#8168 Andulusian Infantry
Dated: October 14, 2008, updated January 3, 2009
During the lifetime of El Cid, Muslim Spain was divided between a number of independent kingdoms usually known as the taifa states. These included powerful centres such as Seville, Zaragoza, Badajoz, Toledo and Valencia. Although they shared the culture of al-Andalus, they were often political rivals and could find themselves fighting one another as well as the expanding Christian kingdoms of northern Spain.
Box front and back
Andalusian infantry formed an important part of the armies of these taifa rulers. They defended cities, garrisoned fortresses and served in field armies alongside cavalry, archers and other troops. In battle they could be used to hold ground, support mounted troops, protect camps and baggage or take part in sieges, which were a regular feature of warfare in eleventh-century Spain.
The armies of al-Andalus reflected the long military traditions of Islamic Spain. Some troops were locally raised, while others might be retainers of a ruler, members of an urban militia or soldiers maintained by provincial governors and nobles. Equipment and clothing could therefore vary, but the overall appearance of Andalusian infantry remained distinct from both the Christian armies to the north and the later Berber armies that crossed from North Africa.
Before the arrival of the Almoravids, the taifa kingdoms relied heavily upon their own Andalusian troops together with mercenaries and allied contingents. Some rulers even employed Christian knights or made alliances with neighbouring Christian princes in order to strengthen their position against Muslim rivals. This helps explain the complicated political world in which El Cid operated, serving both Christian and Muslim masters at different times.
Test sprue
Andalusian infantry fought in many of the conflicts associated with El Cid's era. They would have appeared in the armies of the taifa rulers during the struggle for control of eastern and central Spain, in the fighting around Zaragoza where El Cid served for a time, and later in the wars for Valencia. They could oppose Christian armies, support them, or even fight beside them depending upon the changing alliances of the period.
Test figures
The balance of power changed sharply after the Christian capture of Toledo in 1085. Alarmed by the growing strength of Castile, several taifa rulers called for help from the Almoravids, the Berber empire from North Africa. After the Almoravid victory at Sagrajas in 1086, Andalusian troops increasingly fought alongside Almoravid armies, although the two were not identical in appearance, background or military tradition.
This set represents the infantry of Islamic Spain in the age of El Cid. The figures are suitable for the armies of the taifa kingdoms before Almoravid intervention and remain equally useful for the mixed Andalusian and Almoravid forces of the later eleventh century. They provide the foot soldiers needed for city garrisons, field armies, skirmishes and sieges throughout the period.
The set can be combined particularly well with our El Cid Moorish Command and the various Moorish cavalry sets to create the armies of the taifa rulers. It also works naturally with our El Cid Almoravid Infantry, Almoravid Light Cavalry and Almoravid Heavy Cavalry, allowing the modeller to show the later phase of the struggle when Andalusian and Almoravid troops fought together against the Christian kingdoms.
Used against our El Cid Spanish Infantry, Spanish Light Cavalry, Spanish Heavy Cavalry and Spanish Command, these figures help recreate the shifting warfare of eleventh-century Spain. They are suitable for the campaigns around Zaragoza and Valencia, for the period before and after the Almoravid intervention, and for the complex world of alliance, rivalry and changing loyalties in which El Cid made his name.