French Companies of Ordonnance 1373-1480: The Birth of French Standing Military Units

The book surveys the late medieval French ordonnance companies, detailing their organization, recruitment, and equipment as they evolved into early standing military units.

At the close of the Middle Ages, the French monarchy entered a period of profound political and institutional reconfiguration, for which the Hundred Years' War provided both the historical context and the principal catalyst. The defeats suffered by French chivalry, the irregular and often inadequate nature of feudal service, the slowness of recruitment, and the emergence of new forms of warfare -- including chevauchées, prolonged sieges, and the growing importance of artillery -- all exposed the structural limitations of a military system still largely founded upon personal prowess, aristocratic obligation, and vassalic ties.

It was within this broader context that Charles VII initiated the process that led to the formation of a standing army, most commonly associated with the establishment of the compagnies d'ordonnance in 1445, the creation of the francs-archers in 1448, and the consolidation of a more structured royal artillery. Yet such a transformation did not arise ex nihilo. The creation of a permanent military institution, especially in the face of considerable political and social resistance, must be understood as part of a longer evolutionary process, during which the essential administrative, fiscal, and military foundations were gradually laid. Indeed, Charles VII's military reforms should be seen as the culmination of a long process of professionalisation and centralisation.

The central question addressed in this book concerns the origins and explanatory factors behind this transformation: how and why did the French monarchy come to replace the feudal model of the host and the arrière-ban with a more stable, paid, regulated, and centrally controlled military system, permanently attached to the crown?

Consequently, this book examines the organisation, development, command structures, and military equipment of the French compagnies d'ordonnance, francs-archers and artillery up to 1480. The study is complemented by numerous plates and illustrations.