Italian cavalry by Armand d'Arc

This is the newer work of my Argentinian friend Armand d'Arc. This time is the turn of two exotic units.
The 'Dio lo volve' (God want it!) is a 95-men squadron of ultra-catholic volunteers raised by the Pope himself to fight the Turkish Ottomans in the Serengethi War. They are a sort of Crusaders, armed with cuirasses, lance, axes, swords, shields, with a long history going back to the Crusades. This big men riding big horses are a strange anachronism in this horse and musket era. Their uniform is violet with a bishop-like round hat and a cross in the breast and shield.

The 'Caciatore a cheval' (Chasseurs) are a 70-men Neapolitan light cavalry squadron, dressed in green and red brilliant and colorful uniforms, wearing plumed shakos and armed with sabre and carbine.




Both units along the Cuirassiers (still sailing from Europe) form part of the Italian contingent commanded by the Corsican General Sebastiani de la Porta, from Napoleonic fame and a former French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire . He can be seen in the fourth picture, while parading his troops.

Fatimid mercenaries

Again in bed with flu (not the swine flu, I hope!), so I post a new set of painted figures from Armand d'Arc's African campaign. This time is the turn for a curious contingent: the Fatimid mercenaries.
The historical Fatimids were an Islamic dynasty that reigned in North Africa, and later in Egypt, from 909 until 1171. The caliphate legitimised its claim through descent from Muhammad by way of his daughter Fātima as-Zahra and her husband Alī ibn-Abī-Tālib, the first Shīˤa Imām, hence the name al-Fātimiyyūn "Fatimid".

In the 'Serenghetti War’, the Fatimids are North African mercenaries fighting for the Allied (British-German) against the Associated (French-Spanish).
The mounted Fatimid unit (a company or half-squadron) is 152 strong and ride camels or horses (50% each). They are very undisciplined but also very fierce in close combat, using scimitar, spear, axe and knives. Some of them wear metal cuirasses and small shields, and their only firearms seem to be one pair of pistols.
The Armand's conversion include many different sets (he does not remember which!) and the camels come from Aifix (Hät release) bedouins. The turbans and plumes are made from plasticine.

The Fatimids mercenaries and the Cazadores of Balbastro compose the respective advance-guards of the Allied and Associated armies, so they will fight in the next Armand´s battle... next July!

The 'Cazadores de Balbastro'

By courtesy of Armand d'Arc

The uniform of the 'Cazadores de Balbastro' (Chasseurs de Balbastro) at the time of the 'Serenghetti War’, was a green jacket with red collar and lapels, orange cuffs and turnbacks, white buttons, and yellow leather-work. The trousers were in several colours (including light and dark blue, yellowish white or dark brown) because of provisioning problems. Their hat was very characteristics because of its similarity with the hat carried by the old fashioned Spanish grenadiers, accompanying the Spanish Expeditionary Corps of La Romana and had a yellow pompom.

Some of the 'Cazadores' were veterans of such expedition, and where carried to Spain in ships by their British allied (note that the Alliances are reversed in Africa!). The musisicans wore red jackets with yellow and white lace and cords.
The battalion was 335 strong at his arrival to Africa under the command of Colonel Rafael Pardo. Around of a 60% of the men were raw recruits, and the Colonel and the officiers and sub-officiers were making great efforts to make them profitable to 'form the square', a necessary manoeuvre, because of the Allied superiority in cavalry.

The Colonel Pardo's Cazadores are included in the Regiment 'Duque de Alba' along other three infantry battalions, which is part of the Bernal Diaz de Vivar's Spanish Division.

To be (hopefully) continued...

A history of two (twin) brothers

The history (fictional of course) of my great-great-great grandfather by my Argentinian friend Armand d'Arc

"We are now on the third year of the ‘Serenghetti War’, a conflict fought in Africa between the European powers with the help of their local allies.
The Spanish fleet has managed to break again the English blockade (the British ships have moved to fight in the North-American conflict) carrying the reinforcements sent by the French Empereur to the Spanish King, his main ally in the war on the ‘Black Continent’.
Whereas the men are crowded in the frigates and vessels following, like little bees, the trace of the ships of the line "Santa Maria" and "Madre de Dios", some important officers are travelling aboard these last. Colonel Rafael Pardo is one of them, and on the main deck of the ‘Santa María’ is trying to see through the fog, the African coastline, while thinks about his family assimilating the perturbing news that his father told him at the moment of the departure for African lands.
The old and proud hidalgo, Captain Emanuel Gilberto Ricardo Pardo de Villanueva, engineer officer of the King Guard, chose that moment to reveal him the bizarre and secret history of his marriage with an Otoman Princess as well as the existence of his twin brother.
Don Emanuel was married once with Jasmila, an Otoman Princess and the older daughter of the principal counsellor of the Pasha of Damascus, Hassan ibn Hamill Al Mundi. The youngs were in strong love, but both families were natural enemies, so they had to fought all time against them to be happy. From that marriage, the young and beautiful Jasmila give Emanual two twin sons, but all these happines finished abruptly when the war between Spain and the Moorish tribes of the North of Africa, began again.

The couple was obligated to separate and each one took one of the boys: Rafael went with his father and his brother Ayyub with his mother. Emanuel and Jasmila never meet again and both child grown up without knowing from each other.
And now, 30 years later, Rafael is trying to control his heart: he had a mother and a twin brother!
A familiar mew distracts colonel Pardo from his thoughts. It was Zeus, a fiery little cat, living in the ship, which only accepts his strokes.
"Well my friend... - says the colonel to his little cat- look at our destiny. We can found there my brother and mother or we can dead at the battlefield before. But we had to try it. Did you agree?" and the little "Zeus" move his head and send a happy mewing that Rafael knows it is his own way to say "yes".
The sound of a bell on board woke up both, man and cat, from their dreams. In a few minutes they will have a good lunch, the last on the ship before their arrival to Port "San Ildefonso", the larger Spanish town near the war frontline. "Zeus" jumped leading the way to the inferior deck and Rafael, with a little smile on his lips, followed him."

Se non è vero, è ben trovato... isn't it?