|
Moldavians
(1359-1504 AD)
|
In 1457, Stefan cel Mare (aka Stephen the Great and Etienne le Grand) rose to power as Viovode of Moldavia. During his long and able reign (1457-1503), Moldavia reached its pinnacle as a kingdom. In 1464 AD, Stefan was able to recover Hotin from the Poles. In 1467 AD, Stefan defeated the invading Hungarian army of Mathias Corvinus at Baia. By 1473 AD, however, Stefan had made alliances with both
Wallachia and Hungary to promote trade and offer mutual support against the growing threat from the Ottoman Turks.| 1x 3Cv (Gen) | The Viovode and his Boyars |
| 3x 2LH | Lesser Boyars and Vitenji (landowning peasants) |
| 2x 3Bw | Curteni (archers), comprising the standing army. |
| 5x 2Ps | Rustici (peasant archers). Can also include elements crossbowmen and handgunners. |
| 1x 5Wb | Rustici (peasants armed with spears, javelins, flails, axes, halberds and scythes) |
Variant: Comparing the DBA Moldavian list (IV/65) to the equivalent DBM list, a case can be made that the Moldavian list should be stated as a sublist in order to distinquish it from the Wallachians, and revised to more closely follow the DBM list. The DBM list provides 4-8 elements of IrrCv(O) representing generals, subgenerals and rich Boyars, 12-24 elements of IrrLH(S), 0-4 elements of pole-armed voynuks, 28-72 elements of archers as either IrrPs(O) or IrrBw (I) (of which up to 16 can be upgraded to IrrBow(O), 0-15 elements of Rustici as IrrHd(F), which can be upgraded to IrrAx(O), plus 0-6 elements of crossbowmen and handgunners. After 1400, the Moldavians can also upgrade half to all their cavalry as IrrKn(F) and can also field 0-2 bombards as Reg. Art (S).
So what's missing in the DBM-to-DBA translation? DBA classifies the rustici hordes properly as DBA warband, but forgets the auxilia upgrade option. Archers can only be fielded as psiloi, but not as bow as in DBM (although an Moldavian army comprised of 7x 3Bw is probably ahistorical). There is no option to upgrade the Moldavian boyars as knights. And there are no voynuks or artillery, despite Stephan the Great's apparent preference for fighting from fixed positions with artillery.
It is probably reasonable to omit artillery from the DBA translation given that they represent only 2 elements out of a maximum 120 elements in the DBM Moldavian army. Compare for example the typical list with an artillery option, which translates 6-10 DBM guns into one DBA artillery element. Same for the voynuks with a max of 4 elements, although I hate to lose that blade option.
But there is no rationale for not allowing the Cavalry to Knight upgrade, not allowing some or all of the archers to be fielded as bow, or limiting the Rustici to the Warband option. Hence, I would propose the following Moldavian DBA sublist:
IV/65b: Moldavians. Forest. Ag: 1. 1x3Cv or 3Kn (Gen), 3x 2Lh, 2x 3Bw, 4x 2Ps, 1x 2Ps or 3Bw, 1x 5Wb or 3Ax.
Enemies and Allies
The Moldavian viovodes shifted alliances as needed to preserve their autonomy and counter new threats, so that enemies often became allies and vice versa. The Moldavian enemies list includes the Lithuanians (IV/18), the Later Hungarians (I/43abc), the Crimean Tatars (IV/47), the Ottoman Empire (Iv/55b), the Wallachians (IV/65) and the Later Polish (IV/66). Big Battle allies include the Hungarians (I/43abc), the Tatars (I/47), the Ottomans (IV/55ab), the Wallachians (IV/65) and the Poles (IV/66), but only one ally is permitted.
Tactics
Phil Barker offers that the historical tactics of the Moldavians was to fight in mountain defiles, woods or marshy positions and/or behind prepared ditches and ramparts with supporting artillery whenever possible, reserving their cavalry for a decisive charge. Unfortunately, DBA and the DBA Moldavian list do not allow for the later, so the emphasis for this army must be focused on effective use of terrain.
With low aggression, the Moldavians will be able to pick their ground more often than not, which is critical for this army. The Moldavians will definitely need bad going in order to contend with the largely mounted foes they face. But quality of placement outweighs quantity of terrain. You'll want just enough terrain to allow your psiloi to operate aggressively, while leaving some room for your Cavalry and Light Horse to move effectively. Experiment with using 3-4 pieces of terrain, instead of the maximum of 5, but don't hesitate to make them maximum size. Try to position them so that they provide avenues of advance no matter what base edge you end up with.
The Psiloi Dash is a definite weapon for the Moldavians, assuming you roll well on the first bound. The dash will allow you to shift nearly half your forces to overmatch one or the other wing of the enemy's force. But once you make the dash, you are fully committed to that strategy and need to be aggressive. In one of my early outings with the Moldavians, by using the psiloi dash in a fight with Later Hungarians, I was able to force both sides pip expenditure to the wing opposite the Hungarian knights, who saw no action in the subsequent battle.
Command and control is a challenge with this army. With Psiloi and Light Horse dashing about on the wings, and with obstructing terrain in prevalence, it can be difficult to maintain control over the army, particularly since many players will be tempted to pitch the Cavalry General (your best element) into the fight at first opportunity. Resist the temptation, hold your General back but in a central location where the wings remain under command control and place terrain (such as a central hill or marsh) that helps screen your General from unwanted enemy attention.
It seems strange that Woods are not an optional terrain feature for a Forest army, which means that an Arable army can legally place more Woods terrain features on the board than a Forest army. That aside, the Moldavians do benefit from use of Marsh terrain, which helps protect their foot, but does not inhibit the shooting of the Curteni archers.
Camps and BUAs
A log barricade or ditch and rampart makes a suitable camp subject, as does most of your generic themes -- supply wagons, sheep, etc. My camp is under construction and will feature Rustici guarding a log barricade thrown up across a forest trail. Other historically appropriate subjects include mountain fortresses, walled cities, and any of Stephen the Great's churches or monasteries.
Miniatures
You'll not find a specific Moldavian range offered by any manufacturer, but can safely employ figures from any range of Wallachians, as well as medieval figures identified as Vlachs, Roumanians or even selected Albanians (mostly horse) and Slavs (mostly foot). Long, dark hair and beards were predominant, as was heavy woolen clothes (tunics, cloaks and trousers) and fur-lined helmets, hats and coats. Moldavian Boyars will reflect a Lithuanian or Polish influence in arms and armor. WRG's Armies ofthe Middle Ages, Vol. 1, provides illustrations and background information as reference.
Other Resources
See Chris Brantley's Moldavians, featuring a customized Essex DBA IV/65 army pack.
> Top of Page > Army Notes > DBA Resources > Fanaticus
Comments and questions are welcome
and can be sent to Chris Brantley
Last Updated: 4 April 2005