November 01, 2023

A bit of heraldry

Just a super quick one here. I've managed to track down the heraldry of a few more French commanders who I could make use of for the War of the Burgundian Succession. This is very useful - I have a no end of nobles who fought on the Burgundian side, but my list of nobles for the French side is very limited, so I've been wanting to find more for a while now.

I managed to locate a list of captains of the compagnies d'ordonnance for 1475, so I think it's reasonable to assume most of them were still in service two years later. Happily I've located some heraldry and a little biographical information on four of them, and promptly made some new flags!

Jean d'Estouteville, Lord of Torcy (1404-1494) was another elderly veteran of the Hundred Years war who apparently lived to the impressive age of 90. He had amassed many important titles during his years of service, including Provost of Paris and Master of the Crossbowmen. Though he led an ordonnance company in 1475, I had to wonder if he would actually have been fighting as he would have been in his 70s... However no less a source than Philippe de Commines says he was at the Battle of Guinegate in 1479, and was among the cavalry who pursued their defeated Burgundian opponents from the field!

Tanguy du Châtel, Viscount de La Bellière (?-1477) was involved in the French invasion of the Low Counties, but not for long - he was killed at the siege of Bouchain on May 29 1477, apparently a victim of artillery fire.

Then there is Jean de Brosse, Count of Penthièvre (1423-1482) and Jean du Bellay, Lord of La Flotte, who I couldn't find any information about. Though if they were leading ordonnance companies in 1475, I don't think it's unreasonable to think they might have been fighting in Burgundy a few years later! I particularly like their heraldry too, the blue is welcome among the seemingly endless tide of red and gold.

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