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ofthem in thc French army during most of the i6th century. Both the Swiss and German mercenaries rarely took prisoners, massacring princes, nobles and coinmon soldiers alike, and the increasing use of these professional warriors towards the end of the middle ages struck a heavy blow to the old chivalric codę of honour.
Charles the Bold PermanentAnny
The lcvying of vassals and recruiting of mercenaries was inefficient and extremely slow. In 1467 it took over two months to muster forces for the Lićge campaign, and troops often arrived after the fightingwasover. Theonlysolution was topay fora permanent professional army. There had been a permanent ducal household guard from at least 1419. Powerful aristocrats also maintained similar, smaller bodyguards, and towns retained permanent garrisons, but there was nothing that could be callcd a standing army.
In 1467, after the Lićge campaign, Charles the Bold asked his captains ifany oftheir men would be willing to continue their service beyond the normal time, in order to assure the occupation of the principality. Those who accepted were garrisoned at Lićge and Maastricht and were immediately paid for 15 days, but unfortunately no records seem to exist that would tell us how long these men served.
In January 1471 war erupted in Picardy, and although peace was proclaimed in March Charles took the unprecedented step ofcontinuing to reeruit troops. In April Charles announced his intention of mustering 1,250 lances; and any men-at-arms, archers or others wishing to serve in his ordonnance, as it was called, were to gather around Arras in Artois on 15 May, with their weapons and eąuipment. On 20 May the duke proclaimed his wish to reinforce the number of his companies with 1,200 crossbow-men, 1,250 handgunners and 1,250 pikemen, who were to present themselves, fully eąuipped, before 15 June. On 29 June Charles went down to Dijon and announced that any men-at-arms, archers, crossbowmen, handgunners or pikemen in the two
Burgundies wishing to servc should muster on 2 August, armed and equipped in accordance with ‘an ordinance soon to be proclaimed’. This Abbe-ville ordinance of 31 July 1471, thc first of three principal documents, was to mark the progress of Burgundian military power from an antiquated, inefficient feudal system to that ofa modern army. In addition to feudal levies, the town militia and foreign mercenaries, who could still be called up in time of war, Charles now had a serious force at his permanent disposal. At the same time he trans-formed the household troops, increasing them in 1474 to an elite force of about 40 mounted chamberlains and gentlcmen, and a personal bodyguard of 126 men-at-arms and 126 archers. In 1476 the household troops consisted of400 infantry, and the guard included four ioo-strong companies of mounted English archers. On the eve of the battle of Morat the household troops alone numbered over 2,000 combatants.
The Compagnies dPOrdonnance
Charles the Bold’s military reputation rests mainly on this extraordinarily detailed re-organisation of his armies: his compagnies d’ordonnance, although at first based on earlier models of King Charles VII of France, were to become the basis for most i6th century armies for long after his untimely death at the battle ofNancyin 1477, and maybesaid tohave influenced the organisation of all European armies in early modern times.
Charles introduced many ordinances, the first being in 1468, which dealt mainly with disciplinary measures and equipment. However, the most important and enlightening ordinances were those of 1471, 1472 and 1473 from which a remarkable picture of the life and organisation of a late medieval army may be gleaned: salaries, leave, uniform, equipment, drill, inspections, flags, billet-ing, roll-calls, punishment—all are laid down in the detail that reflects the direct intervention of Charles himself. It is very unusual to find Charles the Bold’s military ordinances set out in fuli in modern history books, but as these are so important to the understanding of the organisation of his armies, particularly the remarkable ordinance of St. Maximin, I have set down the contents of almost all the clauses with very little editing:
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