Hellbeck Bridge Late February 1570

Started by MengJiao, September 08, 2020, 12:29:28 PM

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MengJiao

Looking at Par le Feu, le Fer et la Foi ( Fire, Iron and Faith but with le fer often rendered as "Shock"),
a Hexasim game boardgame about some battles of the French Wars of Religion....

It's a slightly unusual grand tactical game so I decided to do a self-tutorial based on
a small battle in Cumbria at the end of the Northern Rising of 1569-1570. Lord Dacre had
sat out the actual rebellion, but had fortified his castle of Naworth and raised 3000 locals.

On the 19th February 1570 Henry Carey Lord Hunsdon received a note
from his cousin Queen Elizabeth I, who was nobody's fool, ordering
him to capture Dacre. On the following morning Hundson and
Sir John Forster, the Warden
of the Middle March rolled up with a large force of riders outside Naworth.
( from https://thehistoryjar.com/tag/battle-of-gelt-bridge)

Lord Hunsdon was not ready for a seige and withdrew toward Carsile.  Dacre and his men followed
and attacked Hunsdon's force (presumably while it was crossing Hellbeck Bridge)
Hunsdon was outnumbered, but had more horsemen.  In terms of the Par le Feu, le Fer et la Foi  battle system
(with maybe the forces involved slightly enlarged -- two earlier runs of the battle were not
quite complicated enough to be properly turtorial)
that opening moment, might have looked something like this:

MengJiao

#1
Quote from: MengJiao on September 08, 2020, 12:29:28 PM


On the 19th February 1570 Henry Carey Lord Hunsdon received a note
from his cousin Queen Elizabeth I, who was nobody's fool, ordering
him to capture Dacre. On the following morning Hundson and
Sir John Forster, the Warden
of the Middle March rolled up with a large force of riders outside Naworth.
( from https://thehistoryjar.com/tag/battle-of-gelt-bridge)


Meanwhile at court far to the south, many odds and ends of wisdome were heard:

Thomas Preston's play Cambyses, King of Persia was published.
'A lamentable tragedy mixed full of pleasant mirth, containing the life of
Cambyses King of Persia, from the beginning of his kingdom unto his death, his
one good deed of execution, after that many wicked deeds and tyrannous murders,
committed by and through him, and last of all his odious death by God's Justice
appointed'.
Epilogue addressed to 'Right gentle audience' ends:
'As duty binds us for our noble Queen let us pray,
And for her honourable Council the truth that they may use:
To practise Justice and defend her Grace each day,
To maintain God's word they may not refuse,
To correct all those that would her Grace and Grace's laws abuse,
Beseeching God over us she may reign long:
To be guided by truth and defended from wrong.
Amen. Thomas Preston'.
Entered by Stationers in September/October 1569.
The characters include Huff, Snuff, and Ruff, ruffianly soldiers.
A play with these three was played at court in February 1561.
1569: William Wager 'newly compiled': 'A very merry and pithy Comedy, called
The longer thou livest, the more fool thou art. A Mirror very necessary for
youth, and specially for such as are like to come to dignity and promotion'.
With 15 characters, including Confusion, Cruelty, Discipline, Fortune,
Exercitation, God's Judgement, Idleness, Ignorance, Piety, Wrath.
At the conclusion Exercitation prays:
'God save the Queen's Highness and the Nobility...

But up north the bloody message continues as the terrain breaks up the attacking spearmen and the (possibly tripod-mounted) arquebuses
continue their fearful execution):