The ''écorcheurs'' (, "flayers") were armed bands who desolated

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the reign of Charles VII, stripping their victims of everything, often to their very clothes.Nuttal Encyclopedia at Project Guttenburg. ''Article - Ecorcheurs''
/ref> They were

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

without employment since the Treaty of Arras which ended disputes between the

Armagnacs The Armagnac faction was prominent in French politics and warfare during the Hundred Years' War. It was allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis of Orléans was killed on a ...

and

Burgundians The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...

in 1435.

Rodrigo de Villandrando Rodrigo de Villandrando (died c. 1457) was a Spanish routier from Castile and mercenary military leader in Gascony during the final phase of the Hundred Years' War. He was famous for his pillaging and was consequently known as the Emperor of Pi ...

was known as the "Emperor of Pillagers" (''empereur des brigands'') and "L'Écorcheur" (the flayer).

History

From the mid-14th century the French royal forces, whether voluntary or ''semoncées'', had become institutionalized. The permanence of conflicts during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

(1337-1453) had created career soldiers, paid by the king or nobles. These were not mercenaries, as their vassals and clientelistic ties remained parallel to their economic interest in war. During times of peace or truce, these unemployed warriors gathered in bands and lived on pillage and ransoms. In the 14th century, after the

Peace of Brétigny Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

-Calais (1360), large armies of mercenaries armies were disbanded, on occasion without receiving their pay. Those who did not have the financial means to go home or wanted to continue their martial lifestyle, which was highly profitable, then formed '' autonomous bands of the road'' which exerted pressure on the regions of France.Boris Bove, Le temps de la guerre de Cent ans : 1328-1453, (Paris, Belin, coll. « Histoire de France », 2009), Vol1&2 p669. These were the great companies (not be confused with the grandes companies, which are rather the result of political instability in fifteenth century France and were mercenaries in the strict sense).

References

Mercenary units and formations of the Middle Ages Military terminology People of the Hundred Years' War Military units and formations of the Hundred Years' War 15th-century military history of France {{France-hist-stub

History

See also

References