DBA Armies

IV/64 MEDIEVAL FRENCH 1330 AD - 1445 AD

This list covers French armies from the transition to plate armour until the institution of a standing army. After their defeat by the English at Crecy, French knights and other men-at-arms realized their horses were too vulnerable to longbows and that attacking on foot gave them a better chance. Accordingly, French and allied Scots men-at-arms can deploy dismounted from 1347, though they often left a small portion mounted on the flanks (often those with good horse armour), in the hope of disrupting English archers. Artillery later proved a better antidote. Scots contingents were men-at-arms and (mostly Highlander) feudal archers, since the Common Army pikemen did not serve overseas. They were sometimes the majority of a French army and could provide the general. Of the native French, brigans came to replace mixed pole-arms with spear and rectangular pavise; and communal militia similarly rearmed as pavisiers. These fought as spearmen rather than combined with crossbowmen, but crossbowmen often carried smaller pavises. Voulgiers discarded the pavise, but were almost as well-armoured as men-at-arms and fought with short 2-handed thrusting staff-weapons such as the voulge or langue de boeuf. Jacquerie were revolting peasants. Strangely, considering their hatred of the upper classes, attempts were made to harness them by ruling factions, never with happy results. Reference: Armies of the Middle Ages Vol 1 1. Heath, Operation Shepherdess A. Guerin & J.P. White.

IV/64a — Medieval French Army 1330 AD - 1346 AD

List: 1 x General (3Kn), 5 x men-at-arms (3Kn), 1 x archers (3Bw) or Spanish crossbowmen (Ps), 2 x Genoese crossbowmen (4Cb) or French crossbowmen (3Cb), 2 x communal militia (Sp), 1 x brigans (3Bd) or bidet or Breton javelinmen (Ps) or peasant levy (7Hd)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Enemies:

IV/64b — Medieval French Army 1347 AD - 1400 AD

List: 1 x General (3Kn/4Bd), 2 x men-at-arms (3Kn/4Bd), 3 x pavisiers (Sp), 2 x crossbowmen (4Cb), 3 x noble knights (3Kn/4Bd) or Jacquerie (5Hd), 1 x bidet or Breton javelinmen (Ps) or peasant levy (7Hd)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Enemies:

IV/64c — Medieval French Army 1401 AD - 1445 AD

List: 1 x General (3Kn/4Bd), 1 x rich nobles on barded horses (3Kn), 4 x men-at- arms (3Kn/4Bd), 2 x archers (3Bw) or pavisiers (Sp), 1 x crossbowmen (4Cb), 1 x voulgiers (4Bd) or Scots men-at-arms (3Kn/4Bd), 1 x detached “gross varlets” (Cv) or bombards (Art) or Scots archers (4Bw), 1 x bidet or Breton javelinmen (Ps) or peasant levy (7Hd)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Enemies: