Early Hungarian (DBA #119)
After their defeat at Lechfeld in 995, the Turkic Magyars loose their migratory nature and settle in the plain of nowadays Hungary (it is interesting how close "Hungary" is to Uighur or Onogur, both of them being clans within the 9 tribes Of Ghuz Turks). There, they will mix with the Slavs and Finns that previously occupied the area to produce the modern Hungarian nation.
By the year 1000, the nobility felt sedentary enough as to elect the first Hungarian king, Stephen I, who espouses Christianity with the eulogies of the Pope. The Hungarian aristocracy quickly gets mixed up, as German and Bohemian noble families move in and intermarry; they adopt the fighting style and equipment of their counterparts in the West (probably the 2 Knight elements), while the lesser nobility fight as Cavalry.
The bulk of the population, however, never forgot their steppe heritage and as late as the mid-12th century the majority still lived semi-nomadic lives, cities were scarce, castles were built of earth and wood, and horse-breeding was favored instead of cattle-grazing, thus the large portion of LH in the army. Feudalism never fully developed until the early 13th century, and military obligation remained the duty of free men to their lord, not tied as much to land ownership as in the West.
Hungarian aggression remained on steppe levels too. They twice repulsed German invasion in 1030 and 1052; they annexed Bosnia and Croatia, clashed with Venice, encroached on the Russian principality of Galich, and duked it out with Bohemians and Poles. Surprisingly, they keep amicable relations with the Byzantine Empire to their South, except a brief interval in the late-12th century when the resurgence of Byzantine power under Manuel I Komnenos threatened their influence in the Balkans (by the way, I don't think that the inclusion of the Nikephorian Byzantines in the Hungarian opponents' list is correct; the two states do not fight until the 1160's. If anyone can correct me on this, please do).
The strain on the country's military resources contributed -along with internal causes i.e. baronial dissension-to the defeat by the Mongols at Mohi in 1242. Decentralization of power followed, accompanied by private armies of the aristocracy. The tide will eventually turn under the rule of the Angevin kings, but that, I'm afraid, is part of the Later Hungarian army list and someone else will have to write about it.
2x3Kn, 2x3Cav, 2x4Sp, 4x2LH, 2x2Ps.
Russ (#108), Pecheneg(#109), Nikephorian Byzantine (#117), Early Polish (#122), Early Russian (#129), Cuman (#130), Komnenan Byzantine (#133), Early Imperialist (#136), Early Serbian (142a), Later Bulgar (#147), and Mongol(#154).
The greatest disadvantage is the different movement rates; expect your army to brake up, as your Light Horse will surge forward in order to outflank your enemy, the faster Cavalry will conform to Knight movement in order for them to stay together, and the Spear will lag behind. Of course you don't have to play it like that but I've found it hard to do otherwise.
So far, I've only pitched the Hungarians against Komnenan Byzantines and Early Imperialists, so that's what I can talk about. They have a record of 5-2 wins against the Greeks, whom they usually outmaneuver easily, while the Knight have enough "punch" to brake up the enemy line. The Hungarians invariably get to choose the terrain since I use the Scouting for Deployment variant rule and they cancel Byzantine superiority in light troops; a terrain with lots of bad going would definitely be a different story since the Byzantine Auxilia could now play a major role. I'll have to try it.
Against the Germans they don't fare so well. The "punch" is now with the other side's Knights who seem to be able to ride everything down in front of them. In a recent double DBA battle against my "newbie" roomate, I got my butt kicked when my Light Horse, unable to make any headway against his Knights, was sent on a flanking move only to be shot down mercilessly by the Crossbow on his flanks. Yep, 4 vs. 2 is a killer combo (especially from a distance). Keep your Light Horse away from projectiles of any kind. The Germans emerged victorious once more and the record is 3-0 so far.
Thus, on the table top, historical reality has been reversed: the Hungarians lost big time to the Byzantines while, due to scorched earth tactics and cavalry guerilla warfare at night, they managed to quell the Conrads and Henrys of Germany.
Use your Light Horse well but not against Crossbow and try to make the best of the other mixed units. If you set the terrain, you want a lot of flat, good going to ensure that your mounted units perform well; with all the LH in the army, it's almost impossible for your opponent to outflank you. Against Light Horse-heavy armies (e.g., Cumans, Pechenegs) I would deploy the Cavalry/Knights in the center with Light Horse guarding my flanks; against Knight-heavy armies (e.g., Germans) try to take advantage of the braking up of the Knight line that will happen sooner or later due to Knight impetuosity.
My sources for all this are general knowledge from encyclopedias, Osprey books, historical atlases e.t.c.. It is not extensive or 100% accurate.
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Last Updated: Sept 1, 1998
My thanks to Konstantine Trtiambelas. Questions, comments, suggestions welcome. Send them to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.