Of Pistols and Perriwigs, A Gentleman Wargamer's Blog: A New Imagi-Nation, Or What to do with all those Minis?

Whilst going through my pile of War of the Spanish Succession miniatures, pondering how I might fit them into my Saxenburg army, I felt that I just couldn't quite bring myself to recruit late 1690's- early 1730's soldiers to fight alongside mid to late 1700's grenadiers. It just didn't fit asthetically into the overall Saxenburg look, which is pretty much a carbon copy of Prussia just with green uniforms and Hessian flags.

So what was I to do? Why, create an entirely separate army of course! Drawing inspiration from a Québécois friend of mine, I decided to create an army based on French and Spanish armies from the period of the War of the Spanish Succession. So I give to you, Villenois, home to the Comte de Villenois, Lumiere Gaston Jose Marco Davault.

The County of Villenois (pronounced Vil-en-wa) hugs the Mediterranean coastline between southern France and the Italies. While it bears a French name, the bulk of the populace is Italian in origin, though there are some French and a minority of Spanish settlers transplanted from Spain during the height of the Italian Wars as Spanish Habsburg fought French Bourbon, and reinforced with Spanish Tercios marching through during the Thirty Years War. The Villenese Counts have, like other local rulers near Italy, kept a very hard fought and deviously gained independence of any of the surrounding major kingdoms. Count Lumerier, a handsome and dashing chevalier has recently returned from adventures abroad in Europe, with ladies (and some men!) swooning at his presence from Paris to Madrid.

Lumerier Gaston Jose Marco Davault, Comte de Villenois

His army is made up of mercenaries and soldiers from every part of the continent, thought the bulk are from either France, Spain, or Italy. For instance his second in command (and one time lover) is the famous Savoyard general Antonio Spoletti. Currently his army can be divided into three infantry regiments, the White Regiment made up of Frenchmen, the Blue Regiment made of Spanish recruits, and the Red Regiment of Italians, mostly from Genoa and Florence. Along with this are two cavalry regiments, one Spanish, one French, and a sizable artillery train. Income to pay for the Count's army (and his small piratical navy) comes from a mix of the wine trade so well known along the southern French coast, and an annual "rent" charged from the islanders of San Cristo Trinidado in the Caribbean. This tiny island is home to a Villenese colony founded by Count Lumerier originally with the intent of starting sugar plantations, but he later found the island was far more suitable for raiding the Spanish Treasure Fleet along with regular merchant shipping that passed by the island en route from Hispaniola and Trinidad. Pirates from all ports are the principal residents now, with a tenth of their plunder making its way into the coffers of the Count and his appointed governor of the island. Currently a fat Spaniard known as Deigo Montoya.

The Villenese Count, though young, has seen many wars and fought in many battles, and with his recent return to Villenois, is amassing a fortune to build an army to take on his near rival, Savoy. The unfolding war in Europe provides many opportunities to the young Count and his entourage.