Belts, Garters, Buffs....Gawwd...Gimme Romans in Tunics!

[Blathergut]

Man...first attempt at painting up a pike/shotte unit. Oiiiiii...couldn't we dress simple?? It'll take me forever to paint these dudes!!

Curse you, RBS, for writing addictive rules!

[deadtorius]

Bah Romans, take them out of the ancients give them some nice new stuff to paint all they do is complain.... I havent started mine yet
Then we shall see if its as bad as he says

[Blathergut]

Wait until you get to the musketeers! Coats then cuffs...then shirt cuffs...

[david53]

Man...first attempt at painting up a pike/shotte unit. Oiiiiii...couldn't we dress simple?? It'll take me forever to paint these dudes!!

Curse you, RBS, for writing addictive rules!

All depends on the period I researched my German army early thirty years war and found them quite earth colours ie greens, browns ect I used some pictures they have in a muuem in the USA its online I found the colours quite an eye opener still it is differenct and as you say a lot harder than painting ancients.

[Blathergut]

Ya, I'd started with a couple Germans. Was using mostly whites-beiges and earth tones (blacks, browns, earthy greens and blues). I'll eventually go to them at some point.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... s%3Disch:1


wooo..long one...if you can get there!!

[Blathergut]

Tries this:

[Blathergut]

well...big...don't know how to resize it here...

[david53]

Ya, I'd started with a couple Germans. Was using mostly whites-beiges and earth tones (blacks, browns, earthy greens and blues). I'll eventually go to them at some point.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... s%3Disch:1


wooo..long one...if you can get there!!

Yes thats the colours I found maybe europe did'nt have such bright colours in the 1621's or more like after a few months on the road they got replacements from homes they pillaged.

[Montesa]

Must say the spanish were more coloured, If you look pictures (Velazquez, Carducho, etc) and read writers (Alonso Contreras, Calderon de la Barca, etc) of the period. Also there was the Tercio de Lombardía o de Cristóbal de Mondragón, dressed all black and called them: "los sacristanes" (sacristans, sextons).

[Blathergut]

Colour = money. Most of the guys fighting were poor, hoping to gain from the fighting. Biggest deal was probably being given a buff coat or such if it happened. It would be different if someone outfitted a unit. The Spanish seemed to have $$ to spare.

[timmy1]

Blathergut - sorry to rain on your parade. If you read Parker, Army of Flanders and the Spanish Roads, you will see that Castile went bankrupt about 5 times in about 14 years, so many did not get rich and the state did not have money to splash out.

[Blathergut]

When did the American gold and silver start coming in? Or was it drying up by now?

[Blathergut]

And no rain or parade...I barely know this bit of history.

[timmy1]

The american silver was coming in when the Dutch did not capture it but that was not the issue - Spain was trying to fight war on many front. Let me see if I can find a web page that gives the figures - the expendature of the Cortez and Crown of Castile relative to it's revenue was huge between 1572 and 1648.

[Montesa]

Colour = money. Most of the guys fighting were poor, hoping to gain from the fighting. Biggest deal was probably being given a buff coat or such if it happened. It would be different if someone outfitted a unit. The Spanish seemed to have $$ to spare.

As said timmy, the book of Parker is a very good introduction about the Spanish, the other good book is Les Terces o Los Tercios (describes the organization of the tercios in french or spanish, the second is better because the author of the translation does notes about military nomeclature of the period, ) of Rene Quatrefages.
It was quite difficult for the soldiers to be rich. When a soldier was recruit it was given a equipment but the reason that the spanish were more coloured was from the spoils of the sacks, and the officials instigate this "uniform" because they said that give moral to the soldiery. Truely they were dogs of war. Nearly all spanish officials were dark robed.
Firstly a very bad administration of the Spanish Crown, (and one of the winners of this were the bankers of germany and genoa), and wars (sieges drained more recourses and men than battles) and diplomacy (buying alliances) drained a lot of that gold and silver, and family relations (sent also gold to the german Hapsburg).
Many years in Spain there were famine, and the inflation was very high, so the cost of life was very high., and the other were the manner that most of the soldiers expended its gains (bets, women, etc).

[nikgaukroger]

As said timmy, the book of Parker is a very good introduction about the Spanish, the other good book is Les Terces o Los Tercios (describes the organization of the tercios in french or spanish, the second is better because the author of the translation does notes about military nomeclature of the period, ) of Rene Quatrefages.

Good resource for Tercios is - http://usuarios.multimania.es/ao1617/home.html

[rbodleyscott]

And no rain or parade...I barely know this bit of history.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on your parade.

Of course the Spanish crown did have a lot of revenue, and must have been flush at times. However, as is human nature, it overcommitted when times were good and could not keep up the payments when times were tough.

[Blathergut]

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm slowly getting there!

[gibby]

I think the big picture looks like the display from a swedish musuem.
jim

[Blathergut]

It mentioned a museum, yes.