Impetvs Parthians

After sorting out my 15mm Essex lead mountain figures, and to be different for a change :o) I manage to find and paint up - 5 Units of CL (Horse Archers - 4 figures per base/unit) and 2 Units of CP (Cataphracts - 8 figures per base/unit) The Heavy cavalry figures I used are 8 x PA5 Parthian: Armenian Cataphract , 4 x PA1 Parthian: Cataphract , 4 x SA2 Sassanid Persian: Cataphracts The Horse Archers are 16 x PA2c Parthian: Horse Archers firing to the side and 4 figures x  PA2a Parthian: Horse Archers drawing arrow

anyway on to the figures and their large Impetvs bases! (8cm x 6cm)

III/13a Avar

533 AD - 826 AD

DBA 2.2

15mm Essex Miniatures

Army Composition: 1 x (Gen) 3Cv, 9 x 3 Cv, 2 x 2Lh or 3Cv.

The Avars were a confederation of heterogeneous people's consisting of Rouran, Hephthalites, and Turkic-Oghuric races who migrated to the region of the Pontic Grass Steppe modern-day Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and from Central Asia after the fall of the Asiatic Rouran Empire in 552 AD. They are considered by many historians to be the successors of the Huns in their way of life and, especially, mounted warfare.

The Avar's settled in former Hunnic territory and almost instantly set upon a course of conquest. After they were hired by the Byzantine Empire to subdue other tribes, their king Bayan I (reigned 562/565-602 AD) allied with the Lombard's under Alboin (reigned 560-572 AD) to defeat the Gepid's of Pannonia and then took over the region, forcing the Lombard's to migrate to Italy.

The Avars succeeded in establishing the Avar (Nation) Khaganate, which encompassed a territory roughly to modern-day Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria down to and including parts of Turkey. The departure of the Lombard's for Italy in 568 AD removed another hostile people from Pannonia, enabling Bayan I to expand his territories with relative ease and found the empire which lasted until 796 AD, the Avars were finally conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne.

King Bayan I (3Cv) should be 3Kn! ;oP

Nobel's (3Cv)

General's Escort Cavalry (3Cv)

Bulgar & Alani Skirmish Cavalry (2Lh)

Avar Timeline

552 AD

Fall of the Rouran Empire of Central Asia; flight of the Avars.

557 AD

Avars arrive in the Steppe.

558 AD

Avar contact with the Byzantine Empire.

562 AD

Bayan I becomes king of the Avars.

567 AD

Avars and Lombard's ally to defeat the Gepid's of Pannonia.

568 AD

Lombard's leave Pannonia for Italy; Bayan begins building his empire.

569 AD - 592 AD

Rise and expansion of the Avar Empire.

580 AD

The Slavs and the Avars overwhelm Greece, Thrace and Thessaly.

602 AD

Death of King Bayan I of the Avars.

626 AD

Slavs, Avars and Bulgar's lay siege to Constantinople, the Romans manage to repel the attacks.

630 AD

Bulgar revolt against the Avars results in civil war.

630 AD - 695 AD

Decline of the Avar Empire.

696 AD

Avars conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne (Charles the Great)