Raoul de Gaucourt, also known as the Sieur de Gaucort or Sire de Gaucourt (c. 1370–1461) was a French soldier and statesman. He fought at the

Battle of Nicopolis The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops (assisted by the Venetian navy) at ...

in 1396 and the

Siege of Harfleur The siege of Harfleur (18 August – 22 September 1415) was conducted by the English army of King Henry V in Normandy, France, during the Hundred Years' War. The defenders of Harfleur surrendered to the English on terms and were treated as pr ...

in 1415, and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England. He was described by

Juliet Barker Juliet R. V. Barker FRSL (born 1958) is an English historian, specialising in the Middle Ages and literary biography. She is the author of a number of well-regarded works on the Brontës, William Wordsworth, and medieval tournaments. From 198 ...

in 2005 as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten".

Early life and background

Born c. 1370,Caption to image 34 in Gaucourt came from a noble family from

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

. The family was loyal to the

House of Armagnac The House of Armagnac is a French noble house established in 961 by Bernard I, Count of Armagnac. It achieved its greatest importance in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The House of Armagnac, at the end of the thirteenth century, was not y ...

, and Gaucourt had "strong personal connections" with

Charles, Duke of Orléans Charles of Orléans (24 November 1394 – 5 January 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He was also Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont-sur-Oise and of Blois, Lord of Coucy, and t ...

Charles I d'Albret Charles I d'Albret (December 1368 – 25 October 1415) was the Lord of Albret and the Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the France, French army at the Battle of Agincourt wh ...

and Marshal Boucicaut.

Military career

Early career

Gaucourt fought at the

in 1396, and was knighted on that battlefield at the age of 26. He was captured and ransomed during the battle. In 1400 Gaucourt was a founding member of Boucicaut's Order of the White Lady on a Green Shield. In 1409 Gaucourt commanded a French army in Genoa, and captured Milan alongside Boucicaut. During the

Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a conflict between two cadet branches of the French royal family – the House of Orléans ( Armagnac faction) and the House of Burgundy ( Burgundian faction) from 1407 to 1435. It began during a lull in th ...

, in 1411, he captured the bridge of St Cloud on behalf of Charles, Duke of Orléans. In 1412 he served as Chamberlain to Charles, Duke of Orléans. He then served as captain of a number of Armagnac castles. In 1415 he was a founding member of the Order of the Prisoner's Shackle.

Siege of Harfleur

Gaucourt was chosen by d'Albret and Boucicaut to help defend the town of

Harfleur Harfleur () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western France for six centuries, until Le Havre was built about five kilometres (three miles) downstream i ...

from the army of the English king

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

in September 1415. Historian

said that they needed "an experienced and trustworthy knight to take charge of the defences". Gaucourt, alongside Jean d'Estouteville, refused to surrender the town. When Henry's troops laid siege to the town, "de Gaucourt and his men fought back with a courage and determination that won the admiration of the English chaplain". Gaucourt oversaw the repair of defences in the town. Gaucourt and members of the town council met with Henry on 17 September 1415. Gaucourt refused to surrender. However, the next day the town council offered to surrender on 22 September if the siege had not been broken by then. Gaucourt was unaware of this offer until he met again with Henry, but he and his fellow military commanders in the town (d'Estouteville and Guillaume de Léon) agreed to surrender. Gaucourt and his troops had held out for 18 days, rather than the 8 that Henry had planned for; "Henry had underestimated the determination and ingenuity of de Gaucourt and his men". On 22 September Gaucourt presented the town's keys to Henry. Gaucourt and 65 others were taken prisoner. Gaucourt was later released to carry a message to the Dauphin from Henry, challenging him to one-on-one combat to end the war. After doing so, Gaucourt "retreat dto his sickbed", suffering from dysentry.

Later career and death

Following the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...

, Gaucourt surrendered himself to Henry in Calais, and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England. He was released on licence in 1416 and again in 1417. In January 1417 he carried a secret message from Henry to the French king. After his final release "he became a major figure in the reconquest of English-held lands in France", and "fought in every campaign against the English". This included fighting alongside

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

, including at the

Siege of Orléans The siege of Orléans (12 October 1428 – 8 May 1429) was the watershed of the Hundred Years' War between France and England. The siege took place at the pinnacle of English power during the later stages of the war. The city held strategic and ...

. Gaucourt died in 1461. He was in his late 80s or early 90s.

Legacy

He was described by Barker as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten", and "one of the chief architects of the final expulsion of the English from France".

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaucourt, Raoul 1370 births 1461 deaths French soldiers People of the Hundred Years' War