Knights of the Hare was a

chivalric order An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order (distinction), order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic Military order (religious society), military orders of the ...

of twelve to fourteen knights that was allegedly created by the King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

. In fact, the title is a humorous reference to an incident during the early stages of 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 ...

The origin of the Knights of the Hare

At the beginning of 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, ...

Edward III and

Philip VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...

both assembled armies in France, but they did not engage in any decisive battle. On 23 October 1339, both armies were formed in sight of each other in the fields between La Flamengerie and

Buironfosse Buironfosse () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population Standoff of 1339 In 1339 the French and English armies, engaged in the Hundred Years War, formed battle lines near Buironfosse, and then ...

, when a hare, caught in the field between them, started running towards the French lines. The French troops greeted the approaching hare with a lot of noise. Some troops at the rear of the French formation mistook the noise as a sign of an imminent English attack and prepared for battle. As a preparation for the battle the

William II, Count of Hainaut William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut. While away fighting in Prussia, the ...

quickly knighted 14 distinguished

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...

s as was the common chivalric custom. However the English attack never came and, after the reason for that became clear, those knights became known as the ''Knights of the Hare''. As the knights were created on the French side, it is doubtful however, whether Edward III really created a formal order for those knights. The confusion may have occurred because Edward III also knighted a number of esquires before the battle, including the later famous soldier

Sir John Chandos Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, (c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of ...

Notes

The exact number varies between 12 and 14 in different sources Robin Neilland: ''The Hundred Years War''.Routledge 2001, , p. 79-80 () George Payne Rainsford James: ''A history of the life of Edward the Black Prince, and of various events connected therewith which occurred during the reign of Edward III, King of England''. Green & Longman 1836, p. 168 () Ferdinand von Biedenfeld: ''Geschichte und Verfassung aller geistlichen und weltlichen, erloschenen und blühenden Ritterorden..., Band 1'', Verlag Bernhard Friedrich Voigt, Weimar 1841, p. 100 () (German)

Historical sources

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: '' Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthuria ...

References

*Robin Neilland: ''The Hundred Years War''.Routledge 2001, , p. 79-80 () *Richard W. Barber: ''The Reign of Chivalry''. Boydell Press 2005, , p. 16 () *Nathan Bailey: ''An Universal Etymological Dictionary''. 1764, p. 479 () *George Payne Rainsford James: ''A history of the life of Edward the Black Prince, and of various events connected therewith which occurred during the reign of Edward III, King of England''. Green & Longman 1836, p. 168 ({{Google books, ajEVAAAAQAAJ, restricted online copy, page=168) Hundred Years' War

Hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...