Routiers
Routiers (French:
Routiers of the 12th and 13th centuries
Although paid soldiers were known before the 12th century, the phenomenon of distinct bands (
Mercenary bands were mainly seen in
Routiers in the Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War, which lasted from 1337 to 1453, was the backdrop to their pillaging. The Hundred Years' War was fought between two royal families over control of the French throne: the Plantagenets from England, and the House of Valois from France. The War, which is divided into three stages – the Edwardian War (1337–1360), the Caroline War (1369–1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415–1429) – saw the development of new tactics and weaponry that revolutionised warfare during that time period.
By 1348 the
Origins
The routiers' history can be traced back to a few years after the start of the Hundred Years' War, to Brittany in the early 1340s. No revenue was being generated from the revenues of the Duchy of Brittany for the English army, which meant that the English soldiers had to live off the land. This "living off the land": began as simple freebooting, but quickly transformed into patis, or "ransoms of the country". A village near a garrison would usually be ransacked for any supplies. Subsequently, the village would be forced to pay the respective garrison for future protection.[7]
This system soon caused much instability in the region for a few reasons. The patis system did not generate any revenue for the English cause but it made small fortunes for individual captains. These captains, whose income depended on controlling an area, rather than wages from the Duchy, were hard to control. While in theory, the King's Lieutenant could rely on his garrisons in time of war, they were scarcely enthusiastic combatants. Furthermore, garrisons that were stationed in fringe territories were subject to boredom, which was relieved by random brutality. That state, coupled with the fact that they were surrounded by hostile inhabitants, caused a lot of animosity between the peasants and soldiers, which in a few instances led to skirmishes and made the task of governing the Duchy harder.[8]
The problem was not confined to Brittany.
Nature of the Companies
Geographical origins
Routiers were usually referred to as "Englishmen" in France, but they were actually composed for the most part by Gascons, after the name of the region of what is now South-West France in which they resided.[10] But the Gascons were considered then as a distinct people from the French. The full demographic that filled the ranks of the routiers included Spaniards, Germans, English, and Frenchmen.[11] Although there had been major raiding campaigns led by English noblemen such as the Prince of Wales, many individual routes were led by Gascon officers. Kenneth Fowler has examined the origins of 166 named captains. Ninety one of these were involved in the Great Companies. 36 were English, 26 from Aquitane, 19 were Gascons, five from Béarn and five from Germany. In addition to these, there was a group of 45 Breton captains and a further group from Navarre.[12]
Organisation
Unlike the earlier routiers companies, the routes of the Hundred Years' War were primarily mounted forces. Their main fighting men were
Examples of routiers
John Hawkwood is the most famous of the English routiers. Beginning as a routier, he ultimately spent three decades as a mercenary captain in Italy.
References
- ^ OED definition of routier
- ISBN 0851156304.
- ISBN 0199690901.
- ISBN 9789004164475.
- ISBN 0-300-07663-0, pp. 152–3
- ^ Norman Housely (1999), Ch. 6 "European Warfare c. 1200–1320" in Keen (1999), p. 115
- ISBN 0-8122-1801-9, pp. 27–9
- ^ Sumption (2001), pp. 29–30
- ^ Sumption (2001), p. 43
- ISBN 978-1-85367-697-0p. 95
- ^ Urban (2006), p. 106
- ISBN 0631158863, pp. 6–7
- ^ Fowler (2001), p. 6
- ^ Fowler (2001), p. 106
- ^ Fowler (2001), p. 9
Bibliography
- Seward, Desmond, The Hundred Years War. The English in France 1337–1453, Penguin Books, 1999, ISBN 0-14-028361-7
- Sumption, Jonathan, The Hundred Years War I: Trial by Battle, University of Pennsylvania Press, September 1999, ISBN 0-8122-1655-5