IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 719: Rich and Poor at War in the Age of Chivalry

Tuesday 12 July 2011, 14.15-15.45

Moderator/Chair:	Ralph Moffat, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow Museums / Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Paper 719-a	Lances, Darts, and archegaies: Cavalry Weapons in 14th-Century France (Language: English) David Scott-Macnab, Department of English, University of Johannesburg Index terms: Military History, Technology
Paper 719-b	How Not to Get Rich Quick: The Ransom of the Count of Denia (Language: English) Paulette Barton, Department of Modern Languages & Classics / Department of History, University of Maine Index terms: Law, Military History, Politics and Diplomacy, Social History
Paper 719-c	The Poor at War: Peasant and Working Class Resistance to the Military Occupation of the Venetian Terrafirma, 1509-1512 (Language: English) Simon M. Pepper, School of Architecture, University of Liverpool Index terms: Military History, Social History, Technology
Abstract	Paper -a: Froissart's account of the Black Prince's incursion into northern Spain in 1367 comprises the richest sources of allusions to a Spanish weapon known in Old French as archegaie. Other, scattered evidence suggests that this weapon was adopted to a limited extent in southern France, Gascony and Brittany in the course of the 14th century – yet modern reference works, particularly dictionaries of Old French, offer confusing accounts of what precisely it was. This paper considers a range of evidence, from chronicles and soldier's receipts to ballades, to re-evaluate what the archegaie was and how it was employed by men-at-arms in the course of the 14th century. Paper -b: In the 14th century and earlier the taking of prisoners in battle and holding them, or a surrogate for ransom was a customary practice. The ransom amount and the conditions of payment could be negotiable. The case under examination is that of the Count of Denia taken in the battle of Najera in 1367. He was released by Edward, the Black Prince and his son Alfonso was held in his stead. The first part of the paper examines the practice of ransom. The second part of the paper will examine both the customary expectations and the legal processes attached to the payment of a ransom. The rights to a ransom and its payment attached first to the king and descended through the feudal hierarchy to the individual who captured the prisoner. A ransom was like a modern promissory note. Rights in the ransom were transferable, divisible, devisable, and subject to legal suits. There were also obligations to the hostage for the ransom as he had to be kept in a manner appropriate to his position in life. These aspects of the ransom of the Count of Denia will be examined in detail as an example of the problems attached to making money from ransoming a prisoner. Paper -c: When the Venetian Terrafirma was invaded and occupied by the forces of the League of Cambrai following the battle of Agnadello (1509), the 'loyal' resistance of the lower orders and the 'disloyal' collaboration by many of the nobility in the subject territories was widely noted by contemporaries. This paper examines aspects of the urban working class and rural resistance, its leadership, its weaponry, and its armed contribution to the Venetian war effort.