Medieval North African Armies

**Slytacular** · April 17, 2016, 04:24 PM

I believe it is fair to say that North Africa in its medieval time period does not have a lot of its sources roaming around the internet. I would love to have some references about the military in those regions. I imagine a lot of the wealthier and professional units having a combination of chain maille, leather, gambesons, and scale. I imagine the North Africans using styles of helmets deriving from the Middle East/Mameluks and the Iberian Peninsula. The less wealthier units composed of berber tribesmen and folk of nomadic lifestyle will have the iconic turbans, felt cloth, leather, and variations of adarga shields. I think a good emphasis for these factions is to use a lot of precursor javelins for units and a variety of projectile based troops. War animals like camels and elephants are something I have to look into.

**Lucem Mundum** · April 17, 2016, 04:56 PM

The style of armor and weapons differed greatly from kingdom to kingdom in North Africa (we must not look at North Africa as a one entity in the first place). The Mameluke armors were heavily inspired by Turkic armors, while some Moorish kingdoms were influenced by Christian Iberian armors, or Arabian style armies. Regarding war elephants there are a few illustrations of medieval North African armies using war elephants, but I am going to have to do a little more research to confirm it.

**nnnm** · April 18, 2016, 10:47 AM

"The less wealthier units composed of berber tribesmen"
In the mod time the Berber tribesmen were the wealthier

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**Lauvergna91** · April 18, 2016, 01:42 PM

Hello buddy ,

I think u found most of what i'll give u but maybe that can help:

Almohads:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

i hope it can help you at least a little

**LinusLinothorax** · April 18, 2016, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Lauvergna91

- Sudaneese war elephant: elephant gunners Just a suggestion because there is elephant in south sudan so why not ? =)

Elephants havent been used for war in Africa since the fall of Numidia.

Sudanese Helmets

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Keep in mind that these are localy modified early modern Persian helmets.

**Lucem Mundum** · April 18, 2016, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by LinusLinothorax

Keep in mind that these are localy modified early modern Persian helmets.

Interesting this is why I thought they looked a bit South Asian/Persian. But why would they modify them? because of the heat? it offers more protection? make it look more cultural? your the expert on those African kingdoms, looking forward for your answer

**LinusLinothorax** · April 18, 2016, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Lucem Mundum

Interesting this is why I thought they looked a bit South Asian/Persian. But why would they modify them? because of the heat? it offers more protection? make it look more cultural? your the expert on those African kingdoms, looking forward for your answer

A good central Sudanese helmet should never miss quilted coifs

Doesnt matter if we speak about Mahdist helmets (See the horsemen right of the center):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

helmets from Dar Fur (Though I am actually not that sure if its quilted or mail here):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

or helmets from Wadai:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

West of the Lake Chad people prefered unquilted helmets tho (with exceptions, of course), like these guys here wear them:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

To come to a conclusion, quilted coifs were applied because they offered great protection for a considerably cheap price, especially against the widely used poisoned arrows.

Edit: Keep in mind that these helmets and armours are late era developments, so they dont really fit for this mod, except maybe for the Nubians (With some restrictions).

**KAM 2150** · April 18, 2016, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by LinusLinothorax

Elephants havent been used for war in Africa since the fall of Numidia.

To add to this argument, it is almost impossible to tame African Bush Elephant, Numidians used smaller Forest elephants or some other extinct species that inhibited Northern Africa, Ptolemic armies used mix of small African Elephants and captured/bought Indian Elephants. I haven't seen any written info or other passing about elephants used for war in Medieval times other then Indian Elephants.

**Alejandro Sanchez** · April 19, 2016, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by KAM 2150

I haven't seen any written info or other passing about elephants used for war in Medieval times other then Indian Elephants.

Marco Polo reports about this:

Note: in these text excerpts India - it's always Africa

Chapter CXCII. Concerning the Island of Zanghibar. A Word on India in General.
...
They have no horses, but fight mounted on camels and elephants. On the latter they set wooden castles which carry from ten to sixteen persons, armed with lances, swords, and stones, so that they fight to great purpose from these castles. They wear no armour, but carry only a shield of hide, besides their swords and lances, and so a marvellous number of them fall in battle. When they are going to take an elephant into battle they ply him well with their wine, so that he is made half drunk. They do this because the drink makes him more fierce and bold, and of more service in battle.
...
Chapter CXCIII.
...
Treating of the Great Province of Abash, Which is Middle India, and is on the Mainland.
...
And what shall I say of it? He straightway caused the array of his horse and foot to be mustered, and great numbers of elephants with castles to be prepared to accompany them;^[4] and when all was ready he set out with his army and advanced till he entered the Kingdom of Aden in great force. The Kings of this province of Aden were well aware of the King's advance against them, and went to encounter him at the strongest pass on their frontier, with a great force of armed men, in order to bar the enemy from entering their territory. When the King arrived at this strong pass where the Saracens had taken post, a battle began, fierce and fell on both sides, for they were very bitter against each other. But it came to pass, as it pleased our Lord God Jesus Christ, that the Kings of the Saracens, who were three in number, could not stand against the Christians, for they are not such good soldiers as the Christians are. So the Saracens were defeated, and a marvellous number of them slain, and the King of Abash entered the Kingdom of Aden with all his host.
...
They have plenty of elephants, not that they are bred in the country, but they are brought from the Islands of the other India.

But this information is absolutely unreliable, and no one Arabian author does not confirm this, on the contrary they refute such reports.

**Lucem Mundum** · April 18, 2016, 03:20 PM

Here are a few weapons and armors

Tuareg Swords

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Tuareg Shield

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Sudanese Helmets

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Here are some Sudanese weapons

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Lucem Mundum** · April 18, 2016, 05:23 PM

Another thing I have been researching for almost 2 years now is wither any of the African kingdoms used full chain mail coifs. Do you have the answer to that?

**LinusLinothorax** · April 19, 2016, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by Lucem Mundum

Another thing I have been researching for almost 2 years now is wither any of the African kingdoms used full chain mail coifs. Do you have the answer to that?

Yes, they did, though their coifs looked a bit different:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

This picture shows a Nupe warrior. I have found these coifs also on photos depicting a Kanuri chief (Dominating ethnicity of Kanem Bornu) and on a Fulbe warrior from Norh Cameroon.

**nnnm** · April 18, 2016, 09:11 PM

the helms are 19th C stuff ... from British campaign in Sudan ...

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**Lucem Mundum** · April 18, 2016, 09:21 PM

I know they are 1800s stuff, all I meant was to use them as inspirations for Sudanese units.

**Lucem Mundum** · April 19, 2016, 05:51 PM

I meant masked chain mail helmets

**LinusLinothorax** · April 20, 2016, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by Lucem Mundum

I meant masked chain mail helmets

Nah, wearing such a thing under the African sun would be pure madness.

**+Marius+** · April 20, 2016, 09:45 PM

Almoravid head garb;

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...5c192da0e3.jpg

Almoravid/Almohad heavy cavalry, perhaps the only remaining relief in Spain depicting them;

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

- the men are all wearing full coifs, however, this is a Spanish depiction of them, meaning, they are depicting men who fought in Spain

Almohad banners of war, captured in battle by the Castilians and preserved;

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

- dated; 1212-1250

Close-up of the rub el hizb(the eight pointed star);

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- blue/purple center, the points are bright red

Second captured military banner(also early 13th century);

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

- the top circles are crescent Moons

Almoravid captured textiles(these ones were captured from the defeated Almoravids and are slightly earlier than the mod's startdate);

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

- two peacocks supporting the tree of Life

The two headed eagle banners of the Caliphate;

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- the animals below the eagle are lions

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- the two animals below the eagle are chamois

Marinid coat of arms description;

The arms of the first rulers of the Marinid Dynasty were documented for the first time in the north by Conrad von Mure who writes in his Clipearius Teutonicorum (1240 ca):

Vult Marrochi rex in auris dominans truculentis In croceo rochos tres forme ferre rubentis

The king of Morocco, throning in shining gold / Uses to bear three red rocks (towers) in yellow

**LinusLinothorax** · April 21, 2016, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by +Marius+

Almoravid/Almohad heavy cavalry, perhaps the only remaining relief in Spain depicting them;

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

- the men are all wearing full coifs, however, this is a Spanish depiction of them, meaning, they are depicting men who fought in Spain

Well I mean its entirely possible that Almohads brought this type of coif to the Maghreb, but I just sincerly doubt that it spread further south.
When Sudanese warriors covered their faces they normaly did that with turbans or in a few ocassions with an iron helmet with quilted applications.

**Slytacular** · April 21, 2016, 05:39 PM

Thanks for the images, Marius!

@nnnm: good intellectual conversations like these require an ignorant person to start it, like me. Lol

If you guys can, avoid anything past 15th century and before 12th century. I'm going to ignore anything that comes from the dates before and after the game time period. New technology and ideas are introduced very quickly over time.

**Lucem Mundum** · April 21, 2016, 06:38 PM

Almohad warriors. Notice the chain mail under the garments in the right-down corner.

The hand on the shield is an important symbol to the Berbers. It is called the Hand of Fatima or Hamsa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Mamluke warriors. Some of them look more mongoloid than others.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Mamluke horse archer and crossbowman

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Ayyubied mounted crossbowmen

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Edit: This is a relief depicting a christian knight and a Moorish heavy cavalry, the latter seems to be wearing full coif.

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