Sir Robert Knolles or Knollys ( – 15 August 1407; aged 81-82) was an important English
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
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, ...
,
who, operating with the tacit support of the crown, succeeded in taking the only two major
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
cities, other than
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
and
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
, to fall to
Edward III
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 r ...
. His methods, however, earned him infamy as a freebooter and a ravager: the ruined gables of burned buildings came to be known as "Knollys' mitres".
Breton war of succession
Born in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
,
Knolles first appears as the captain of several
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
s throughout
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
in the mid-14th century, including
Fougeray,
Gravelle and
Chateaublanc. He was one of the English champions at the
Combat of the Thirty
The Combat of the Thirty (, ), occurring on 26 March 1351, was an episode in the Breton War of Succession fought to determine who would rule the Duchy of Brittany. It was an arranged fight between selected combatants from both sides of the co ...
in 1351, where he was captured.
He then contributed himself and 800 men to the 1356
chevauchée
A ''chevauchée'' (, "promenade" or "horse charge", depending on context) was a raiding method of medieval warfare for weakening the enemy, primarily by burning and pillaging enemy territory in order to reduce the productivity of a region, in add ...
of
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster (– 23 March 1361) was an English statesman, diplomat, soldier, and Christian writer. The owner of Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, Grosmont was a member of the House of Plantagenet, which was ruling o ...
through
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, a diversionary campaign to draw King
John II of France
John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which kill ...
north and thus leave the
Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...
free to embark on the famous Poitiers campaign.
With France in disarray after the
Battle of Poitiers
The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poi ...
, King
Charles II of Navarre
Charles II (10 October 1332 – 1 January 1387), called Charles the Bad, was King of Navarre 1349–1387 and Count of Évreux 1343–1387.
Besides the Pyrenean Kingdom of Navarre, Charles had extensive lands in Normandy, inherited from his father ...
assumed command of the rebellion in Paris, and Knolles joined up with the army of Charles's brother
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
as they temporarily held the capital against the
Dauphin in 1358.
Knolles' finest hours were to come that autumn when he led a Great Company of 2,000–3,000 Anglo-Gascons into the
Loire Valley, establishing several forward garrisons at important towns like
Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis
Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.
Demographics
On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 499.
See also
* Communes of the Nièvre department
*Mancini family
The House of Mancini was ...
. He then advanced into the
Nivernais
Nivernais (, ) was a province of France, around the city of Nevers, which forms the modern department of Nièvre. It roughly coincides with the former Duchy of Nevers.Margaret III of Flanders
Margaret III (13 April 1350 – 16/21 March 1405) was a ruling Countess of Flanders, Countess of Artois, and Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne between 1384 and 1405. She was the last Countess of Flanders of the House of Dampierre.
She was ...
by the Archpriest
Arnaud de Cervole Arnaud de Cervole, also ''de Cervolles'', ''de Cervolle'', ''Arnaut de Cervole'' or ''Arnold of Cervoles'' (''c.'' 1320 – 25 May 1366), known as l'Archiprêtre (The Archpriest), was a French mercenary soldier and Brigand of the Hundred Years War ...
, the adventurer who had raised the first Great Company the previous year.
In 1359 Knolles reached
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
, which fell after a two-month siege on 10 March. After the city had surrendered, Knolles was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed by two subordinates, previously he had formally only been ranked as a
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 " ...
. The sack of Auxerre proceeded with little violence and destruction, Knolles and his soldiers were professionals who intended to maximize their profit. The city was carefully ransacked for valuables and the citizens assessed for ransom. At the end a huge ransom was extorted for not destroying the city, although this was only partly paid. The following month he returned to Chateauneuf to plot the invasion of the
Rhône Valley
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
with
Hugh Calveley
Sir Hugh Calveley (died 23 April 1394) was an English knight and commander, who took part in the Hundred Years' War, gaining fame during the War of the Breton Succession and the Castilian Civil War. He held various military posts in Brittany a ...
. Marching south, a forward base was established on the
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...
at
Pont-du-Chateau, from where they launched the invasion of the
Velay
Velay () is a historical area of France situated in east Haute-Loire ''département'' and south east of Massif central.
History
Julius Caesar mentioned the vellavi as subordinate of the arverni. Strabon suggested that they might have made s ...
. Knolles then reunited with Calveley to besiege the important city of
Le Puy, which fell in July 1359. As they continued to the
Papal
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
city of
Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
, their path was barred by the army of
Thomas de la Marche, Deputy for
Louis II, Duke of Bourbon
Louis de Bourbon, called the Good (4 February 1337 – 10 August 1410), son of Peter de Bourbon and Isabella de Valois (the sister of French King Philip VI), was the third Duke of Bourbon.
Louis inherited the duchy after his father Duke Pe ...
, at which point both English commanders retreated and dissolved their companies.
At the climax of the
Breton War of Succession
The War of the Breton Succession (, ) was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April ...
he participated in
John de Montfort's siege of
Auray
Auray (; br, An Alre, or simply ) is a commune in the Morbihan department, administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France.
Inhabitants of Auray are called ''Alréens'' (French) and ''Alreiz'' (Breton).
Geography
The city is surrounde ...
in July 1364, the prelude to John's decisive victory at the
Battle of Auray
The Battle of Auray took place on 29 September 1364 at the Breton-French town of Auray. This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Breton War of Succession, a part of the Hundred Years' War.
In the battle, which began as a siege, a B ...
in September. He joined the Black Prince at the
Battle of Nájera (Navarrete)
The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja (autonomous community), La Rioja, Crown of Castile, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castil ...
of 1367.
French campaign
In 1370 he was given a large grant of lands and money to raise an army to invade northern France. He landed at
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
in August with 6,000 mounted men and carried out a raid deep into French territory, burning villages on the outskirts of Paris but failing to bring the French King
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
out to battle. He then turned towards Gascony and began capturing and fortifying castles and churches in the region between the rivers
Loir
The Loir () is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers.
It is indirectly a ...
and
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
. However he had to cope with much criticism from his younger subordinate commanders such as
Sir John Minsterworth
Sir John Minsterworth (died 1377) was a fourteenth-century English knight from Gloucestershire, who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was executed by King Edward III for treason. Nothing is known of his upbringing (even, for example, when ...
who were spoiling for a fight. When it became known that French armies under the command of
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' W ...
were closing in on them, Knolles proposed to retreat into Brittany but most of the army refused. He therefore marched away with his own retinue, leaving the bulk of the army where they were, to be comprehensively defeated and slaughtered at the
Battle of Pontvallain
The Battle of Pontvallain, part of the Hundred Years' War, took place in the Sarthe region of north-west France on 4 December 1370, when a French army under Bertrand du Guesclin heavily defeated an English force which had broken away from ...
on 4 December.
Knolles passed the winter in his castle at
Derval
Derval (; br, Derwal) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
Geography
The river Chère forms all of the commune's northern border.
Population
International relations
Derval is twinned with Llanidloes, a small t ...
on the Breton March and afterwards attempted to evacuate his men and those of Minsterworth, who had managed to join him with his surviving troop, from the port of
Saint-Mathieu Saint-Mathieu (French for Saint Matthew) may refer to:
Places
France
* Saint-Mathieu, Haute-Vienne
* Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, Hérault
* Pointe Saint-Mathieu, a headland in Brittany
Canada
* Saint-Mathieu, Quebec
* Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, ...
. However, for lack of ships most of the English soldiers had to be left behind on the shore, to be wiped out by the French under
Olivier V de Clisson
Olivier V de Clisson (23 April 1336 – 23 April 1407), nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the c ...
. In 1372 Knolles was found by the King's Council to bear the major responsibility for this disaster. He was stripped of the lands that had been given him as his fee for raising the army and fined 10,000 marks.
Death and legacy
He named
Thomas Knollys
Sir Thomas Knollys or Knolles (died 1435) was an English businessman in London who was active in both local and national government.
Origins
Born about 1350, he was once thought to be descended from the soldier Sir Robert Knollys but modern so ...
as one of the executors of his estate in 1389. He died at his seat in Sculthorpe, Norfolk on 15 August 1407.
He also founded Trinity Hospital,
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
and helped to suppress the
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...
.
Knolles' coat of arms decorates the
postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...
tower of
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle () is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area agai ...
,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. It was a statement of loyalty to Knolles by its builder,
Edward Dalyngrigge
Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, also Dallingridge or Dalyngridge ( 1346 – 1393/4), was a 14th-century knight and Member of Parliament who built Bodiam Castle in Sussex, England.
Early life
Edward Dalyngrigge was born in/around 1346, the son of Rog ...
who served under Knolles in a
Free Company during the Hundred Years' War.
References
Bibliography
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*
Further reading
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knolles, Robert
1320s births
1407 deaths
14th-century English people
15th-century English people
Medieval English knights
People from Cheshire
People of the Hundred Years' War