Home, History, Daily Life, Portrayal, Clothing, Baggage, The Compagnies, Timeline, 15th C Money, 15th C Names, Group Regulations, Events, References
In 1467 Charles the Bold (Charles le Hardi or Karel de Stout) inherited the title of Duke of Burgundy after the death of his father, Philip the Good. Like all the Valois Dukes, Charles the Bold was politically very ambitious and eager to increase the already considerable collection of Duchies and Counties that made up the Dukedom of Burgundy. By this time Charles the Bold was one of the wealthiest and most powerful rulers in Europe. However the state of Burgundy was split in four geographically, from east to west by the Duchy of Lorraine, and from north to south by the frontier between France and the Holy Roman Empire, and, in theory at least, he owed allegiance to the King of France for his lands to the west of the frontier and to the Emperor for the lands to the east (see map).
This
geographical and political division leads Charles the Bold into a series of
aggressive political manoeuvring and military campaigns to try and unite all his
lands together, and also to secure a crown for himself by making his dukedom
into a kingdom as part of the Holy Roman Empire, and perhaps even become the
next Holy Roman Emperor himself.
To
achieve his military objectives Charles the Bold spent a lot of time
re-organising his armies, and was one of the first European Rulers to have a
large standing army. These were
referred to as his Compagnies d’Ordonnance, in reference to the
regulations (the ordonnances) that he wrote stating composition and rules
for the maintenance and function of the armies.
There were three main ordonnances, 1471, 1472 and 1473.
The Ordonnances of St. Maximin de Treves, October 1473 was the last and
became a model for most later European armies.
1.
Why re-enact Burgundy?
By
1473 the Counties of Holland and Zeeland, the Duchies of Brabant and Guelders,
and the Bishopric of Utrecht were all part of Burgundy (or under Burgundian
political influence in the case of Utrecht) and the towns of s’Gravenhage,
Delft and Dordrecht were all of political importance.
s’Gravenhage held the court of Charles the Bold while he was in
Holland. Where he was frequently
from 1457, after being exiled from the main Burgundian court by his Father,
Philip the Good, due to political disagreements. . During this time he made
strong political allies in Holland, notably with the Hook nobility.
After 1465 when Charles the Bold was reconciled with his father, the
court at s’Gravenhage was still frequently used and favoured by Charles the
Bold.
The
Burgundian Court of Charles the Bold, Bibliotheque Nationale de France,
Cod 2549.
2.
Why re-enact the Compagnies d’Ordonnance?
There
were at least 2 ordonnace compagnies raised from the area that is now
modern Holland, the first and most long standing was the 5th
company,
raised in 1471. The 5th
company was used in just about every subsequent military campaign by Charles the
Bold.
The
best thing about the compagnies is that we know, from the surviving ordonnance
documents, exactly how they should have been organised, equipped, paid, trained
and garrisoned. We also know from
other historical sources that they did not always meet these strict requirements.
As
the compagnies were standing armies, during peace time they would be garrisoned
in strategic areas throughout Burgundy. Sometimes
being billeted in towns, taking over castles or creating great tent cities.
To maintain these large standing armies the ordonnances also cover
the role of civilians. Clerks,
craftsmen, merchants, cooks, clergy, washerwomen and prostitutes made up almost
as much as half of a compagnies size, the ordonnances however did try to
regulate the last of these, although apparently without much success.
1470’s
Imperial war camp. A burgundian
camp would have looked very similar.
Royal Armouries, Leeds. Das Mittelalteriche Hausbuch.
Home, History, Daily Life, Portrayal, Clothing, Baggage, The Compagnies, Timeline, 15th C Money, 15th C Names, Group Regulations, Events, References