My overview of Perry kits viable for my beloved late 15th century Pomeranians continues with this box that I bought quite a while ago, when I was already planning some Turnip miniatures, but knew nothing of epic highs and lows (mostly lows, though) of the Pomeranian Cow War of 1469 and related conflicts.
My Pomeranians are mostly built using plastic kits from Perry Miniatures. As I'm planning to build some cavalry, I'm figuring out what parts of Perry's Mounted Men at Arms 1450-1500 would work in my historical setting.
Note: I am not a professional historian, and what I write below are educated guesses of a hobbyist with the experience of a few days at a local university library.
Note 2: I'm checking historical accuracy for Pomerania only. The model kit by Perry may be perfectly historically accurate for other locations even when it doesn't match my own.
"44th Good Root Disciples pledge their arms to the defence of Geets.
Our fathers died for hopeless causes, our grandfathers died for hopeless causes, and 43 Good Root Disciple regiments before us died for hopeless causes, and so we would gladly die for a hopeless cause as well. Our Banner may be Black like our Hope for Victory, but our Hearts are True.
Geets Shall Stand! Cukier Krzepi!"
--- ensign Barszcz, in the name of lieutenant Moszcz, who is currently suffering from a severe case of indigestion
We have some knowledge of uniform liveries worn by soldiers in the 15th century (white and red for Lubeck town levies, for example), but we also often get depictions of soldiers wearing mismatched colours - like the mercenaries in the painting depicting the siege of Malbork.
On a somewhat less historically accurate note, behold Gerolt of Riga, a Latvian mercenary with high professional ethics.
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHqSw44eDU0
We have hardly any sources for 15th century Pomeranian coats of arms, but we do have municipal seals on which coats of arms are often based. Kolberg (modern Kołobrzeg), a bishop's see, featured crossed croziers, a mitre, and waves in its seal from the late 15th century.
For Stargard, its highly stylised Mill Gate featured on several seals. The gatehouse building was the meeting place of the Sailors' Guild, the most prominent guild in town.
(sources: Czerner 1989, "Herby miast
województwa koszalińskiego", Gut 1995, "Rozwój herbu Stargardu
Szczecińskiego...")
In 1470s, the crossbow was the prevalent Polish mercenary infantry weapon, with barely any firearms on record. Only 20 years later, most marksmen carried handguns instead. They took forever to load, but were slightly cheaper than crossbows, and bullets delivered several times more energy than bolts.
This guy here carries a matchlock arquebus used from around 1475 on in Burgundy, and in Poland presumably quite later. Since I aim at Pomerania in 1471, maybe he got an early overseas shipment? (sources: Grabarczyk "Piechota zaciężna" 2000, Williams "The Knight and the Black Furnace" 2003)
According to a decree from Polish Sejm of 1477, during a war, towns were to supply foot soldiers armed with crossbows, shields, helmets, gauntlets and breastplates. Mercenaries from the period listed in the rosters of Poland and Germany, however, had way less robust gear.
A Polish mercenary crossbowman carried a crossbow (duh), a sidearm (usually a sword, a sabre or a falchion), rarely a helmet and/or a shield – and nothing else. For Germans, pavise shields were common. And my Pomeranians? Maybe something similar to Poland or Germany. It's guesswork.
This fellow in yellow is probably quite well off, with his nice kettlehat helmet.
Sources: Grabarczyk 2000, "Piechota zaciężna Królestwa Polskiego w XV wieku"; Kutrzeba 1937, "Polskie ustawy i artykuły wojskowe: od XV do XVIII wieku", Kurfürstlich Sächsische Kriegsknechte 1475.
Crossbowmen formed the core of late 15th century mercenary infantry for both Poland and Holy Roman Empire. With few sources available for town militias of the Duchy of Pomernia, building crossbowmen has felt like a safe bet for me.
Sources: Grabarczyk 2000, "Piechota zaciężna Królestwa Polskiego w XV wieku"; Kurfürstlich Sächsische Kriegsknechte 1475 reconstruction group. The lovely terrain in the background was made by my friend.
In 1471, eleven towns of the Duchy of Pomerania renewed their alliance, pledging to send soldiers to each other in need.
There were wars in Pomerania in the coming years, but we don't know if the soldiers of the promised alliance ever took arms.
