DBA Armies

III/1 EARLY SLAV 476 AD - 1218 AD

This list covers the independent Slav tribes and starts from their first move west until their absorption into the Croat, Serb, Bulgar, Magyar, Polish, Rus and East Frankish states. “Northern Slavs” include the tribes who successfully defended their native forests against the Rus until 985 AD and the Wends of the Baltic coast until at least 1218 AD. “Western Slavs” are the Carantini of Austrian Carinthia until absorbed by the Franks and Bohemians and also the Moravians until the acquisition of their lands by Poland in 1003 AD. “Southern Slavs” are Balkan tribes mostly north of the Danube and include the Slavs and Antes who fought against the Byzantines and each other, alternately fought or were dominated by Steppe peoples such as the Avars, Magyars, Bulgars and Khazars; and whose independent existence ended by 896 AD. Maurice describes Southern Slavs as living in river-side villages deep in the forest and being mostly armed with a pair of short javelins, some adding pretty but unwieldy oblong “door-shields”. Their archers used poisoned short arrows. From about 580 nobles started fighting mounted in mail shirts. The Moravians, whether mounted or on foot, used single-handed hatchets with short shafts. References: Armics of the Dark Ages 1. Heath, Maurice’s Strategikon G.T. Dennis (trans).

III/1a — Northern Slav Armies 580 AD - 1218 AD

List: 1 x General (Cv), 1 x noble cavalry (Cv), 7 x javelinmen (3Ax), 1 x Vikings (4Bd) or Danish, Old Saxon or Thuringian mercenary cavalry (Cv) or mercenary knights (3Kn) or archers (3Bw), 2 x archers (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: II/73 (Old Saxon)

III/1b — Western Slav Armies 741 AD - 1003 AD

List: 1 x General (Cv), 1 x noble cavalry (Cv) or Swabian or Frankish knights (3Kn) or archers (3Bw), 8 x spearmen (Sp), 2 x archers (Ps or 3Bw)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: ['II/73 (Bavarian)', 'III/30b or III/47']

III/1c — Southern Slav Armies 476 AD - 896 AD

List: 1 x General on horseback (Cv) or on foot (3Ax), 1 x javelinmen (3Ax) or cavalry (Cv), 8 x javelinmen (3Ax), 2 x skirmishers (Ps)
Terrain: Forest
Aggression: 1
Enemies: