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were predominantly older men, with the average age being 32. They often had to be re-equipped after service, breeding resentment among the villagers. They would also misuse their position to oppress the peasantry, while pretending to be simply obeying the king's will.
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and abolish the militia a year later, ordering their equipment to be put in store in the parishes. The cost of this permanent force was too great for the kingdom's finances, with the standing army being disbanded in 1483–1484 after Louis XI's death. In 1485 the
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was recruited in every parish of France. The parish was obligated to choose an archer and supply him with the specified equipment. The archer would train himself on feast-days and holidays. They were free from all taxes (hence the name) and were paid four
434:. They were also used in field battles, though their combat effectiveness against professional troops was low, such as against the Germans at Guinegate. In addition, they were prone to desertion, treason and capitulation.
464:
The franc-archers was a stock figure of fun in literary satire as early as the late 15th century. In these satires the franc-archer is portrayed as vainglorious, cowardly and militarily useless.
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raised 22,000 of them for such a purpose. They occasionally served in the field during campaigns such as in 1522 and 1523. They were levied for the last time after the French defeat at
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651:
456:. Lacking any unit training or discipline, they lost 6,000 men killed in action and many of them looted the enemy camp instead of fighting.
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fought in companies of 200–300 men. The companies were led by nobles and were later put under the command of 4 captains-general. The 1448
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367:. In 1466 they used the pike for the first time and by the late 1470s some companies were employing Swiss-style pikemen. During the
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deficient combat performance, indiscipline and unreliability led Louis XI in 1480 to train a professional army under
Marshal
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446:
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Arthur
Augustus Tilley, Medieval France: A Companion to French Studies, Volume 5 (CUP Archive, 1964), pp. 159-61.
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were primarily used for frontier defense against foreign enemies and against bandits in the interior such as the
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406:, arm-pieces, a mail skirt and a helmet. Two-thirds were to be pikemen and the rest would be armed with
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was required to have a horse. The Decree of 17 January 1522 listed the updated equipment of the
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levy was raised for 18 months and was organised into 44 ensigns of 500 men, each led by five
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should be chosen from among the most apt in the use of arms; who was to be exempt from the
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229:("free archers") militia were the first attempt at the formation of regular infantry in
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system was re-established and they were employed again in the
Flanders campaign of the
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of Montil-lès-Tours on 28 April 1448, which prescribed that in each parish an
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Dr
Faustroll (2007):Pataphysica 4: Pataphysica E Alchimia 2,pub iUniverse,
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687:. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 15.
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Renaissance France at War: Armies, Culture and
Society, c.1480–1560
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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and certain obligations, to practise shooting with the bow on
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were primarily used for frontier defense. In May 1513
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distinguished themselves in numerous battles with the
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359:helmet, dagger, sword, a bow, a sheaf of arrows, a
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484:, meaning either "free-moles" or "free-beetles".
707:Military units and formations of the Middle Ages
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604:William Duane (1810): A Military Dictionary
355:specified the equipment of the archer as a
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313:were definitively disbanded in 1535.
7:
51:. Portrayal in the 1484 manuscript
472:as cowards in his 1542 edition of
445:performed poorly at the battle of
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279:Philippe de Crèvecœur d'Esquerdes
213:Philippe de Crèvecœur d'Esquerdes
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330:for every month of service. The
160:War of the Burgundian Succession
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371:in 1488, Esquerdes took 12,000
375:for his campaign in Flanders.
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180:War of the League of Cambrai
460:Franc-archers in literature
449:while under the command of
378:In 1513, the 22,000-strong
317:Recruitment and composition
233:. They were created by the
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339:Organization and equipment
53:Vigiles du roi Charles VII
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684:Encyclopædia Britannica
187:Italian War of 1521–26
154:War of the Public Weal
437:During the reign of
63:28 April 1448 – 1481
640:Woodbridge, Suffolk
634:Potter, D. (2008).
583:, pp. 324–327.
571:, pp. 102–103.
345:Hundred Years' War
141:Hundred Years' War
712:Archery in France
653:978-1-84383-405-2
466:François Rabelais
290:under Esquerdes.
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82:Kingdom of France
16:(Redirected from
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363:and a coat of
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593:Potter 2008
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548:Potter 2008
523:Potter 2008
468:mocked the
432:aventuriers
388:Machiavelli
343:During the
293:During the
257:Charles VII
136:Engagements
126:Nickname(s)
65:1485 – 1535
45:Charles VII
696:Categories
488:References
474:Pantagruel
416:arquebuses
386:. In 1510
384:centeniers
353:ordonnance
253:feast-days
235:ordonnance
201:commanders
194:Commanders
88:Allegiance
447:Guinegate
412:crossbows
402:, a mail
303:Louis XII
167:Guinegate
147:Castillon
439:Louis XI
408:halberds
400:corselet
211:Marshal
672::
451:Marshal
422:Service
369:Mad War
288:Mad War
265:English
249:Sundays
205:Marshal
199:Notable
174:Mad War
112:Militia
70:Country
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621:, p.61
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476:. The
404:gorget
361:jerkin
357:sallet
328:francs
309:. The
297:, the
244:taille
239:archer
231:France
79:
60:Active
307:Pavia
275:'
223:The
92:Royal
43:King
648:ISBN
615:ISBN
441:the
426:The
414:and
365:mail
347:the
270:The
259:the
251:and
118:Size
108:Role
98:Type
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530:^
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321:A
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20:)
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