Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

Greetings, Benjamin

Been awhile, but always welcomed to get input from a Breton.

Your mention of the Mauri is an interesting one. This tread has vascillated between cataphacts, heavy cavalry, and light cavalry; and should we be accepting any one style as difinative? I would think it depended on social rank and moola.

I have always believed that cataphractarii died out in Britain and "new Briton" at an early stage due to a general lack of weatlth, not so much because the ploy was outdated. We know that Aetius set Sangiban (successor of Goar/Eothar?) and his Alans in the center during the conflict against Attila. I remember how Edward Creasy (1850) claimed this was done because "the Alans could not be trusted." But the central punch was always done by cataphracts, another example being the Royal Savaran of the Sassanians.

Since we have British references to shields, lancea, and swords, plus compound bows, I would think the weapons might indicate the style of cavalry-- more than one type of unit, or a unit with varied weapons and protection.

The other matter-- whether there were any Alans/Taifals actually settled in Brittany-- seems too problematic. We'll never know. My gut feeling is they were not, only living on the borders west and south. We cannot know the reason for the 448 rebellion, but it may not have been against the Alans at all-- especially since the Alans themselves were sent into Armorica as a police force. You do not pitch ambivulent forces against each other to sustain peace. That fact alone indicates the Bretons and Alans were not hostile toward each other.

Actually the contrary. As mentioned in two posts above, I believe the cultural affinities between the Alans/Taifals and the British Celts were actually much closer than the Brits and Saxons/Angles. I mentioned the important role of the holy stag, women warriors, spoked wheels, autoratative queens. Their pagan roots and religions were closer than with the western Germans, odd as it seems. And this could indicate less hostility and opens the probability of Sarmatian-Celtic intermarriage. If we are to believe Bachrach and a number of other historians, this is exactly what happened.

Then we have social/cultural interchange, even adding the possibility of Mauri, in the general area of what is now Brittany. I don't think I'm going overboard here. The ancient influences, even my own name, do not have to be 100% Celtic, as has been suggested. :wink:

PS: Long ago, before I knew how to eat more exotic food, I had a meal of steak and tiny white potatoes in Brest (after touring the submarine pens). If I get back there, I'll eat seafood and drink wine!