Historical Overview Section

In 409 the Vandals, with the allied Early Alans and Germanic tribes like the Suevi, swept into the Iberian peninsula. In response to this invasion of Roman Hispania, Honorius, the emperor in the West, enlisted the aid of the Visigoths to regain control of the territory. In 418, Honorius rewarded his Visigothic federates by giving them land in Gallia Aquitania on which to settle. The Visigoths soon became the dominant power in the Iberian Peninsula, quickly crushing the Alans and forcing the African Vandals into (unsurprisingly) north Africa. By 500, the Visigothic Kingdom, centred at Toulouse, controlled Aquitania and Gallia Narbonensis and most of Hispania with the exception of the Suevic kingdom in the northwest and small areas controlled by the Basques and Cantabrians. However, in 507, the Franks under Clovis I defeated the Visigoths in the Vouillé and wrested control of Aquitaine.

In 554, Granada and southernmost Hispania Baetica were lost to representatives of the Early Byzantine Empire (to form the province of Spania) who had been invited in to help settle a Visigothic dynastic struggle, but who stayed on, as a hoped-for spearhead to a "Reconquest" of the far west envisaged by emperor Justinian I. Visigothic Hispania and its regional divisions in 700, prior to the Muslim conquest.The last Arian Visigothic king, Liuvigild, conquered the Suevic kingdom in 585 and most of the northern regions (Cantabria) in 574 and regained part of the southern areas lost to the Byzantines, which King Suintila reconquered completely in 624. The kingdom survived until 711, when King Roderic (Rodrigo) was killed while opposing an invasion from the south by the Ummayad Arabs in the Battle of Guadalete on July 19. This marked the beginning of the Muslim conquest of Hispania in which most of the peninsula came under Islamic rule by 718.

Using the army in ADLG

  • The pre-622 version almost runs on autopilot with two troop types that need to roll forwards inexprably.
  • You are certainly starting most conventional lists with all 6 of the HC, including the 3 upgrades. Even though making "wider than 6" commands is counter intuitive, adding in a second rank of a handful of MCv to fill gaps is useful as you will suffer attrition as the HC charge home and either win or die
  • 2 commands of Swordsmen probably rounds out the army, or maybe even again one huge one and a 3rd distraction/skirmishing one for the flank.
  • The rough terrain troops are pretty much speedbumps, so a fast attack in the open and praying that the enemy doesn't have time to roll up your flanks is almost certainly a better option.
  • Mountainous terrain potentially gives you an Impassable and some other anchor terrain as well, but with this many ploddy foot going for a more open board with relatively few pieces may be better.

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Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army

200 Points
Competent Included
3 Bucellarii (General) Heavy cavalry impetuous Elite
1 Gardingi Medium cavalry ------
1 Gardingi Light cavalry javelin ------
==
Competent
6 Warriors Heavy swordsmen impetuous ------
4 Light Infantry Bow Light infantry bow ------
2 Gardingi Medium cavalry ------
1 Roman Militia Medium swordsmen Mediocre
==
Ordinary Allied Justinian Byzantine
6 Warriors Heavy swordsmen impetuous ------
4 Light Infantry Bow Light infantry bow ------
2 Gardingi Medium cavalry ------
1 Roman Militia Medium swordsmen Mediocre