Arnaud de Cervole facts for kids
Arnaud de Cervole, also known as l'Archiprêtre (The Archpriest), was a famous French soldier who worked as a mercenary and sometimes acted like a bandit during the Hundred Years War in the 1300s. He was born around 1320 and died on May 25, 1366.
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Early Life and Military Skills
Arnaud de Cervole was born into a noble family in what is now the Lot-et-Garonne region of France. Even though he was a regular person, he joined the church and became an archpriest. This meant he held a church position in Velines, which is why he was called the Archpriest of Vélines. However, he later lost this church job because he spent time with groups of bandits.
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Arnaud quickly became known for his skill in capturing walled cities and castles using ladders. Because of his abilities, he was recommended to King John II and became a royal lieutenant for France. He commanded his own group of 80 men. During the Hundred Years War, his job was to defend the area between the Loire and Dordogne rivers. However, he also gained a reputation for acting like a bandit.
Once, he led his men to take three castles in Angoulême to get paid for his service. Another time, while serving King John II, he left a battle to take a castle in Normandy. The king's officials saw this as stealing, but he was later pardoned. He was even given control over the fortress at Châteauneuf-sur-Charente. In 1356, he fought in the Battle of Poitiers, where he was hurt and captured. This battle was a big defeat for France, and King John II was also captured. After he recovered and was released, Arnaud de Cervole married a wealthy widow named Jeanne de Graçay. She owned several important lands in central France.
Leading a Bandit Army
After King John II was captured, the fighting between France and England slowed down. France also stopped paying its mercenary groups, known as Free Companies. Because of this, the mercenaries started robbing the countryside for money. They also demanded money from villages to protect them.
In 1357, Arnaud became the leader of the Great Company. This was a huge group made up of many smaller Free Companies. At its largest, it had 2,700 men, which was a lot, as most companies only had about a hundred. The smaller companies chose their own captains, and these captains then chose Arnaud as their main commander.
Arnaud led his company into lands that had not been touched by the war, taking castles and robbing villages. Their main goal was to capture Marseilles. They pushed as far as Avignon, where the Pope lived. This made Pope Innocent VI start talks with Arnaud. Arnaud and his men entered the city, and he was welcomed as if he were a very important person. He met with the Pope and his cardinals several times, talked about his past actions, and was paid 40,000 crowns. After getting the money for his company, Arnaud led his men out of the area, giving up all the land they had taken. He realized taking Marseilles was too hard because the city was strong and well-defended. Also, the queen's strategy of destroying food supplies nearby meant his army would run out of food.
Back in Royal Service
After leaving Avignon, Arnaud worked for Charles, who was the heir to the French throne. He was in charge of the castle at Nevers until the Treaty of Brétigny was signed in 1360, which brought a temporary peace.
In 1362, King John II hired Arnaud to deal with other Free Companies that were causing trouble in Burgundy. Arnaud was sent with a small royal army. However, the royal army didn't know how many enemies there were and was surprised to be outnumbered. On April 6, 1362, they were defeated at the Battle of Brignais. Arnaud was captured, and the Free Company was free to continue robbing the region. Because they ran out of food, the winning group soon broke apart. Arnaud then led his own group in robbing the Burgundy region until 1364, when the local count paid them off. Later that year, his company fought in the Battle of Cocherel.
A Crusade That Didn't Happen and His Death
In 1365, the Duke of Burgundy suggested a big crusade against the Turks in Hungary. The idea was to get all the Free Companies out of France. Pope Urban V also supported this plan, wanting the companies to leave the Rhone Valley. However, the crusade never happened. The companies marched to Lyons but refused to cross into Italy and board ships. All of them, except Arnaud's Great Company, went their separate ways.
Another attempt was made in 1366, but there were problems with food and pay, which made the company unhappy. On May 25, 1366, Arnaud de Cervole was killed by his own men during an argument. This happened while his army was camped near Macon, before they could cross the Saône river.
By the time he died, Arnaud had become very rich from his years of fighting, both for himself and for the king.
