The Merovingian Chronicles

elcome to the Merovingian Chronicles, a tale of the Dark, Dark Ages, that period steeped in mystery and imagination. To keep a thread across 400 years I have imagined a family lineage, from crossing the Rhine with the Alemmanni & Vandals in 406 AD, settling in Gaul and serving in the Roman army through the fights against Goth and Hun, service in the Byzantine armies of Narses and Belisarius, The migrations of the Lombards, to the emergence of a unified Carolingian Holy Roman Empire. I am building it up in a series of scrolls (aka Web Pages), these are the ones translated to date. The Scrolls are logged for convenience as:

• The story of the Roman PatriciAn Alanus, told in Carpe Diem

• The Merovingian Chronicles of the Comites Dilbert, a Gallo-Roman Frankish Warlord

• The Annals Lombardikon - The Italian wars of the Byzantines in Italy

• You can do all these armies from ome build, read how in Build Your Own Dark Age Army

Carpe Diem - the Story of the Patrician Alanus

It is Recorded that in winter 406 AD the Rhine froze, and many Vandal and Alemanni tribesmen, mainly foot Warriors, Archers and Javelinmen crossed into Gaul. With them came a contingent of the ever restless Alans, including the Parents & family of a new-born baby, the subject of these tales. The early years were unsettled, with these Alans fighting for the Vandals and the Alemanni against the Romans until finally allowed to settle in Narbonensian Gaul rather than going over the Pyrenees to Spain.The Narbonensian Alans initially served as allied Foederati contingents under the Roman Magister Militum Per Gallia, but many young Alan men joined the Roman cavalry independently......

So, as a young man in 420 AD on, the hero of this tale serves Rome as a Foederati, then joins the the Equites Sagittarii Clibanarii in 422, where he is named "Alanus Impetuous" by the Roman troops. He is selected to serve on the staff of Aetius , fighting in Italy, the Rhine & and the Danube frontiers. Aetius become Patrician and Alanus serves mainly on the Rhine and also the Danube and in Italy. In 440 AD he helps defeat an invading Visigothic army, saving Narbonensis and earning the gratitude of the surrounding peoples. Aetius recognises Alanus as one of his senior commanders and promotes him to Dux Narbonensis in 441 AD. Alanus faithfully serves Aetius, and is increasingly also entrusted with operating independently with his own forces.

Following Aetius's defeat of the Huns at the Catalaunian fields in 451 AD, where Alanus's forces as well as many of his Alan kinsmen and German foederati fought, Comites Alanus Romanus Returns to Southern Gallia and at Aetius's death declares himself Dux of Narbonensian Gaul, a Patrician of Rome, Henceforth he is known as the Patrician Alanus, and starts the dynasty recorded herein at the age of 45, producing two sons and a daughter from 451 to 456 ad. There is a valuable document, the Notitia Narbonensis, which describes the Roman armies operant under the Patrician. It is known that the Elder son succeeded as Dux Narbonensis, the younger took up service with the Roman army, eventually taking ship to Constantinople.....

Gallo-Roman Narbonensis

The period from 486 ad to 535 Ad, following the Death of the Patrician Alanus at in 486 is a Dark Time. With Provence being incorporated into the Merovingian Kingdom in 535 ad, the Mayoral Records note that Alanus Major was still Comites, and a son called Dilbertus (Dilbert) was in charge of his Fideles (Household troops).

Annals Lombardikon - The Byzantine Reconquest of Italy

In 527 AD Justinian gains the Throne, and in 533 AD the 23 year old Alanos, son of Alanus Minor and grandson of the Patrician Alanus, sets sail under Belisarius to Africa, in the Vandal campaign. In 535 they take Sicily, in 536 they invade Italy and take Naples. In 541 AD Belisarius leaves Alanos in Italy, for a hard 10 years fighting. In the early years, the Western Byzantine army had to take what it could get as Byzantium was in a life and death struggle against the Sassanids in the south-east and multiple steppe invaders in the north east. Starting out as a young sub-commander in Belisarius's African expedition, over time in Italy Alanos is increasingly operating as an independent sector commander. After Belisarius's departure, he uses his influence (ie share of booty) to recruit his own Boukellarioi, a force of phoideratoi kavallarioi, impress local militia, and take Hun allies in service. Byzantine armies in Italy are more like "Patrician" armies in late Rome, for eg 12,000 Byzantines at Faventia are commanded by 11 generals!

The Byzantines are put under pressure by the resurgent Goths. Narses (and a large war chest) then arrives in Italy with an army and more mercenaries - hard charging Lombards and Heruls. With the return of Narses and the extra imperial resources (ie the money), Totilla is beaten at Taginae, and Italy is secured! Well, Almost, because another 3 years of hard campaigning is needed against the Alemanni Franks, but this is ended at Casilinium. Italy is finally pacified in 555 AD, Alanos then sails to fight the Persians and then the Huns, both defeated by 559. Back to Italy in 563 to fight the Franks & Goths. Peace at last, and the 60 year old Alanos decides it is time to retire in Italy. In 565 Justinian & Belisarius die.

Unfortunately, the Lombard mercenaries in this army went home and told the rest all about the soft, warm lands of Italy, much nicer than the cold Donau basin and the continual struggle with Byzantines, Avars and Gepids. And so, in 568 AD they come back - with wives, children, waggons - and the whole nation in fact. Alanos the old war-horse sets out for one last campaign.

Dilbert, Dux Narbonensis

In the Year of Our Lord 535 AD, Provence and Norbonensian Gaul is incorporated into the Merovingian Kingdom. Dilbert is the son of the Comites Narbonensis, and is leader of the Comites' Hearth Troops and the Narbonensis Militia. The Comites is reluctantly drawn into the Italian wars as a subject of Totila the Goth. Dilbert was sent with 4 companies of horse and 8 of Spearmen at Taginae against the Byzantines, but changes sides before Casilinium after the discovery of his long lost Kinsman Alanos, serving in the Byzantine army.

Dilbert serves under Narses' Byzantines, and at Casilinum helps destroy the Alemannic Frankish army. He returns to Narbonensis, and takes advantage of the weakened central Austrasian Frankish power to extend his overlordship to the nearby Frankish lords, Ratobert & Dogobert. This gives him a force of Franks and Gallo Romans, along with the Basques, Taifals and Alans settled around since Roman times. Dilbert becomes a vassal of the independent Frankish Dux Aquitanium, where he enjoys a somewhat up and down career, including being sent to Britannia to help the Dux's kinsman Arturus. After the Breakup of the Austrasian Kingdom in 561 AD Aquitaine achieves more independence - but greater threats, and is involved in the campaigns against the Goths, Avars and Lombards.

See how easy it is to Build a Dark Age Wargames army BELOW.

Build Your Own Dark Age Army

The main principle is that you can build about 12 different 400-500 ap armies with one c 600 ap buildout as many troops are re-usable across most Dark Age armies, since Western Roman units survived long into the 6th century in some form, and Germanic leaders wore Roman equipment and integrated their units. Thus the "Irregular" armies were more regular looking than you may think - and many Roman/Byzantine units were "foederati" so looked less regular than you may think. I got my "Declining & Falling" dark age army look by:

i) Using Germanic/Hunnic Dark Age figures painted with regular Roman & Byzantine shield patterns, for the regular horse and Auxilia. I also used Minifigs Gallo-Roman foot for the legiones.

ii) Noting Alans were ubiquitous, migrating with most Germanics, serving with the Romans and Byzantines, and settling in Gaul & Brittany - thus 6 Alan Kn(F)/Cv(O)/Cv(S) and Alan Lh(F/S) are a must for any dark age army. Also, both the Romans & Byzantines made use of Persian Foederati, so I added a few in for colour

iii) Byzantine Phoederatoi in Italy were mainly Germanics, I have assumed many would wear their own kit, and some more recent Boukellarioi "private armies" would do likewise - thus only the Kavallarioi is very regular looking, and 2 "Regular" Senior Boukellarioi units

Core Army Build Table

Nota Bene:

I. though not listed here, this build Also does Lombards, Carolingians, Bretons, Early Normans & Ottonians too if you are not too bothered about stirrups at 15mm

II. If you wish to see which Exact Roman & Byzantine units I built, go to the Notitia Narbonensis

Additional Work:

1. You need to paint another 24 Wb to use Early "Hairy" Frank, Visigoth, Ostrogoths, Vandal, Middle Saxon armies etc. This, plus the 8 (Germanic & rebelling naturally) Legios gives 54 Wb typesMay I suggest painting 12 Huscarl types and 12 other hairies so you can field Vikings as well.

2. It is very advisable to paint up 8-10 byzantine Kavallarioi Cv(S) for the Early Byzantine army - adds a lot of teeth, you will quickly see why the Boukellarii model was adopted

3. The Late Imperial Roman army really likes its Art(F) and all 16 ax(S)

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