The Akinji

Today's post is the second part to the Balkan Cavalry post from a couple months back: https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2024/09/balkan-cavalry.html. That post showed the Wargames Atlantic 3D printed "turkic light cavalry" built and painted as generic 15th and 16th century Balkan light horse and here we have another dozen of them built and painted more specifically as Ottoman akinji. Of course the previous figures would also be perfect as akinji but the turbans most of the figures in this second unit wear demark them more clearly as Ottomans. As with the previous unit these figures are not made solely from the 3D printed kits. The shields have been swapped whilst feather plumes have been added to some of the turbans and sheathed swords have been added to the miniatures along with bows in bow cases. One of the figures has a helmeted head left over from the dismounted sipahis unit that was completed earlier in the year: https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2024/05/dismounted-sipahis.html.

As the Ottoman empire expanded westwards in the 1500s large raiding parties of akinji, meaning "raiders" in Turkish, were often active, even when the more formal Ottoman army was not engaged. They were unpaid irregular forces of horsemen and were not allowed to camp with the rest of the Ottoman army if they were campaigning alongside the more regular troops of the Sultan. Some contemporary images of akinji can be seen here: https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2020/01/ottoman-raiders-akinji-and-azabs.html. In some ways the akinji remind me of the Border Reivers of the Anglo-Scots border but operating on a much larger scale. There were even well known akinji families as was the case with the border families. Raiding parties of akinji, which included all kinds of light horsemen intent on plunder, both Muslim and Christian, crossed into eastern Christendom spreading panic and terror to the civilian populations they raided. Sometimes they encountered defending forces resulting in skirmishes and even pitched battles. 

Many of the border clashes that took place in the late 15th and early 16th century were encounters between defending "Christian" forces such as the Imperialists, Hungarians or Croatians and Ottoman forces comprised entirely of akinji. I have already gamed one such encounter, Leobersdorf in 1532, with Stuart back in 2021, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2021/06/leobersdorf-1532.html, but plan to cover more clashes like this in the future. The force shown in the final photos would be perfect for representing the Ottoman forces, or perhaps more accurately the forces of the local Beylerbeys and Sanjak-beys, in battles such as Vrpile 1491, Krbava Field 1493, Illádia 1512, Dubica 1513 and Plješevica 1520 to name but a few. The army is made up of 96 figures with 7 additional figures for command and kettle drummers and represents all of the Ottoman light cavalry I can muster so far, a force made up of akinji, balkan light horse, delis, Wallachian calarasi and some skirmishing sipahis to represent better armed akinji.  About a third of the figures included in the akinji horde can also be used in opposing Hungarian, Wallachian or Croation armies. Like landsknecht I don't think it is possible to have too many akinji and I will be adding to the akinji host if any more suitable figures become available in the future!

28mm 3D printed Ottoman akinji

28mm akinji horsemen

Akinji or "raiders"

A unit of 3D printed akinji from Wargames Atlantic

The akinji carry a mix of spears and bows

Two units of 3D printed akinji

Twenty four 28mm akinji

The akinji raiding party under a local Sanjak-bey

An Ottoman raiding party of akinji

The akinji raiding party is formed of delis, akinji, Wallachian calarasi and other balkan cavalry

An army comprised of Ottoman akinji

Ambush at Tripalda, June 1502

Last month Tom visited and we played our fourth game of the year. So far in 2024 we have focused on the Ottomans and Hungarians in our games so we decided to return to the Italian wars for a scenario. I have recently read Massimo Predonzani's work on the Franco-Spanish War in Southern Italy 1502-1504 which has loads of great detail on the war which included Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba's greatest victories of Cerignola and Garigliano. We decided to base our game on a clash that happened right at the start of the war in 1502, around the small town of Tripalda.

Ambush at Tripalda, June 1502

Charles VIII's French invasion of Italy and attack on Naples in the 1490s had led the monarchs of Naples and Spain into an alliance. Following Charles's death his successor, Louis XII, was initially more concerned with capturing and holding Milan and the Treaty of Granada on 11 November 1500 divided up parts of the southern Italian Kingdom between Louis XII King of France and Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain who renounced their alleigiance to the King of Naples. Louis was to hold Naples as well as the northern areas of the kingdom, whilst the Spanish monarchs would hold more southernly areas such as Calabria. A crucial flaw in the treaty was the fact that three areas were not clearly assigned to either, these being the Basilicata, Principato and Capitanate. The Capitanate was rich in both wheat and wool and this made it a particular bone of contention between the rival powers.

During the spring of 1502 the French and Spanish commanders in Italy, Louis D'Armagnac and "El Gran Capitan" Gonzalo de Córdoba met in an attempt to resolve the issue of the disputed territories but being unable to reach any agreement they deferred any decisions to their monarchs. Whilst a resolution was being awaited fighting broke out between the French and Spanish troops occupying southern Italy. Contemporary sources disagree on who started this. The Italian Francesco Guicciardini stated the French ordered that the Spanish should withdraw their garrisons in the Capitanate and that on 19 June 1502 they sent a force to attack Tripalda, now known as Atripalda, a town that lay 5km from Avellino in a plain amidst the mountains. The French chronicler Jean D'Auton states that the Spanish started the fighting by taking cattle from the Capitanate and leading a night attack on Troia in Puglia.

However the clashes had initially started  by June 1502 Tripalda was held by a Spanish captain called Escalada, or Ascallade in Jean D'Auton's chronicle. From their forces based in Naples the French sent Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny, the man who had captained Henry Tudor's French troops at Bosworth as well as authoring a book on the art of war, to recapture the town. D'Aubigny was a Scot who had already defeated de Córdoba in the field at the first Battle of Seminara in 1495, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2019/10/seminara-1495.html. Massimo Predonzani in his work on the Franco-Spanish War in Southern Italy 1502-1504 states that d'Aubigny was at the head of one hundred Scots men at arms, two hundred mounted "archers" and two hundred infantry. 

Jean D'Auton's chronicle describes how d'Aubigny used light cavalry to scout the area and sent sixty Gascon footmen, under the command of a certain Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede to lure the Spaniard's out of Tripalda. D'Aubigny sent infantry to do this as he knew that the garrison of Tripalda was mostly comprised of infantry so would be more likely to attempt to catch a rival force of foot. When the Gascon's reached the leper house outside the town it was raining heavily and they were ambushed by a Spanish force twice their size. This clash could be seen from the walls but the rain prevented the defenders on the walls from firing at the Gascons. Initially the rest of the  garrison did not join the fight as they feared a potential French ambush. 

As the fighting outside continued the Spanish troops inside Tripalda could not see any other French troops and so according to D'Auton, translated from the French, "they made a secret sortie from behind, where they forded a small river that surrounded the city, and they were in great number, eight hundred foot soldiers or so" although the numbers may be an exaggeration. In doing this the Spanish were spotted by the French scouts and Lord d'Aubigny attacked the Spanish as they reached the leper house. D'Auton continues to describe what took place:

"There was a great commotion; for it was well attacked and well defended, and the melee lasted a long time; and so much so that the Spaniards gained a rather narrow path and gathered there, with their pikes crossed, for the shock of the horses, which could do them little harm.  

The French foot soldiers joined them, and a great blow of swords and pikes scattered them, but not without mortal damage on both sides, for more than two hundred men from both parties died on the spot. In fact, the Spaniards were overwhelmed and put to flight, killing and beating their way to the city of Tripalda and chased inside the gates, at the entrance of which, on a narrow bridge that led to it, a pitiful slaughter of Spaniards was made. For at the entrance of that bridge, there was such a great crowd of followers that one hindered the other's progress, so much so that the French, who were driving them away with pikes and lances, killed and threw into a river, which crossed it, more than two hundred. And, as soon as they were overturned in the water, the French infantry, who willingly carried out such work, drowned and killed them in the sight of those in the city, who could not help them. A French lackey, named Jehan Loignon, a murderer and a bad fellow among all others, was so well-suited for this task that, by his own hand, he put more than twenty Spaniards to the sword; for which reason, the Lord of Aubigny, who, for his misdeeds, had previously wanted to hang him, seeing the exploit of his arms, forgave him his wrongdoing, and since then held him in good esteem. Thus the Spaniards were skirmished. Many of the French foot soldiers were wounded and killed there, and, among others, one of their captains, named Gorrier, died there. Whatever it was, the French had all the honor and most of the profit from the work"

Following the success of his ambush Lord d'Aubigny sought reinforcements and returned to Tripalda and laid siege to it with 2,000 infantry, 400 men at arms, 500 light horse and 14 artillery pieces. D'Aubigny was countered by de Córdoba sending Gomez de Solis to the area with 1,500 infantry and 100 men at arms. Following further skirmishes around Tripalda a short truce was made on 26 June 1502 and d'Aubigny withdrew his army from the town but further fighting soon followed. The war that would end with de Córdoba's great victory on the banks of the Garigliano had started.

A view of the table with the walls of Tripalda in the foreground. Working up the photo in front of the bridge are the Spanish troops who initially engaged in a skirmish with the Gascons. In the centre of the table is the leper house behind which are the Gascons under Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede. Behind the Gascons at the top of the photo is the Spanish ambushing force under Captain Escalada that has left the town from a different gate and has encircled the Gascons. Little does Escalada know that d'Aubigny is about to strike and ambush the ambushers! The French ambush can arrive from the left and right between the top of the hill and the river.

Scenario

The game was based on the moment when d'Aubigny sprung his ambush on Captain Escalada with the Gascons sent to lure out the garrison already being on the table facing the Spanish troops who had initially ventured out to engage them. As always we used our modified Lion Rampant rules. Each army  consisted of two retinues, with one of the retinues in each army much larger than the other. On the table (see the photo above) a small force of Spanish in front of the bridge was deployed facing a force of Gascons, under Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede, around the Leper House. Further up the field, 8" from the far table edge the main Spanish ambush force under Captain Escalada was deployed. The ambushing French under d'Aubigny did not start on the table.

The river was impassable and could only be crossed at the bridge. Fighting on the bridge counted as difficult terrain. The bridge did not give any additional cover from missile attacks.

Jehan Loignon

To represent the fact that "A French lackey, named Jehan Loignon, a murderer and a bad fellow among all others, was so well-suited for this task that, by his own hand, he put more than twenty Spaniards to the sword"  the French Halberdier unit that included Jehan Loignon could re roll missed hits if attacking in combat.

The Ambushing French

The ambushing French retinue under Lord d'Aubigny could arrive on either side of the table from the river to the top of the hill (see the photo above). At the start of the game the French player had to write down which units would be arriving from which side. The units could arrive via move activations only. Units could not shoot, attack or skirmish on the turn they arrived.

Victory

Victory in the game was based on victory points which were awarded as follows:

The Spanish

2 points for every unit they could get back into the gates of Tripalda

5 points if Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny was killed or routed

3 points if Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede was killed or routed

2 points if Jehan Loignon's unit was killed or routed

The French

1 point for every Spanish unit that was killed or routed

4 points if Captain Escalada was killed or routed

A view from the bridge with a force of Spanish infantry in front of it.

Some of Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede's sixty Gascon infantry who have been sent to lure out the garrison of Tripalda...

...Bouchede himself is in the unit with the white cross on a blue field. His men are taking cover behind the leper house having engaged with the Spanish infantry around the bridge.

Captain Escalada's garrison have "made a secret sortie from behind" and encircled the Gascons.

The Spanish garrison of Tripalda under Captain Escalada.

The Armies

Tom decided to take the role of Captain Escalada and the Spanish so I took command of the French under Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny. The retinues that started on the table are shown in the photos above.

The Spanish Garrison of Tripalda

The initial Spanish ambushing force (deployed in front of the bridge)

1 Unit of Foot Knights (retinue leader)

1 Unit of Rodeleros

1 Unit of Spanish Crossbowmen

1 Unit of Spanish Arquebusiers 

1 Unit of Armoured Halberdiers

The ambushing force under Captain Escalada (deployed at the far end of the table)

1 Unit of Foot Knights (Captain Escalada - retinue leader)

3 Units of Rodeleros

4 Units of Spanish Arquebusiers

2 Units of Spanish Pike

Lord d'Aubigny's French

Gascons under Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede (deployed around the leper house)

1 Unit of French Halberdiers (Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede - retinue leader)

1 Unit of Gascon Pike

2 Units of Gascon Crossbowmen

The French ambush force under Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny (this force started off the table)

2 Units of Gendarmes, D'Aubigny's Scots Cavalry (1 Unit includes Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny - retinue leader)

2 Units of Men at Arms

2 Units Ordonnance Archers with lance

1 Unit of French Pike

2 Units of Aventuriers

1 Unit of French Halberdiers  (Jehan Loignon's unit see special rule above)

1 Unit of Arquebusiers

A brief description of some of what took place follows. Hopefully the captions under the photos will also help to tell the tale of this bloody and close fought skirmish!

The ambush is sprung early and d'Aubigny's men at arms charge down some of the Spanish arquebusiers who were skirmishing with the Gascons.

As Captain Escalada's troops descend on the Gascons they see the Spanish infantry at the bridge being attacked on both flanks by French infantry and cavalry.

Riding under the standard of Louis XII a troop of d'Aubigny's Scots heavy cavalry attack the garrison's crossbowmen.

The Gascons are set upon from both sides and their pikemen are put to flight after coming under heavy fire from Escalada's arquebusiers.

As the rain cleared the fighting between the Spanish and Gascon infantry around the leper house was interrupted. French infantry and mounted men at arms emerged and surprised the Spanish. Part of d'Aubigny's ambush had been sprung. Having crept out of the town walls to catch the Gascons Captain Escalada and the majority of Tripalda's garrison were yet to engage. As the ambushing French and Scots heavy cavalry charged into the Spanish around the bridge Escalada hurried his men on in an effort to join the fray. As of yet he had know idea that even more French and Scots troops were waiting to ambush him.

Escalada's arquebusiers ran forward and opened fire on the Gascons immediately routing their pikemen. Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede had known his men would be at risk as they attempted to lure Tripalda's garrison into d'Aubigny's trap and he could only hope d'Aubigny and the rest of the French troops arrived quickly as the skirmishing around the leper house intensified. As units of French infantry joined the fight a notorious "French lackey, named Jehan Loignon, a murderer and a bad fellow among all others" was slain in a clash with Spanish swordsmen.

A view from the walls as d'Aubigny's Scots heavy horse continue to wreak havoc just outside Tripalda.

The Spanish swordsmen at the bridge engage in a fierce melee with a band of French infantry and slay Jehan Loignon, a "murderer and a bad fellow among all others".

Captain Escalada looks on as fighting rages around the bridge and leper house.

Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede's Gascon crossbowmen have sought refuge within the walls of the leper house...

...seeing this Escalada's rodeleros prepare to assault the house and drive out the crossbowmen.

With the fighting intensifying around the bridge the Spanish infantry who initially began the fighting with the Gascons attempt to retreat back into the walls of Tripalda.

The Spanish crossbowmen and one of their captains make it safely onto the bridge...

...the armoured halberdiers follow them in an attempt to escape the ambushing French.

As Captain Escalada's troops advanced on the Gascons, Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede ordered his crossbowmen to seek shelter within the leper house. This they did only to be pursued and attacked by Escalada's rodeleros who stormed the walls of the house. The Spanish sword and buckler men quickly slew the crossbowmen meaning only Bouchede and his unit of halberdiers were left from the original force of Gascons. 

Things faired little better for the Spanish infantry that had initially engaged the Gascons. As more and more of D'Aubigny's troops arrived, getting between them and Escalada's men, they tried to retreat back across the bridge and into Tripalda. A Spanish captain and the garrison's crossbowmen made it back to the safety of the walls but many of them were slain. As a unit of halberdiers from the garrison fled across the bridge in panic they were set upon by a band of French aventuriers and cast into the river below. The aventuriers now controlled the bridge blocking a quick retreat for Captain Escalada and his men.

The fighting rages around the leper house outside the town's walls.

In the courtyard of the leper house some of the Gascons are put to the sword by Spanish rodeleros.

As they attempt to cross the bridge a unit of Spanish infantry is attacked by French aventuriers. The panicked Spanish are thrown into the river where they perish.

The bridge has been captured by the French and the Spanish garrison's route back to the town is blocked.

Bernard Stewart, Lord d'Aubigny arrives with more of his Scots heavy cavalry.

D'Aubigny's gendarmes engage in a furious combat with the Spanish pikemen but they are defeated when the arquebusiers join the clash, firing into the horsemen at very close range.

The Gascons have been driven from the leper house by Escalada's sword and buckler men. In the distance Spanish and French pikemen can be seen fighting.

Although his route back into Tripalda was blocked Captain Escalada had no reason to be alarmed. His men were in good order and had fended off repeated attacks as D'Aubigny's ambush unfolded. With clashes taking place all around the leper house D'Aubigny ordered his Scottish heavy cavalry to charge the Spanish pikemen who were advancing on either side. The fighting was fierce with one group of the Scots horse being broken in the fighting as they came within range of groups of Spanish arquebusiers. The horsemen with d'Aubigny were more successful and put the pike they attacked to flight. D'Aubigny's success was short lived though as moments later he was caught by a lucky arquebus shot  and unhorsed! With the shock removal of their captain French morale plummeted.

As the French began to either flee or withdraw Escalada continued his push towards the walls determined to drive the French off the bridge. His rodeleros took the fight to the French infantry and broke them in a series of clashes. The Gascon Captain Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede had taken up position at the bridge having managed to escape the assault on the leper house by the rodeleros. In an attempt to turn the tide for the French he stepped forward and challenged Captain Escalada to face him. The two infantry captains met in one on one combat and Escalada was slain. With this twist of fortune it was now the Spanish who suffered a collapse in morale.

A Spanish pike unit has driven off the French pike only to be attacked by d'Aubigny's cavalry. The pike are routed but... 

...in the chaos of the fighting d'Aubigny is brought down by a Spanish arquebusier. The French force's morale is hit badly...

...one of the units of French men at arms begins to retreat without even engaging in any fighting.

At the bridge more fierce fighting takes place as Spanish swordsmen attempt to drive off the French infantry who captured the bridge earlier.

The Captain of the Gascons, Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede engages Captain Escalada in a one on one duel. Escalada is slain although moments later de Bouchede is also killed. It is now the Spanish morale  that collapses. 

Having cleared the bridge of the French those Spaniards that can make it to safety race across the bridge and back into Tripalda. 

With Escalada slain the French found renewed vigour. A unit of mounted men at arms that had so far performed terribly, refusing to engage to the extent that some of them rode off, now charged into the fight. They rode down arquebusiers and rodeleros, even reaching the bridge and attacking the Spanish on it as they attempted to reach safety. 

French fortunes may have turned but it was not enough to win the day. Dommé Bertrand de Bouchede was soon slain after his triumph over Escalada and despite the savage fighting on the bridge the Spanish managed to retake it from the French and get some of the garrison back to the gates and into safety. It had been a bloody encounter for both sides but with the French loosing a captain of such repute as d'Aubigny and being unable to completely trap Tripalda's garrison in the ambush the day was narrowly won by the Spanish.

Seeing the Spanish are now in full flight the French men at arms that previously refused to engage now charge into the fleeing men riding down arquebusiers and swordsmen.

The surviving Spanish infantry make it back across the bridge. It has been a bloody skirmish for both sides but with d'Aubigny unhorsed, a key French commander in southern Italy, and having managed to save some of the infantry from the ambush the Spanish have narrowly won the day.

This was the closest game Tom and I have fought yet with the final victory point tally being 18 to Tom and 15 to myself. It was a scenario that seemed to develop a life of its own. Initially things were pretty close with both of us suffering a few losses. The game then swung in favour of the Spanish with Captain Escalada's retinue keeping in good order and putting all those arquebusiers to great effect whilst the French proved very difficult to control. With the removal of d'Aubigny it looked like it was going to be a Spanish triumph but the subsequent death of Escalada caused a panic in the Spanish force that was made worse by the charging French men at arms who rode through multiple units. The final mad scramble of the Spanish back across the bridge was a lot of fun and neither of us was sure who had won until we tallied the victory points at the end. A very entertaining scenario!

I can think of quite a few of these double ambush clashes in the early 1500's. Jacques de Mailles's account of Bayard's life has lots of them so I will definitely revisit this style of scenario again. Having the rival retinues positioned amidst each other on the table is a great way to present the players with tricky decisions during the game. I think Tom and I will stay with the Italian Wars for our next game, hopefully we will get a clash arranged for early in the new year.