Sir Thomas Malory, the accredited of the romantic tale Le Mort d'Arthur, was in January 1450 accused of having ambushed the Lancastrian Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, that year returned from Calais, in the woods of Coombe abbey in Warwickshire, together with 26 other armed men. Malory had previously been a member of parliament for Warwickshire, but was at the time holding one of Buckingham's seats, however he was still very closely connected to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, and the other Warwickshire nobility. The charges were never proved, but he went on to be accused of all manner of crimes. He was at last brought to trial in 1451, by a court in Nuneaton in the heart of Buckingham's power and was sent to prison in London. He escaped but was back in prison a month later, but bailed for 200 pounds by the Warwickshire nobles. He was imprisoned twice more (for the first one escaping and being recaptured yet again!), and at some point during all his prison stints he wrote Le Mort d'Arthur about King Arthur and his chivalrous knights.
Our game was based around this ambush of the Duke of Buckingham. We used Perry's wars of the roses miniatures and the brilliant Lion Rampant rules, playing the scenario the messenger with the Duke of Buckingham counting as the messenger. On the south-east side was the Duke of Buckingham's retinue, led by one of his Knights of the shire, while Sir Thomas Malory's retinue deployed in the south west. Also, in the north-east corner, Malory's benefactor, Warwick, was deployed with his mounted men at arms.
The armies were as follows
Buckingham
- Mounted men at arms with Knight of the shire (commander)
- foot men at arms with Buckingham (messenger) - (we have reduced the foot men at arms to hit value on the attack to 4+, and their points to 5)
- foot men at arms
- foot sergeants
- crossbowmen
Sir Thomas Malory
- Mounted men at arms with Warwick (commander)
- foot men at arms
- foot sergeants
- foot sergeants
- longbowmen (archers)
The game opened with several unlucky activation rolls for Malory and a couple of good ones for Buckingham. Thus Buckingham's mounted men at arms spearheaded along the road for the fields in the north-west (through which Buckingham needed to leave through on his way home), while he himself with his two units of foot men at arms advanced through the woods.
Meanwhile Malory's men advanced, a unit of sergeants heading to defend the fields, while the others moved to head off Buckingham's advance.
While Buckingham's retinue was advancing, Warwick and his men at arms charged into the sergeants bringing up the rear.
The men at arms killed two billmen, but took a casualty themselves. Both units scattered away from the combat, battered.
At the other end of Buckingham's train, his mounted men at arms charged Malory and his men at arms, killing two of the footmen and taking a casualty themselves, but Malory was forced to back off from the fight.
Regrouping his men Malory led his men at arms and the nearby sergeants into combat with the mounted men at arms, though his own unit received a counter charge from the horsemen.
Following the bitter Malory had lost another man at arms and was now in retreat, battered, however his billmen had taken down two mounted men at arms and forced them back.
Regathering their spirits, the knight of the shire and his mounted men charged back into the bills.
But after the combat, though the bills had taken three casualties, the knight had lost his last two men at arms and fled from the combat with his life.
However while this combat had been raging in the open ground, Buckingham and his men at arms were advancing through the hedges and fields towards the last unit of billmen awaiting them.
Charging back into the billmen along with the other unit of foot men at arms, the gallant knight struck down two billmen single handed and sent them running.
Seeing Malory and his last two men at arms rushing to head off Buckingham, the Knight raced after them. Catching them in a field he engaged the three men, but was cut down from his saddle!
Back at the rear of the train, Warwick at last reengaged again, catching the billmen as they fled at the news of their leader's demise. The mounted men cut down three of the bills before charging on and leaving the others to continue their flight.
Warwick's men mauled Buckingham's retinue as the crossbowmen and billmen fled from the fight.
In the fields on the other side of the field however, a critical combat was ensuing. Buckingham and his men at arms, having sneakily evaded the billmen's schiltron had been caught in the back by Malory's men at arms and the billmen, while they crossed the last field.
The combat saw two of Buckingham's men at arms killed and one of Sir Thomas Malory's. Malory fled battered, while the billmen held firm. However Buckingham too fled, though in good order and towards his destination!
Having escaped Malory and his thugs Buckingham and his men at arms fled through the fields towards his seat - there he would be filing charges against the rogue knight!
A victory for myself and Buckingham's retinue, having successfully completed the scenario objective. However M, Malory and Warwick had inflicted heavy losses taking down my leader and mounted men at arms and cutting apart my bills and crossbows with a succession of charges and volleys of archery.
Another great game of Lion Rampant
by B
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