List III/60, Dynastic Kurdish - Kurdish foot

Author: Brendan Moyle and Duncan Head

Synopsis: Add Kurdish foot-archers

Proposal: Replace –

Kurdish infantry – Irr Hd (F) @ 1 AP 0-10

with -

Kurdish foot-archers – Irr Bw (I) @ 3 AP *8-16

Other Kurdish infantry – Irr Hd (F) @ 1 AP 0-6

In the Notes, replace -

"Kurdish infantry are not mentioned in the sources, so this list

assumes that any foot used were of little military value."

with -

"The minimum marked * applies if any non-allied foot are used. When

Kurdish infantry are mentioned in the sources (which is not very

often, so they may not always have been present) they are archers.

This list assumes that any non-archer foot were of little military

value."

The maximum Cv (O) allowed should probably be reduced to compensate

for the AP of the foot, perhaps from 62 to 56.

Justification:

Ibn al-Athir's "al-Kamil fi'l-Ta'rikh" describes battles between

Oghuz and Kurds in the 1040s.

One of these battles involved the Kurdish amir Surkhab b. Muhammad

b. Annaz stationing a force of Kurds on a mountain top at a pass.

During the battle at the pass, the "Kurds shot at them from the

mountain-top" – apparently with arrows. From the position, and

because cavalry are mentioned separately, these shooters were

presumably infantry. Classification as Bw (I) differentiates them

from good contemporary archers such as Armenians or crossbowmen, who

had a reputation for effectiveness that is not attested for the

Kurds. Although apparently operating in difficult going they are not

described as skirmishing, so on balance should probably not be

allowed classification as Ps.

In the 13th century (admittedly after the end-date of this list)

the "History of Rabban Sawma..." has references to Kurds shooting

arrows from ambush, and to Kurdish foot-soldiers, in the Ilkhanate.

See the companion proposed change to the Ilkhanid list.

References:

"The Annals of the Saljuq Turks: Selections from "Al-Kamil Fi'l-

Ta'rikh" of Ibn Al-Athir" (Studies in the History of Iran &

Turkey), translated by D S Richards

"The history of Rabban Sawma and Mar Yahbh-Allaha", translated by E

A Wallis Budge, online at

http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/sawma_budge.pdf