Today's post shows another unit for my mid 16th century collection. A dozen "targeteers" or troops armed with swords and bucklers. The rodeleros, sword and buckler or adarga armed infantry of the late 15th and early 16th century Spanish armies, are well known. By the 1540s other European armies sometimes armed a small portion of their infantry with sword and bucklers, or "targets" in the English of the period, as such troops proved very effective in the raids and skirmishes that made up much of 16th century warfare. They could be sent out to protect skirmishing arquebusiers, or archers in the case of the English, and would be effective in the assault and defence of fortifications.
An example of this can be seen during English operations that took place as part of Protector Somerset's attempt to garrison Scotland in an effort to subdue the Scots and force a union between the two nations. As the English garrisons struggled against the Scots forces and the weather Thomas Wyndham was one of the naval captains who patrolled the Scottish east coast in support of the English garrison at Broughty Craig. The Calendar of State Papers relating to Scotland contains one of Wyndham's orders from February 1548 which sets out the formation that infantry on board his ships are to form when they disembark. The order states:
An example of this can be seen during English operations that took place as part of Protector Somerset's attempt to garrison Scotland in an effort to subdue the Scots and force a union between the two nations. As the English garrisons struggled against the Scots forces and the weather Thomas Wyndham was one of the naval captains who patrolled the Scottish east coast in support of the English garrison at Broughty Craig. The Calendar of State Papers relating to Scotland contains one of Wyndham's orders from February 1548 which sets out the formation that infantry on board his ships are to form when they disembark. The order states:
"For landing from the ships : —
Skirmishers — 20 harquebusiers and 20 bowes.
For the battle — 4 ranks of harquebusiers, 7 ranks of pikes, 4 ranks of bills.
For the wings of the battle — 40 archers, 20 swords and targets for wyfflers.
The whole number of Tiberio's company is 308."
The Tiberio referred to above was an Italian mercenary captain in English employ, the landing force being a mix of English and foreign mercenary infantry. The "wyfflers" who were to be armed with the "20 swords and targets" were a kind of junior officer in the mid-Tudor army. I covered them way back in 2014, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2014/05/tudor-billmen-and-whifflers.html (I forget how long I have been writing this blog for!). As they are assigned for "the wings of the battle" these being the flanks of the main infantry body, "the battle", along with the archers it is clear that were intended as a force that could operate away from the main body of troops and protect the archers should they be attacked.
All of the figures in the unit are converted miniatures from the Assault Group save for the officer wearing a red sash who is a Redoubt Enterprises figure. Their "targets" or bucklers are from Wargames Foundry, Redoubt Enterprises and the Assault Group. I decided to base them in more of a skirmishing style than my Spanish Rodeleros with three figures to base instead of four. They really look the part and would be suitable for any western European army from around 1530 all the way through to the later decades of the sixteenth century. The photos below show the unit by itself and mixed in with my mid 16th century Spanish and Tudor infantry.
The Tiberio referred to above was an Italian mercenary captain in English employ, the landing force being a mix of English and foreign mercenary infantry. The "wyfflers" who were to be armed with the "20 swords and targets" were a kind of junior officer in the mid-Tudor army. I covered them way back in 2014, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2014/05/tudor-billmen-and-whifflers.html (I forget how long I have been writing this blog for!). As they are assigned for "the wings of the battle" these being the flanks of the main infantry body, "the battle", along with the archers it is clear that were intended as a force that could operate away from the main body of troops and protect the archers should they be attacked.
All of the figures in the unit are converted miniatures from the Assault Group save for the officer wearing a red sash who is a Redoubt Enterprises figure. Their "targets" or bucklers are from Wargames Foundry, Redoubt Enterprises and the Assault Group. I decided to base them in more of a skirmishing style than my Spanish Rodeleros with three figures to base instead of four. They really look the part and would be suitable for any western European army from around 1530 all the way through to the later decades of the sixteenth century. The photos below show the unit by itself and mixed in with my mid 16th century Spanish and Tudor infantry.
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| A unit of 12 "targeteers" for c.1540-1570. |
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| A view of the unit from behind. |
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| A dozen mid 16th century sword and buckler armed infantry. |
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| A unit of Spanish pike for the 1540s supported by sword and buckler armed men and arquebusiers. |
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| Tudor Infantry from the 1540s. |
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| The English archers and arquebusiers are supported by a dozen armoured targeteers. |
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| A company of 1540s Tudor infantry. The company contains archers, arquebusiers, targeteers and billmen. |
To accompany the targeteers I have painted up a new casualty base. The miniature comes from this Warlord Games pack, https://store.warlordgames.com/products/last-rites-landsknecht-wounded, and is meant to be a wounded landsknecht but to be honest he is suitable for any mid 16th century captain. He has dropped his sword and is sitting up against a rock as he makes a valiant last stand with his pistol!
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| A casualty base showing a wounded office making a last stand with his pistol. |
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| A mid 16th century casualty base. |
