1/72 Neapolitan Spanish

One of four armies for the War of The League of Cambrai 1508 – 1516. The principal protagonists were:

• Neapolitan Spanish
• Valois French
• Swiss Confederation
• Republic of Venice

The whole thing became a shifting morass of alliances, one year’s allies could change sides the following year and so on.

Instead of an overall expansion of all four armies, the messing about will consist of corrections and minor additions. The main tasks will be adding a Landsknecht force and a generic Italian force (much later), acting as mercenaries or allies.

The figures appearing here are 1/72 plastics from Revell, Caesar and Red Box.  Conquistadors not quite right for early century but had to do as there was no other choice in plastics at the time of starting.  Things have changed on the Renaissance front since Red Box released all their new sets which is what drove this exercise.

COMMANDER
Ramon de Cardona, Viceroy of Naples.

CAVALRY
Gente d'armas

Ginettes

ARTILLERY

INFANTRY
The main infantry fighting unit was the Colunela or Column, consisting of five banderas or squadrons which had about 200-300 men each, more or less evenly divided between pikes, arquebuses and swordsmen. There may have been more of these in the Colunela. A theoretical Coronelía or Squadron (Escuadrón) of Gonzalo de Córdoba was over twice this size and incorporated cavalry (a bit like a Roman legion).

Picas extraordinarias: These may have been theoretical units, Cordoba had two of them in his planned Colunelas each 500 men strong.

The Colunela deployed for combat; pike at the front to fend off horse and other pikes. Sword-and-buckler men behind the pikemen to push through if the pikes stall and to break into enemy pike. Arquebusiers to the sides to blow holes in enemy horse or foot, I was unable to ascertain whether the arquebuses deployed in line or column, I've deployed in column/countermarch here;

Banderas 1 and 2 (Caesar and Revell with some mild conversions);

Banderas 3 and 4 (Caesar and Revell again with some mild conversions and Red Box);

Bandera 5 (Red Box);

Interesting from a gaming point of view as rules don't generally allow movement through for these types of troops, additionally if the Spanish pikes are in base contact they would need to be moved back to allow deployment for base contact with the swordsmen.  Special rule needed?

Irregular infantry:
Spearmen and skirmishing arquebusiers;