DBA Armies

III/40 NORSE VIKING & LEIDANG 790 AD - 1280 AD

This list covers Norse armies from the first Viking raids on Britain until the establishment of the feudal system in their homeland. Viking armies are those composed of volunteers for overseas raiding expeditions, or the forces of Viking colonies such as Jorvik (York), Dublin, Orkney, Isle of Man (Manx) or Novgorod, but not of the Hebrides. We distinguish between early undisciplined collections of Viking raiders and the larger more controlled raiding armies under jarls or kings from 850 on. Leidang armies were Norwegian, Danish (including the south of what is now Sweden) or Swedish royal levies and were used for home defence or major aggressive wars. Most warriors are classed as Blades because of the universal ownership of swords and axes and the stress placed on individual weapon skills. Bows were also carried by individuals, but mainly used on ship-board, although archers could occasionally be sent out to skirmish. Except for a small number of slightly insane berserks (mainly employed as chief’s tax collectors and bully-boys) they were too disciplined to be classed as Warband. Huscarls are taken to be the most skilled and uniformly armoured men, nobles and their professional followers. Hird were the mass of the army. Boendr (plural of bondi) were respectable small farmers tied to their land who could only be shifted from it by more important people using considerable force. They are assumed to have less skill and mail than huscarles, but more mail and experience though less youthful vigour than younger members of the Hird, who are likely to have been their surplus sons. Thralls were un-free peasants and farm labourers. References: Armies of the Dark Ages 1. Heath, Armies of Feudal Europe 1. Heath, The Viking Art of War P. Griffith, The Long Ships F. Bengtsson (novel).

III/40a — Viking Army 790 AD - 849 AD

List: 1 x General and huscarls (4Bd), 10 x raiders (3Bd), 1 x huscarls (4Bd) or berserks (3Wb) or archers (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 4
Enemies:

III/40b — Viking Army 850 AD - 1280 AD

List: 1 x General and huscarls (4Bd), 10 x hird (4Bd), 1 x archers (Ps or 4Bw) or berserks (3WD) or [only if Dublin or Manx] Irish (3Ax)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 4
Enemies:
Allies: III/45 or III/46 or III/72

III/40c — Leidang Army 790 AD - 1070 AD

List: 1 x General (4Bd), 2 x huscarls (4Bd), 6 x boendr (4Bd or in Finland 3Ax), 2 x boendr archers (3Bw or Ps), 1 x free-lance raiders (3Bd) or Lapp archers (Ps) or thralls (7Hd)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: III/1a

III/40d — Leidang Army 1071 AD - 1280 AD

List: 1 x General (3Kn), 1 x huscarls (4Bd), 6 x boendr (4Bd), 2 x boendr archers (3Bw or Ps), 1 x Laenstropperne (3Kn) or huscarls (4Bd), 1 x free-lance raiders (3Bd) or Lapp archers (Ps) or thralls (7Hd)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: IV/13a or IV/13b