- Arnoul d'Audrehem
Arnoul d'Audrehem (c. 1305 – 1370) was a French
soldier .He was born at
Audrehem , in the presentarrondissement of Saint-Omer , in the "département" ofPas de Calais . Nothing is known of his career before 1332, when he is heard of at the court ofPhilip VI of France .Between 1332 and 1342 he went three times to
Scotland to aid King David Bruce in his wars. In 1342 he became captain for the king of France inBrittany ; then he seems to have served in the household of theduke of Normandy , and in 1346, as one of the defenders ofCalais , was taken as a prisoner toEngland by Edward III.From 1349 he held an important place in the military history of France, first as captain in
Angoulême , and in June 1351, in succession to the lord of Beaujeu, asmarshal of France . In March 1352 he was appointed lieutenant for the king in the territory between theLoire and theDordogne , in 1353 inNormandy , and in 1355 inArtois andPicardy . It was Audrehem who arrestedCharles II of Navarre and his partisans, at the banquet given by the dauphin (laterCharles V of France ) atRouen in 1356. AtPoitiers he was one of those who advisedJohn II of France to attack the English, and, charging into the front line of the French army, was slightly wounded and taken prisoner.From England he was several times given safe-conduct to France, and he took an active part in the negotiations for the
Treaty of Bretigny , recovering his liberty at the same time as king John. In 1361, as the king's lieutenant inLanguedoc , he prevented the free companies from seizing the castles. In 1365 he himself joinedBertrand du Guesclin in the expedition toSpain , was taken prisoner with him byEdward, the Black Prince at theBattle of Nájera (Navarette) in 1367, and was unable to pay hisransom until 1369.In 1368, on account of his age, he was relieved of the office of marshal, being appointed bearer of the "
oriflamme ", then a pension of 2,000livre s. He was sent to Spain in 1370 byCharles V of France to urge his friend du Guesclin to return to France, and in spite of his age he took part in theBattle of Pontvallain (December 1370), but fell ill and died, probably atSaumur , in the latter part of December 1370.References
*1911
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