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Lances fournies

March 06, 2023

The lance fournie (French: "equipped lance") was a medieval equivalent to the modern army squad that would have accompanied and supported a man-at-arms (a heavily armoured horseman popularly known as a "knight") in battle. These units formed companies under a captain either as mercenary bands or in the retinue of wealthy nobles and royalty. Each lance was supposed to include a mixture of troop types (the men-at-arms themselves, lighter cavalry, infantry, and even noncombatant pages) that would have guaranteed a desirable balance between the various components of the company at large; however, it is often difficult to determine the exact composition of the lance in any given company as the available sources are few and often centuries apart.

A lance was usually led and raised by a knight in the service of his liege, yet it is not uncommon in certain periods to have a less privileged man, such as a serjeants-at-arms, lead a lance. More powerful knights, also known as a knight bannerets, could field multiple lances.

Origins

The origins of the lance lie in the retinues of medieval knights (Chaucer's Knight in the Canterbury Tales, with his son the Squire and his archer Yeoman, has similarities to a lance). When called by the liege, the knight would command men from his fief and possibly those of his liege lord or in this latter's stead. Out of the Frankish concept of knighthood, associated with horsemanship and its arms, a correlation slowly evolved between the signature weapon of this rank, the horseman's lance, and the military value of the rank. In other words, when a noble spoke of his ability to field forces, the terms knights and lances became interchangeable.

The lance had no consistent strength of arms throughout its usage as a unit. Different centuries and different states gave it a fluctuating character. However, the basic lance of three men; a knight, a squire who served as a fighting auxiliary, and a non-combatant squire, primarily concerned on the battlefield with looking after the knight's spare horses or lances, seems to evolve in the 13th century[1] An excellent description to convey its relevance is in Howard, "a team of half a dozen men, like the crew of some enormous battle tank".[2] The 13th-century French rule of the Templars had specified that a brother knight should have one squire if he had one warhorse, two if he had an extra one. In addition, he had a riding horse and a packhorse. In battle the squires would follow the brothers with the spare warhorses.[3] A similar arrangement was also seen in Spain in the 1270s,[4] according to Ramon Llull:

Neither horse, nor armour, nor even being chosen by others is sufficient to show forth the high honour that pertains to a Knight. Instead he must be given a squire and a servant to look after his horse[5]

Organisation

France

The term lances fournies itself appeared much the same way as the compagnies d'ordonnance "Les lances fournies pour les compagnies d'ordenance du Roi." or The lances furnished for the companies ordered by the King. Upon the original establishment of the French compagnies d'ordonnance, the lances fournies were formed around a man-at-arms (a fully armored man on an armored horse) with a retinue of a page or squire, two or three archers, and a (slightly) lighter horseman known as the serjeant-at-arms or coutilier (literally "dagger man," a contemporary term for mounted bandits and brigands). All members in a lance were mounted for travel but only the man-at-arms and the coutilier were regularly expected to fight on horseback, though of course both members were also trained and equipped for dismounted action. Lances would be further organized as companies, each company numbering about 100 lances, effectively 400 plus fighting men and servants. These companies were sustained even in peace, and became the first standing army in modern Europe.[6]

Burgundy

The last Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, made a number of ordinances prescribing the organisation of his forces in the 1460s and 1470s. In the first ordinance of 1468, the army is clearly organised in three man lances; a man-at-arms, a coustillier and a valet. In the Abbeville Ordinance of 1471, the army is re-organised into 1250 lances of nine men each : a man-at-arms, a coustillier, a non-combatant page, three mounted archers and three foot soldiers (a crossbowman, handgunner, and pikeman). This organisation is repeated in the 1472 and 1473 ordinances.[7]

Brittany

The Duchy of Brittany also ordered the equivalent of the lance in an ordinance of 1450. While the basic lance was the familiar three man structure of man-at-arms, coutilier and page, dependent on the wealth of the man-at-arms, additional archers or juzarmiers (that is, men equipped with a guisarme) were added. At the highest income band specified (600–700 livres), either four archers, or three archers and a juzarmier, were added to the basic unit.[8]

Italy

In Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries, mercenary soldiers were recruited in units known variously as barbuta, lance or corazza, consisting of two to six men.[9] Although it is traditionally thought that the three man lance was introduced to Italy by the mercenaries of the White Company in the 1360s, in fact they had evolved somewhat earlier[10] The three man lance consisted of two combatants, a man-at-arms and an armed squire, plus a page.[11] Occasionally, a mounted archer could be substituted for the squire.[12]

In the mid 15th century, soldiers called lanze spezzate (literally broken lances) evolved. These were men who, for some reason, had become detached from their mercenary companies and their lances and were now hired as individuals. They were then placed in new companies and lances under a new commander.[13]

Germany

In Germany, an indigenous form of the lance known as a gleve (pl. gleven) developed. A gleve may have consisted of as many as ten men - both horse and foot soldiers - supporting the knight.[14] The three-man gleve may have existed in the early 14th century, with a knight supported by two sergeants. Later the sergeants were replaced by mercenaries. The equivalent of the lance of two combatants with page is seen in Germany in the later 14th century, when the second combatant can be a spearman or an archer. However, in various regions, other sizes of gleven existed of up to ten men, including up to three mounted archers (who would dismount to fight) and armed servants who acted as infantry.[15]

Poland

Kopia (Polish for lance) was the basic military formation in medieval Poland, identical to the lance-unit employed elsewhere in Western Europe. A Kopia was composed of a knight and his retinue (of 3–12 soldiers). On campaign, several kopias were combined to form a larger unit, the chorągiew (pl: banner).

From the 15th century the term kopia was replaced by Poczet.

See also

  • Re-enacting Charles the Bold's ordinances

References

  1. ^ Nicolle, David (1995). Medieval Warfare Source Book Vol. I: Warfare in Western Christendom. New York: Arms & Armour Press. p. 118. ISBN 0-19-280208-9.
  2. ^ Howard, Michael (1976). War in European History. London: Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-85409-236-6.
  3. ^ Matthew Bennett (1989) La Régle du Temple as a Military Manual or How to Deliver a Cavalry Charge 2011-09-11 at the Wayback Machine in Studies in Medieval History presented to R. Allen Brown
  4. ^ Lull, Ramon (1484). The Book of the Order of Chivalry. William Caxton (trans.). Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  5. ^ The Book of the Order of Chivalry or Knighthood
  6. ^ Fowler, Kenneth (1980) [1967]. The Age of Plantagenet and Valois. London: Ferndale Editions. p. 137. ISBN 0-905746-09-0.
  7. ^ Vaughan, Richard (2002) [1973]. Charles the Bold. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. pp. 205–10. ISBN 0-85115-918-4.
  8. ^ Ordonnance du Duc Pierre pour faire armer la Noblesse & les Archers des Paroisses : "Preuves" de Dom Morice, Tome II, colonnes 1555-1557. Publié ez plaids generaux de Rennes le 29. jour de Mars 1450. Tiré des Archives du Présidial de Rennes.[1]
  9. ^ Mallet, Michael: Mercenaries and their Masters, Bodley Head, London, 1974 ISBN 0-370-10502-8 p. 81
  10. ^ Mallet (1974), p.37
  11. ^ Caferro, William. John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth-century Italy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8018-8323-1 p.88
  12. ^ Caferro(2006), p.90
  13. ^ Mallet (1974), p.112
  14. ^ Delbrück, Hans (1982). History of the Art of War, Volume III: Medieval Warfare. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-8032-6585-9.
  15. ^ Gravett, Christopher (1985). German Medieval Armies 1300-1500. London: Osprey. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-85045-614-2.

March 06, 2023
lances, fournies, lance, fournie, french, equipped, lance, medieval, equivalent, modern, army, squad, that, would, have, accompanied, supported, arms, heavily, armoured, horseman, popularly, known, knight, battle, these, units, formed, companies, under, captai. The lance fournie French equipped lance was a medieval equivalent to the modern army squad that would have accompanied and supported a man at arms a heavily armoured horseman popularly known as a knight in battle These units formed companies under a captain either as mercenary bands or in the retinue of wealthy nobles and royalty Each lance was supposed to include a mixture of troop types the men at arms themselves lighter cavalry infantry and even noncombatant pages that would have guaranteed a desirable balance between the various components of the company at large however it is often difficult to determine the exact composition of the lance in any given company as the available sources are few and often centuries apart A lance was usually led and raised by a knight in the service of his liege yet it is not uncommon in certain periods to have a less privileged man such as a serjeants at arms lead a lance More powerful knights also known as a knight bannerets could field multiple lances Contents 1 Origins 2 Organisation 2 1 France 2 2 Burgundy 2 3 Brittany 2 4 Italy 2 5 Germany 2 6 Poland 3 See also 4 ReferencesOrigins EditThe origins of the lance lie in the retinues of medieval knights Chaucer s Knight in the Canterbury Tales with his son the Squire and his archer Yeoman has similarities to a lance When called by the liege the knight would command men from his fief and possibly those of his liege lord or in this latter s stead Out of the Frankish concept of knighthood associated with horsemanship and its arms a correlation slowly evolved between the signature weapon of this rank the horseman s lance and the military value of the rank In other words when a noble spoke of his ability to field forces the terms knights and lances became interchangeable The lance had no consistent strength of arms throughout its usage as a unit Different centuries and different states gave it a fluctuating character However the basic lance of three men a knight a squire who served as a fighting auxiliary and a non combatant squire primarily concerned on the battlefield with looking after the knight s spare horses or lances seems to evolve in the 13th century 1 An excellent description to convey its relevance is in Howard a team of half a dozen men like the crew of some enormous battle tank 2 The 13th century French rule of the Templars had specified that a brother knight should have one squire if he had one warhorse two if he had an extra one In addition he had a riding horse and a packhorse In battle the squires would follow the brothers with the spare warhorses 3 A similar arrangement was also seen in Spain in the 1270s 4 according to Ramon Llull Neither horse nor armour nor even being chosen by others is sufficient to show forth the high honour that pertains to a Knight Instead he must be given a squire and a servant to look after his horse 5 Organisation EditFrance Edit The term lances fournies itself appeared much the same way as the compagnies d ordonnance Les lances fournies pour les compagnies d ordenance du Roi or The lances furnished for the companies ordered by the King Upon the original establishment of the French compagnies d ordonnance the lances fournies were formed around a man at arms a fully armored man on an armored horse with a retinue of a page or squire two or three archers and a slightly lighter horseman known as the serjeant at arms or coutilier literally dagger man a contemporary term for mounted bandits and brigands All members in a lance were mounted for travel but only the man at arms and the coutilier were regularly expected to fight on horseback though of course both members were also trained and equipped for dismounted action Lances would be further organized as companies each company numbering about 100 lances effectively 400 plus fighting men and servants These companies were sustained even in peace and became the first standing army in modern Europe 6 Burgundy Edit The last Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold made a number of ordinances prescribing the organisation of his forces in the 1460s and 1470s In the first ordinance of 1468 the army is clearly organised in three man lances a man at arms a coustillier and a valet In the Abbeville Ordinance of 1471 the army is re organised into 1250 lances of nine men each a man at arms a coustillier a non combatant page three mounted archers and three foot soldiers a crossbowman handgunner and pikeman This organisation is repeated in the 1472 and 1473 ordinances 7 Brittany Edit The Duchy of Brittany also ordered the equivalent of the lance in an ordinance of 1450 While the basic lance was the familiar three man structure of man at arms coutilier and page dependent on the wealth of the man at arms additional archers or juzarmiers that is men equipped with a guisarme were added At the highest income band specified 600 700 livres either four archers or three archers and a juzarmier were added to the basic unit 8 Italy Edit In Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries mercenary soldiers were recruited in units known variously as barbuta lance or corazza consisting of two to six men 9 Although it is traditionally thought that the three man lance was introduced to Italy by the mercenaries of the White Company in the 1360s in fact they had evolved somewhat earlier 10 The three man lance consisted of two combatants a man at arms and an armed squire plus a page 11 Occasionally a mounted archer could be substituted for the squire 12 In the mid 15th century soldiers called lanze spezzate literally broken lances evolved These were men who for some reason had become detached from their mercenary companies and their lances and were now hired as individuals They were then placed in new companies and lances under a new commander 13 Germany Edit In Germany an indigenous form of the lance known as a gleve pl gleven developed A gleve may have consisted of as many as ten men both horse and foot soldiers supporting the knight 14 The three man gleve may have existed in the early 14th century with a knight supported by two sergeants Later the sergeants were replaced by mercenaries The equivalent of the lance of two combatants with page is seen in Germany in the later 14th century when the second combatant can be a spearman or an archer However in various regions other sizes of gleven existed of up to ten men including up to three mounted archers who would dismount to fight and armed servants who acted as infantry 15 Poland Edit Kopia Polish for lance was the basic military formation in medieval Poland identical to the lance unit employed elsewhere in Western Europe A Kopia was composed of a knight and his retinue of 3 12 soldiers On campaign several kopias were combined to form a larger unit the choragiew pl banner From the 15th century the term kopia was replaced by Poczet See also EditRe enacting Charles the Bold s ordinancesReferences Edit Nicolle David 1995 Medieval Warfare Source Book Vol I Warfare in Western Christendom New York Arms amp Armour Press p 118 ISBN 0 19 280208 9 Howard Michael 1976 War in European History London Oxford University Press p 3 ISBN 978 1 85409 236 6 Matthew Bennett 1989 La Regle du Temple as a Military Manual or How to Deliver a Cavalry Charge Archived 2011 09 11 at the Wayback Machine in Studies in Medieval History presented to R Allen Brown Lull Ramon 1484 The Book of the Order of Chivalry William Caxton trans Retrieved 11 September 2011 The Book of the Order of Chivalry or Knighthood Fowler Kenneth 1980 1967 The Age of Plantagenet and Valois London Ferndale Editions p 137 ISBN 0 905746 09 0 Vaughan Richard 2002 1973 Charles the Bold Woodbridge Suffolk Boydell Press pp 205 10 ISBN 0 85115 918 4 Ordonnance du Duc Pierre pour faire armer la Noblesse amp les Archers des Paroisses Preuves de Dom Morice Tome II colonnes 1555 1557 Publie ez plaids generaux de Rennes le 29 jour de Mars 1450 Tire des Archives du Presidial de Rennes 1 Mallet Michael Mercenaries and their Masters Bodley Head London 1974 ISBN 0 370 10502 8 p 81 Mallet 1974 p 37 Caferro William John Hawkwood An English Mercenary in Fourteenth century Italy Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 2006 ISBN 978 0 8018 8323 1 p 88 Caferro 2006 p 90 Mallet 1974 p 112 Delbruck Hans 1982 History of the Art of War Volume III Medieval Warfare Lincoln NE University of Nebraska Press p 270 ISBN 0 8032 6585 9 Gravett Christopher 1985 German Medieval Armies 1300 1500 London Osprey pp 6 7 ISBN 0 85045 614 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lances fournies amp oldid 1136668142, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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