Lances_fournies Lances_fournies

Lances fournies - Definition

The Lances fournies was a late medieval army squad, consisting of one man-at-arms, one (usually mounted) swordsman, two archers, a valet and one or more pages. These units formed companies, compagnies d'ordonnance as a part of the French army reforms of the 1440s, which eventually lead to the French victory at Castillon in 1453, and the conclusion of the Hundred Years' War.

Each company was made up of about 100 lances fournies, effectively 400 fighting men plus servants. These companies were sustained even in peace, and became the first standing army in modern Europe.

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