Crusading Warfare - The Bedouin

 

Let’s begin with a little- known episode during the Crusades.  During one of the fruitless Frankish sieges of Damascus an opportunity presented itself.  The Frankish leaders learned that a Bedouin tribe had arrived in the locality.  With them were their flocks and herds. The Franks, who needed to feed themselves while besieging Damascus, sent out a strong force to seize the animals.

Here is what happened.  The Franks, fearing the Bedouin would scatter with the prey, divided their force into three divisions.  Given they had many well armoured veteran knights they felt it safe to do so.

The Bedouin who fought without armour did not scatter. Their military tradition eschewed archery although they did use javelins. They kept moving until the ground favoured them. Then, they met the Franks lance to lance and blade to blade-and absolutely hammered them.  They did so because they could not survive without their livestock and because they were skilled and committed warriors.

We do not know how many Bedouin died in the engagement but the battle cost the Franks two of their three divisions in casualties.  The livestock remained with its owners.

This is of course a cameo.  There are others, the crucial Bedouin auxiliaries of King Amalric’s Egyptian Campaign.  Or, those who fought for the Kurdish General, Shirkuh to repel the Franks.  Consider the reality that if their allies were doing badly the Bedouin might just ride off.

We find the Bedouin tribes on both sides of the conflict. Some Bedouin peoples were Muslim and some Christian. That was not the prime determinate of when they fought and who they fought for.  For that we must look elsewhere.

The Bedouin were nomads and so practiced transhumance. Transhumance requires the movement of flocks and herds from one seasonal pasture to another. It is about maximising grazing potential.

Contrary to ill- informed opinion this is not a series of random decisions. Spring, Summer and Winter grazing was strictly mapped and fiercely defended.  The Bedouin knew exactly where they needed to be and when they should get there.

This fixed pattern meant the Bedouin had to interact with sedentary rulers be they Frankish Lords or Moslem Emirs. Wise local rulers satisfied themselves with extracting a little tribute, enjoying the profits of trade and ensuring interactions were mainly peaceful.  Unwise ones didn’t and it cost them more.

That is not to overlook the predatory opportunism which often characterised Bedouin actions.  Raiding was a central part of their cultural package.  This extended to their treatment of defeated armies notionally allied to them or not.

In the end it was the pastoralist needs of the Bedouin that decided when and who they fought.  They could not do otherwise.  Once we understand that we can make sense of the seemingly shifting allegiance of the Bedouin in the Crusader period.  They fought to maintain their way of life for they knew no other.

All of which makes me ponder how they should be used on the table top.  I conclude that they should be a threatening presence.  Hanging around the flanks and waiting to pounce. Ready to withdraw to safety but never going away. 

I'll try it out in my next Crusades game.