Blade, chain mail, long spear
And a good horse - when with such an outfit
You crossed the border, they say:
The surf cannot compete with the waterfall.
Rings fly off enemy chain mail, Like the feathers of birds, beaten by heavy hail.
The enemy rushes about, hunted down like a beast, And his captivity is an unexpected reward.
Abu-t-Tayyib ibn al-Hussein al-Jufi (915-965) Translated from Arabic by Volosatov V. A.
Warriors of Eurasia. Readers of "VO", probably, have already noticed the disappearance from the pages of the site of a series of articles about the warriors of Eurasia in 1050-1350, based on the materials of a two-volume monograph by the English historian Dove. Nicolas. And the reason for this is the lack of materials for decoration. The fact is that following the last material of the cycle "Warriors of North Africa 1050-1350" the following chapters should have followed: "Maghreb and Sicily", "Andalusia", "Arabia", "Fertile Crescent", "Iraq and Syria" and Islamic Anatolia. And in D. Nicolas's monograph there are graphic sketches of artifacts and miniatures. But where can you find their originals? Nicole himself worked for many years in the East: first at the Arabica Air Force, then, having received a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, for many years he read the history of Islamic and world architecture at Yarmouk University in Jordan, and he traveled all over the Near and Middle East, museums and ruins, churches and monasteries. Things have gotten more complicated today. Many museums are simply looted and do not function. Others do not respond to Russians' inquiries. For the fourth, only their names and opening hours are posted on the Internet. It seems to be an age of information, but it is simply impossible to find it on many topics. So, unfortunately, I had to give up many topics. But today we are returning to the publication of the articles of the cycle and expanding its chronological framework due to the peculiarities of the development of Eastern culture.
And we will talk about the soldiers of Iran, including the Turks who lived in Azerbaijan and the neighboring Iranian province of Adharbajan, who appeared in this region relatively recently, as well as the Kurds of Iran, Iraq and southeastern Turkey.
Power here from 934 to 1062 belonged to the Buyids, a Shiite military dynasty that managed to transform the Abbasid caliphate into an Iranian empire. Its founders were the brothers Ali, Hassan and Ahmed Buyids, who came from the mountainous area of Deil in Gilan (Northern Iran), who were hired military leaders who managed to rise during the Ziyarid dynasty. The Buyids are famous for adhering to the traditions of the old Persian culture, and from 945 to 1055 they even ruled Baghdad (while occupying the inherited post of Amir al-Umar, the post of supreme commander and commander of the Gulyam Guard) and most of the lands of modern Iraq. The paradox of the situation was that they did not officially recognize the spiritual authority of the Sunni Caliph in Baghdad. In relation to Christians and Sunni Muslims, a policy of religious tolerance was pursued. Smart people. They realized that the civil war did not bode well for them. But in the second half of the 11th century, the Buyids still fell, becoming victims of the invasion of the Seljuk Turks and their allies.
Interestingly, initially, their power relied solely on the army, consisting almost entirely of the infantry of the Dailemit mountaineers, famous for their ferocity and love of garlic. And the Sassanids willingly used them as an elite infantry, for which they paid in the end. Moreover, the Deilemites did not differ in the severity of their weapons.
The Dailemites themselves were militant, but somewhat culturally backward people, known for their intimidating appearance and the habit of wearing swords not only on the belt, like the Arabs, but also in a sling, like the Persians or Turks. For a long time they were known as good mercenaries. Wherever they did not serve: from Afghanistan to Syria and Egypt! Their armament was rather limited, but nevertheless effective: a set of short spears and also a large, brightly painted shield. Swords, battle axes and bows (the latter may have been used by marksmen behind the spear infantry). If armor was used, then it was mainly chain mail. The tactics of the battle of the Deilemites were simple, but effective: the infantry had to hold the front even during the offensive. Meanwhile, the cavalry, divided into squads, attacked the enemy several times, attacking and retreating in the traditional Arab style. The traditional weapon of the rider was the tabarzin moon-shaped ax (literally "ax-saddle"), which was also used in Fatimid Egypt.
In their military traditions, they are very similar to the gulams, however, they were Sunnis, so the rivalry between the two groups was very fierce.
The Seljuks, who destroyed the Buyid state, were nomadic steppe dwellers, whose main striking force was horse archers. However, having subjugated Iran, the Seljuks soon adopted its principles of forming their army. The country was divided into twenty-four military regions, each under regional command. In fact, these were the military governors of the provinces, who had to collect, train and equip a certain number of soldiers each year, who regularly gathered in pre-arranged places to spend the summer either in training or participating in a military campaign. As for the nomadic element in the face of the Turkmen soldiers who did not want to settle permanently, they would be transferred to the border areas, where they acted as semi-official armed forces raiding enemy territory. In these campaigns, it quickly became clear that the ghoulams of the Baghdad caliphs were better disciplined, better "armored", better trained and, as a rule, more versatile as warriors. The tactics of ghoulams included archery, both precisely on target and across squares, both in open combat and during a siege, and this technique required constant practice and great skill. They were also better equipped for close combat, in which they were very effective due to their heavy armor, which often included horse armor. Written sources list the equipment of these elite warriors: spear, dart, sword, bow, mace, lasso, hauberk and helmet with a hood or decorated with a ponytail, with the spear given priority. These professional warriors were described by the Byzantine princess Anne Komnina as more chivalrous than even Western European crusaders.
Kurds as warriors became known only towards the end of the Seljuk period, when they became the initial basis of Ayubid power in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. They were long considered effective cavalry, rode relatively large horses, wore generally heavier armor than the Arabs, and their favorite weapon was the sword. The Kurdish infantry is rarely mentioned, but the Kurdish cavalry was used by the Ghaznavids, served Saladin and his other heirs, as well as in Egypt and Syria. But it was in the service of the Ayyubids that the Kurdish horsemen most of all became famous and played a very important role in the wars in the East, as they were Saladin's personal guard.
After the invasion of the Mongols and the inclusion of this region in the Ilkhan state, all these warriors in terms of prestige in relation to the Mongols and their descendants fell sharply. However, they continued to serve their new rulers, as did mercenaries from much more distant lands, including Europeans, probably mainly as crossbowmen, although some may have continued to serve as heavy cavalry. Italian sailors or marines are even mentioned in sources serving on the Black Sea; some of them were recruited to sail on ships in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. Some sources report that Italian sailors in the XIII century sailed even in the Indian Ocean, while in the service of the Mongol Ilkhans!
It is interesting, however, the following: in spite of everything, the influence of the newcomers in the lands of modern Iran and Iraq was not at all as great as it might seem, including in the military field. Over time, a very peculiar complex of protective armor and offensive weapons has developed here. Since the rider's main weapon was the bow, the helmets here never completely closed and never became. The shoulder girdle had to have maximum mobility. Hence the dominance of chain mail, with short, up to the elbow, sleeves. The torso was covered with a forged shell from the front, back, and sides. But, unlike the European anatomical carapace, a simple "folding" on hinges of four plates was used here: charaina - "four mirrors". It consisted of a bib, a back plate and had one plate under each hand, and was worn over a thin chain mail. The hips were protected with chain mail, which went down below the knees, and the knees themselves were protected by forged convex knee pads. Finally, in Persia, kalkan shields, small in size, made of brass, iron and … reeds, were widely used! And distinguished by the presence of four umbons.
Well, further on in the vastness of the Persian state, centuries of turmoil began. Who only came here and fought here!
Only under the able and energetic Nadir Shah (1736-47) was the state able to be brought into relative order, which made it possible to have a disciplined army, consisting mostly of cavalry. He first defeated Turkey, then recaptured the coast of the Caspian Sea from Russia, which gave him the opportunity to fight Afghanistan, from where a new threat was approaching from the Pashtun tribes or the Gilja. In response, he entered Afghanistan and took Kabul. Then he captured Lahore and Delhi along the Indus valley to the Arabian Sea, then again turned north, through Kandahar and Turkestan, and captured Bukhara and Khiva.
This large-scale campaign involved the Persian army, which consisted of the equestrian nobility (analogous to the local cavalry of pre-Petrine Rus), light nomadic cavalry, infantry and artillery. Moreover, from the end of the 17th century, infantry and artillery units appeared in it, which had firearms and were trained by European instructors. However, the tactics and equipment of the cavalry remained the same, although the quality and beauty of armor, chain mail and sabers reached their apogee in the 18th century. The main weapons of the upper class Persians at this time were the light spear, composite bow and saber. They also used a mace and short steel spears carried in a case.
