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MUDEJAR

An extract from Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 1
by Ian Heath


94.      MUDEJAR

This figure is a Castilian Mudejar, taken from a scene in an early-15th century edition of Cuvelier's 'Life of du Guesclin' depicting the Battle of Nájera. Of the 8 such Moslem soldiers in the original 3 are clearly armed with lances or javelins, one a sword, and one a poleaxe, while 2 of the remaining 3 are a trumpeter and a standard-bearer. Some have round shields, others heater types. Such Mudejar troops were still being summoned in Castile as late as the Aljubarrota campaign of 1385, when each district had to provide a fixed quota of men.

Mudejars in Aragonese employ served mainly as infantry but also as cavalry. The infantry were traditionally divided half and half into archers and spearmen, but there seem to be considerably more references to them in the former role than in the latter. One document of 1361 records that the equipment of such archers was to be a bow (or a crossbow, more probably) and 100 arrows orpassadors (apparently crossbow bolts), while spearmen were to have a 'sturdy shield', a lance and 2 javelins or a sword, and possibly a helmet.



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