Routiers

The "routiers" were mercenaries associated with free companies who terrorized the French countryside during the Hundred Years War. The word "routier" is French for "company".

Background

Routiers were a product of their time. The Hundred Years War, which lasted from 1337 to 1453, was the back drop to their pillaging. The Hundred Years War was fought between two royal families over control of the French throne. The Plantagenet’s from England, and the House of Valois from France. The War, which is divided into three stages; the Edwardian War (1337-1360), the Caroline War (1369-1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415-1429), saw the development of new tactics and weaponry that revolutionized warfare during that time period.

By 1348 the Black Death was tearing though Europe, England was bankrupt, and Edward was invading main land France. In 1347 Edward besieged the city of Calais on the English Channel. Capturing Calais was a major strategic victory, which allowed the English to permanently keep troops in France. King Edward’s son, The Prince of Wales, who led a large band routiers, captured the French King John II, and soon the French government began to fall apart.

Routiers' beginnings

The routiers' history can be traced back to a few years after the start of the Hundred Years War, in the early 1340s. The War was causing the English a great deal of debt and this along with the fact that the French country side was in a state of anarchy, led to a very tenuous situation. No revenue was being generated for the English army, which meant that the English soldiers had to live off the land. This “living off the land” began as simple freebooting, but quickly transformed into Patis, or “ransoms of the country”. A village near a garrison would usually be ransacked for any supplies. Subsequently the village would be forced pay the respective garrison for future protection.

This system soon caused much instability in the region for a few reasons. The Patis system didn’t generate any revenue for the English cause, (even though made small fortunes for individual Captains). Further more, Garrisons that were stationed in fringe territories, were constantly bombarded by boredom. That coupled with the fact that they were surrounded by hostile inhabitants, caused a lot of animosity between the peasants and soldiers, which in a few instances even led to skirmishes.As word spread of the wealth and relative ease, with which one could plunder the isolated villages through the French country-side, came the onset of the routiers.

Routiers

Routiers were usually referred to as “Englishmen” by their victims, but they were actually composed for the most part by French soldiers known as Gascons, after the name of the region of France they resided. The full demographic that filled the ranks of the routiers included Spaniards, Germans, English, and Frenchmen. Although there had been major raiding campaigns led by English noblemen such as The Prince of Wales, for the most part, the marauding gangs were led by Gascon officers.

These independent rogue groups were generally comprised of professional soldiers who had been discharged from their respective units. Rather than return home to a life of serfdom and poverty, they chose to plunder and pillage the rural France. For the soldiers there was no alternative, they lived in a country with few natural resources, and each probably owned a small piece of land which had been broken up through generations of partition.

Each group of routiers was surprisingly well organized, they each had a command structure with a staff that even included secretaries to collect and disperse their loot. A few of the groups had there own uniforms, such as the notorious Bandes Blanches of the Archpriest Arnaud de Cervole. The Routiers were known for there ruthlessness, they generally took everything they could find. They were also known for violating women, as well as, routinely torturing and killing the men they encountered during their escapades.

Infamous routiers

One of the most infamous examples of true routiers, is the garrison at Lusignan. Lusignan was a fortress built back in the twelfth century, and was captured by Earl of Lancaster. When the Earl withdrew from the area he left a garrison of 300 men under the command of Bertrand de Montferrand. Many of his troops were men with questionable pasts; criminals, and misfits. During peace time, 1346-1350, the garrison laid waste to over fifty parishes, ten monasteries, and destroyed towns and castles throughout southern Poitou. During peace time the garrison carried on as if they were still at war. They even enlisted the services of French troops who had been discharged during the peace accord. The King couldn’t even stop them. In May 1347, a force was sent to put an end to the violence. They were ambushed and forced to retreat.

John Hawkwood is the most famous of the English routiers. Beginning as a routier, he ultimately spent three decades as a mercenary captain in Italy.

Conclusion

The routiers were bands of mercenaries who roamed throughout France during the Hundred Years War. They were well organized, and well trained. Most were former soldiers who had been discharged and chose not to return to the economic hardships of their homelands. They were ruthless; pillaging, raping, and looting everything they came across. Tracing their beginnings back to the early 1340s, they lasted throughout the Hundred Years War.

ources and suggested reading

*Seward, Desmond, "The Hundred Years War. The English in France 1337-1453", Penguin Books, 1999, ISBN 0-14-028361-7
*Sumption, Jonathan, "The Hundred Years War I: Trial by Battle", University of Pennsylvania Press, September 1999, ISBN 0-8122-1655-5
*Sumption, Jonathan, "The Hundred Years War II: Trial by Fire", University of Pennsylvania Press, October 2001, ISBN 0-8122-1801-9