battlefield, horses provided knights with the mobility, speed and strenght necessary to engage in decisive cavalry charges and swift tactical movements. Beyond the battlefield, horses were an essential means of transportation, allowing knights to traverse long distances and reach remote regions quickly, but were also symbols of prestige and social standing, as the ownership of well-bred and well-maintained horses demonstrated the knight's wealth and influence.
In the Baltic regions, however, the advantage and importance of cavalry lost its relevance. During the Crusade, in fact, most of the combat consisted of skirmishes and raids that took place within a region characterized by deciduous forests, heathland, and marshes. This type of terrain hindered the mobility of cavalry, and in fact many times heavy horses became an impediment to the knights, that were often forced to dismount and fight on foot through the rough terrain.
The most typical body armour used by the Teutonic knights in the 13th century was the mail hauberk, usually with each ring having five others passed through it and riveted closed. The rising importance of cavalry and their greater need for protection led to significant changes in armour, including mail hauberks that reached to mid-thigh and with wrist-length sleeves; thereafter, mail mittens were added to protect the hands. A subsequent development was mail leggings, supported by a belt or strapped around the rear of the legs. Another development was the mail coif or hooded extension of the hauberk, replacing the earlier mail avential that was sometimes attached to the rims of helmets. The mail hood then developed into a separate piece of armour. The final item of armour was the aketon, meant to absorb the blunt impacts and shocks of blows. The teutonic brothers were ordered to dress somberly and to avoid excess, so here they are depicted with long sleeved surcoats to cover their armor, and white mantles that were a sign of knighthood, as dictaded form the order's code.
- 13th century Teutonic Crossbowmen
7 Teutonic Crossbowmen
The crossbow's importance in the Baltic crusades can be seen from its early appearance, and from the large numbers of crossbow bolts that are almost routinely found at fortifications and battle sites. In fact the crossbow became the weapon of choice for common soldiers, alongside the spear. The first recorded use of the crossbow in the baltic region dates from 1170 during the Danish crusade against the Estonians, and its popularity increased steadily thereafter. It was considerably easier to use than a hand bow, and required far less practice to achieve an acceptable level of skill. It shot bolts at greater speed than a bow, resulting in greater damage to the target and being more effective against armour.
The 13th century saw further adoption of the crossbow, which proved to be especially effective siege warfare, most notably from behind cover inside fortifications. As a consequence the crossbow became an indispensable asset in the hands of Baltic Crusaders, including the Teutonic Order. In some respects the simple or early form of crossbow was actually easier to manufacture than a good quality handbow, its bolts or shafts certainly being a lot less sophisticated than a good arrow. The armour-penetrating points used on crossbow bolts remained very similar to those normally used with the hand bow. The most widespread type was a solid bodkin point that could easily puncture mail. The Teutonic crossbowmen were often stationed on the front lines, and provided crucial support to the heavily armored cavalry, creating an optimal synergy between long range and close quarters.
- 13th century Lithuanian Warriors
6 separate Warriors
3 separate Shields
In the 13th century, Lithuania was a loose federation of Baltic tribes and clans that were in the process of forming a more centralized state, that would eventually become the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The societal structure was composed by a number of dukes and princes presiding over various fiefdoms and tribes, and they relied on a warrior class that included both nobles and commoners. These warriors played a significant role in both defending their territory and expanding their influence in Eastern Europe. They were skilled in guerrilla warfare and mounted combat, making them formidable opponents for various invading forces, including the Teutonic Knights and the Tatars.
Although their 13th century equipment varied little from those used in Western Europe, it still experienced influences from the East and the Eurasian steppe. The mail hauberk was still the standard for body armor, but the helmets had a distinctive local or eastern style, including those in which the top narrowed into a point. The examples here are from western and south-western Russian archeological finds, dating from the late 12th to early 14th century. The swords are based on the one from the tomb of Lithuanian Prince Daumantas, dating to the mid-13th century.
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DOWNLOAD HERE (IMPORTANT: Download the .RAR files one by one , DON'T right click on the whole "Black Knight Miniatures Release" folder and hit download, otherwise Google Drive could mess up the files)
Everything comes, as always, both Pre-Supported and Unsupported in 28mm scale.
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Hope you enjoy this month's release! I've worked hard on it both for the models and the research that went into them and the texts, but it paid off as It's probably my favorite I've done in quite a while. I also gave the MyMiniFactory store a new coat of paint, so be sure to check that out as well!
We'll be having a new poll soon, to decide the next release, so watch out for that!
Have a good week
Comments
Hello and thank you! I send out the reedem email for MMF on the day the next release goes live. So in this case at the end of November
Thanks man! You have the chance to make it happens since Polish knights are in the poll for the new release right now! And looks like they're winning by a lot
Hi, lovely figures. When do they get added to our MyMinifactory accounts?
Amazing work! I will be praying for Poles in the next release!
Hello and thank you. I'll upload the STLs versions soon
Awesome minis! Don't stop making them! But. could you, please, insert an STL files of pressuported versions? I don't use Lychee to slice, so It's take a time to convert every model to stl(((
Thanks man, it would be amazing if you did that! But I totally understand not having enough time
Thank you for the kind words, hopefully the next ones come out even better. What would you like to see going forward?
Outstanding work as ever mate. Can't wait to print these out and can't wait for the next release already!
Bolththrower
Looks amazing! Can't wait to print and paint a Teutonic warband. Now to just find time to do it all. :_(
Thank you, it has been but hopefully it was worth it!
Deturnation
Beautiful release! Must've been lots of work. Thank you!
