As promised, here is my second blog article on my Turcopole units. My plan was to make and paint two units of six Turcopoles to act as mounted skirmishers for my Crusader army. I had carried out some initial research using the books that I had in my collection and the usual internet sources at my disposal, Google search, Pinterest and Wikipedia to name but three.
However, I decided to use AI, namely CHATGPT to see if I could find out more and to perhaps help with colours and shield designs. I’ve copied in full, the answers that I received as I was so impressed with the depth and detail of the answers that I received. Note that any pictures that you see are of my finished models. I hope that the information is useful to other modellers. Here we go:
Who were the Turcopoles?
The word comes from the Greek tourkopouloi (“sons of Turks”), although by the 12th century it had become more of a military term than an ethnic one. They could include:
- Syrian Christians (Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Maronite, etc.)
- Christian converts from Turkic peoples
- Men of mixed Frankish and local ancestry
- Occasionally westerners trained to fight in the local style
They served as light cavalry, acting as:
- mounted archers
- scouts
- skirmishers
- raiders
- escorts
Unlike heavily armoured Frankish knights, they specialised in speed and flexibility. They were absolutely essential to the armies of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Antioch and Tripoli because Frankish cavalry simply couldn’t match Seljuk or Ayyubid horse archers in mobility.
What did they wear?
This is the tricky part for painters.
There was no standard uniform.
They generally dressed much more like the local Muslim cavalry than like European crusaders.
Clothing
Typical clothing would include:
- long-sleeved linen or wool tunic
- loose trousers rather than tight European hose
- leather belt or sash
- riding boots or soft leather shoes
Colours could be almost anything:
- cream
- tan
- light blue
- dark blue
- green
- brick red
- ochre
- brown
The Levant was far more colourful than the grey-and-brown stereotype often seen in films.
Armour
Usually fairly light.
A Turcopole might wear:
- quilted gambeson (aketon)
- padded coat
- occasionally a short mail shirt
- sometimes lamellar or scale armour if wealthier
Many probably had little more than a padded coat.
Helmets
Most commonly:
- simple conical steel helmet
- nasal helmet
- occasionally a pointed eastern-style helmet
A cloth turban could be wrapped around the helmet, as was common in the Near East.
Some poorer men may simply have worn a padded cap.
Weapons
Almost always:
- composite bow
- quiver at the hip
- light lance or spear
- sword or curved sabre
- sometimes a mace
The bow was their primary weapon.
Shields
Small to medium shields.
Often:
- round shield
- almond-shaped kite shield
- eastern oval shield
Decoration could be very varied.
Unlike Templars or Hospitallers, they weren’t all carrying identical heraldry.
Did they wear crosses?
This depends on whom they served.
Kingdom of Jerusalem
Probably not prominently.
Most would simply look like local cavalry.
Templars
The Turcopoles attached to the Templars were not brother knights.
They did not wear the famous white mantle with the red cross.
They may have had a small cross on a surcoat or shield, but nothing approaching the iconic knightly appearance.
Hospitallers
Similarly, they did not wear the black robe with white cross associated with Hospitaller brothers.
Horses
Their horses were another distinctive feature.
Rather than the huge destriers of western knights, Turcopoles rode:
- Arab horses
- Turkoman horses
- local Syrian breeds
These were:
- smaller
- faster
- more agile
- usually without heavy barding
Painting inspiration
If you’re aiming for historical accuracy, think of them as Christian Syrian horse archers, not miniature Templars.
A good palette would be:
| Item | Suggested colours |
| Tunics | Sand, cream, pale blue, olive, russet |
| Trousers | Brown, grey, faded green |
| Quilted armour | Buff, tan, dusty red |
| Helmet | Iron with brass trim |
| Turban | White, cream, pale yellow, blue |
| Leather | Medium brown |
| Bow | Dark wood |
| Horse tack | Brown leather with simple coloured cloth |
Avoid making every figure match. One of the defining features of Turcopoles is that they were locally recruited auxiliaries, so a mix of clothing colours and equipment looks both more realistic and more visually interesting.
For hobby references, the illustrations by military historian David Nicolle (particularly in the Osprey Crusades series) are among the most widely respected reconstructions. They depict Turcopoles as lightly armoured Levantine cavalry with a blend of Byzantine, Syrian and Turkic influences, which aligns well with the surviving written evidence.
I also asked about the shield designs – this is the AI answer.
For model Turcopoles, you have quite a bit of historical flexibility because they were not a uniform corps. Turcopoles were locally recruited light cavalry and mounted archers serving the Crusader states, and their equipment reflected a mix of Byzantine, Islamic, Armenian, and Western influences.
For shields, these are all plausible choices:
- Round shields (most authentic for many Turcopoles)
- Diameter of about 45–70 cm.
- Leather-covered wood with a metal boss or none.
- Plain colours such as red, ochre, green, black, or white.
- Simple painted borders or concentric rings.
- Small kite shields
- More Western influence, especially if serving alongside Frankish knights.
- Shorter than the classic Norman kite shield.
- Often painted in a single colour.
- Almond or oval shields
- Common in Byzantine and eastern military art.
- Suitable for mounted archers.
Suitable decoration
Turcopoles generally would not have displayed elaborate European heraldry, especially in the 12th century. Better options include:
- Solid colours.
- A contrasting border.
- Concentric circles.
- Simple crosses if attached to a military order.
- Geometric motifs inspired by Byzantine or Islamic art.
- Eight-pointed stars or rosettes.
- Stylised vines or knotwork.
If serving a military order
If your Turcopoles are attached to a specific order, you can include restrained references:
- Knights Templar: white shield with a red cross, or a plain red shield for sergeants. Turcopoles often had simpler equipment, so a small red cross on a plain shield is believable.
- Knights Hospitaller: black or red shield with a white cross, depending on period.
- Teutonic Order (late 12th/13th century): white shield with a black cross.
Colours that work well
- Dark red
- Ox-blood
- Ochre/yellow
- Olive green
- Dark blue
- White or cream
- Natural leather brown
Avoid
- Late medieval quartered heraldry.
- Elaborate coats of arms on every shield.
- Bright fantasy Celtic designs.
- Large animal charges unless depicting a specific noble’s retinue.
For a unit of 20–30 models, I’d mix the shields to give an irregular, frontier feel:
- 40% plain leather or wood.
- 30% single-colour painted shields.
- 20% simple crosses.
- 10% geometric or Byzantine-inspired patterns.
That combination captures the diverse appearance that Turcopoles likely had while still looking coherent on the tabletop. For 1187, serving alongside the Knights Templar after the disaster at Hattin, your Turcopoles would have been indispensable as scouts, skirmishers, mounted archers, and pursuit troops. They were not full brothers of the Order, so they would almost certainly have looked distinct from the white-cloaked knights.
I’d aim for an appearance that is 80% Eastern and 20% Frankish.
Shield shapes
I’d mix them across the unit:
- 60% round shields (my first choice)
- 30% small almond or oval shields
- 10% short kite shields
This gives the impression of locally recruited horsemen rather than uniform Western cavalry.
Shield colours
Stick to muted colours rather than bright heraldic schemes:
- Oxblood red
- Dark green
- Ochre
- Cream
- Dark blue
- Natural leather brown
Weather them heavily with scratches and dust.
Designs I’d use
1. Plain painted shields (40%)
- Solid red
- Solid green
- Solid ochre
- Plain leather
These are probably the most historically convincing.
2. Simple crosses (25%)
Since they serve the Templars, add a small red cross rather than a huge heraldic one.
Examples:
- Red shield with a small white cross.
- White shield with a small red cross.
- Brown shield with a red cross painted rather crudely.
Think of these as equipment marked for service rather than personal heraldry.
3. Byzantine-inspired designs (20%)
Simple patterns such as:
- Concentric circles
- White border around a coloured field
- Eight-pointed star
- Four dots around a central boss
- Cross within a circle
These fit the eastern Mediterranean very well.
4. Islamic geometric influence (15%)
Nothing too elaborate, just:
- Diamonds
- Zig-zag bands
- Chevron borders
- Interlocking triangles
These would reflect local artistic traditions without making them look like Muslim troops.
What I’d avoid
I wouldn’t give them:
- Lions
- Eagles
- Personal coats of arms
- Quartered heraldry
- Bright quartered red-and-white designs
Those belong to Western knights rather than Turcopoles.
My favourite mix for a unit of 12
- 3 plain leather shields
- 2 oxblood red
- 2 ochre
- 2 green
- 2 with a small Templar red cross
- 1 with concentric rings
The result looks varied but still cohesive beside a Templar force.
One detail that really helps tie them to the Templars is to paint a small red pennon on their lances or a red cross on a shield strap or horse cloth, rather than giving every shield a large cross. That suggests men in Templar service while preserving their identity as locally equipped auxiliaries.
For the period around 1187, that’s the balance I’d choose for a force that is both historically grounded and visually striking on the tabletop.
I hope that the information and pictures are helpful to anyone else who is thinking of painting some of these Light Cavalry.
Happy Modelling!