Free Companies :: Essays Papers

Free Companies In 1337 hostilities erupted between France and England that would continue, with brief times of peace, until 1453. This war, which lasted for over a century, would latter be known as The Hundred Years' War. One of the terms that originated during this war were bands of mercenaries formed in France called Free Companies. To understand Free Companies fully one must first look at the Hundred Years War for explanation. "The Hundred Years War was the last great medieval war." (http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist/100.html) Not only was this war between kings, but lesser nobles too were fighting for their own interests, while they fought for their country. Looking back two centuries earlier can be seen as the true cause for this war. When Duke William of Normandy conquered England in 1066, he did so as a subject of the French King. The French speaking English Kings to follow gained more and more land from the English. But the English King still ruled two French provinces, Gascony and Guyenne. In the 14th century, the French king Philip VI demanded that the English return these provinces to the French. When Edward III denied Philip VI of this, saying that Philip's claim to the French thrown was not as strong as Edward's own right to rule both France and England, war broke out. Because the kings and nobles were not wealthy enough to maintain armies permanently, and the ancient system of raising troops through feudal obligation had, for the time being, fallen apart, the most effective armies were made up of mercenaries. The definition of mercenaries given by the Oxford American Dictionary is "professional soldiers serving a foreign country." These professional, paid troops became a popular practice through out Europe in the 14th century. Both Knights and commoners under arms were eager to take the money of anyone wishing to raise an army. The English were the first of these two countries to use this practice. Free Companies were formed by the English to fight in France.