Anglo-Norman Wars / Battle of Hastings 1066

In January 1066 King Edward "The Confessor" died without leaving the throne to a heir. Harold Godwinson of Wessex, the most mightyful of anglo-saxon Earls, proudly insisted to succeed the king.
At the same time Duke William of Normandy was ready to overtake the English throne. But also a war fleet under the command of Harald Hardraada, King of Norway, had set sails to invade the Yorkshire coast...

14 lance pennons / Duke William of Normandy: personal banner, papal banner / Harald Hardraada, king of Norway: personal standard / King Harold Godwinson of Wessex, personal standard / 2 standards with dragon symbol , 1 standard with raven symbol, 2 standards with cross.

The Crusades

Anno Domini 1096 is the beginning of an enterprise which should last for about 200 years, ceasing in 1291 with the Fall of Akkon. When this last bastion of the "knights of Christ" had been lost to the saracenes, the crusades to the "Holy Land" found their end.
Nevertheless, numerous crusades still continued - on the European continent. Papal authority agitated against all those groops who tried to live their own more or less peaceful interpretation of christendom or whose richess the Catholic Church desired to incorporate. Under the sign of the cross troops were set on the Stedingen peasants near Bremen in north Germany, on the French Albigensian community, the Baltic Prussians and many other "heathens".

As a common sign, the crusaders first used a red cross of any shape. At the start of the third crusade in 1188 the leading rulers confirmed to use crosses in certain colours as identification sign for their armies coming from different european countries:

The cross should be red for the Frankonian, whitw for the English, green for the crusaders from Flanders, yellow for the Italian and black for the Germans. From 1277 on the English used a red cross on a white ground, the French from 1377 on a white cross on red.

Bonifatius, Marquis de Montferrat, Earl Bauduin IV. of Flanders, Jean de Brienne, Geoffroy de Villehardoin - 2 different, Otton de la Roche, Robert de Mauvoisin, Simon de Montfort, Louis de Blois, Guy de Montfort, Guillaume de Champlite, Eustache de Cayeux, Etienne de Perche.

12 banners of leading Kings and rulers:

King of Jerusalem / Frederik II. of Hohenstaufen, Head of the Holy Roman Empire / Guillaume Duke of Ferrers / Hugues of Lusignan, king of Cyprus, / Andreas, king of Hungria / Henri II. Duke of Bar / Ludwig I. Duke of Bavaria / Ludwig IX. (the Holy), king of France / Raymond Viscomte de Trencavel / Raoul Lord Seigneur de Mauléon / Leopold Babenberg, Duke of Austria / Robert fitz Walter.

Teutonic Order: Grand Master´s banner from ca. 1220 on / Grand Master´s banner from 1226 on / alternate Grand Master´s banner 1240 (black cross silver edged) / Marshal´s banner 1st half of 13th cent. / 3 banners with different shaped crosses / 10 lance pennons, 2 different versions.

Sword Brethren: 1 banner und 9 lance pennons.

Templars: 7 different banners / 10 lance pennons (3 different versions).

Hospitallers: 5 different banners / 13 lance pennons (4 different versions).

10 standards of different types used during that period.

5 banners for Russian knights with motiv of the Eastern Church / 4 banners with Roman-Catholic motifs of European knights.

Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald) 1410

Carrying Teutonic Order Banners: Easy conversions of 1/72 STRELETS 0071 figures.

The battle of Tannenberg or Grunwald July 15th, 1410

At the Beginning of the 15th century, anticipation between the Teutonic Order State on the one side, and its neighbours King Jagiello of Poland and Withold, the sovereign of Lithuania had grown to a climax. When Withold´s troops invaded the order´s territory, Grandmaster Ulrich von Jungingen mobilised his weak army which met the combined Polish-Lithuanian forces in the early morning of July 15th, 1410 near Tannenberg. During the following hours the order´s army, which already had arrived completely exhausted on the battlefield, was encircled and slain.

Crusades books references:

Wargames Research Group Publications: Ian Heath, Armies and Ennemies of the Crusades 1096-1291.1978.

Osprey Men at Arms:

Nr. 75 Armies of the Crusades.

Nr. 125 The Armies of Islam 7th-11th Centuries

Nr.155 The Knights of Christ.

Nr. 171 Saladin and the Saracens.

Osprey Warrior Serie:

Nr. 10 Saracen Faris 1050-1250.

Nr. 18 Knight of Outremer 1187-1344

Nr. 33 Knight Hospitaller 1100-1306 (1)

Osprey Elite Serie:

Nr. 19 The Crusades.

Tannenberg 1410 books references:

Painting patterns for standard-bearers of Polish-Lithuanian and Teutonic armies:

Part 1 and Part 2 of "BANDERIA APUD GRUNWALD 1410,

Alexander s.c., Poland 2000. Text is Polish and English.