The ''francs-archers'' ("free archers") militia were the first attempt at the formation of regular infantry in

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 ...

. They were created by the ''ordonnance'' of Montil-lès-Tours on 28 April 1448, which prescribed that in each parish an

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...

should be chosen from among the most apt in the use of arms; who was to be exempt from the ''

taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was directly paid to the state. History Originally o ...

'' and certain obligations, to practise shooting with the bow on

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

s and

feast-day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

s, and to hold himself ready to march fully equipped at the first signal. Under Charles VII the ''francs-archers'' distinguished themselves in numerous battles with the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and assisted the king in driving them from France. The ''Francs-archers'' deficient combat performance, indiscipline and unreliability led Louis XI in 1480 to train a professional army under Marshal

Philippe de Crèvecœur d'Esquerdes Philippe de Crèvecœur, seigneur d'Esquerdes (1418–1494), was a French military commander and a Marshal of France in 1486. He is also known as ''Maréchal des Cordes'' or ''Maréchal d'Esquerdes''. Biography He was the son of Jacques († 143 ...

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 ''franc-archer'' system was re-established and they were employed again in the Flanders campaign of the

Mad War The Mad War (french: la Guerre folle) was a late medieval conflict between a coalition of feudal lords and the French monarchy. It occurred during the regency of Anne of Beaujeu in the period after the death of Louis XI and before the majority of ...

under Esquerdes. During the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

, the ''francs-archers'' were primarily used for frontier defense. In May 1513

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

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

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

. The ''francs-archers'' were definitively disbanded in 1535.

Recruitment and composition

A ''Franc-archer'' 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

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

for every month of service. The ''Francs-archers'' 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.

Organization and equipment

During the

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

the ''francs-archers'' 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 ''ordonnance'' specified the equipment of the archer as a

sallet The sallet (also called ''celata,'' ''salade'' and ''schaller'') was a combat helmet that replaced the bascinet in Italy, western and northern Europe and Hungary during the mid-15th century. In Italy, France and England the armet helmet was also p ...

helmet, dagger, sword, a bow, a sheaf of arrows, a

jerkin A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-coloured leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term is also applied to a similar sleeveless garment worn by the Britis ...

and a coat of

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

. In 1466 they used the pike for the first time and by the late 1470s some companies were employing Swiss-style pikemen. During the

in 1488, Esquerdes took 12,000 ''francs-archers'' for his campaign in Flanders. In 1513, the 22,000-strong ''francs-archers'' levy was raised for 18 months and was organised into 44 ensigns of 500 men, each led by five ''centeniers''. In 1510 Machiavelli noted that each ''franc-archer'' was required to have a horse. The Decree of 17 January 1522 listed the updated equipment of the ''franc-archer'' as comprising a

corselet In women's clothing, a corselet or corselette is a type of foundation garment, sharing elements of both bras and girdles. It extends from straps over the shoulders down the torso, and stops around the top of the legs. It may incorporate lace in ...

, a mail

gorget A gorget , from the French ' meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the thro ...

, arm-pieces, a mail skirt and a helmet. Two-thirds were to be pikemen and the rest would be armed with

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

s and

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

es.

Service

The ''Francs-archers'' were primarily used for frontier defense against foreign enemies and against bandits in the interior such as the ''aventuriers''. 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. During the reign of

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

the ''francs-archers'' performed poorly at the battle of Guinegate while under the command of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Joachim Rouault Joachim Rouault (died 1478), French soldier, was a member of an old family of Poitou. He attached himself to the Dauphin (afterwards Louis XI) and became his premier squire. He followed Louis in his expedition against the Swiss in 1444, disting ...

. 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.

Franc-archers in literature

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.

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , , ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes and ...

mocked the ''francs-archers'' as cowards in his 1542 edition of

Pantagruel ''The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' (french: La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel) is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais, telling the adventures of two giants, Gargantua ( , ) and his son Pantagruel ...

. The ''francs-archers'' were nicknamed ''francs-taupins'', meaning either "free-moles" or "free-beetles".Dr Faustroll (2007):Pataphysica 4: Pataphysica E Alchimia 2,pub iUniverse,, p.61

References

Bibliography

* * {{EB1911, wstitle=Francs-archers, volume=11, page=15 Medieval archery Warfare of the Middle Ages Military units and formations of the Middle Ages Archery in France