Martyrs and Murderers: The Guise Family and the Making of Europe by Stuart Carroll
Authors: Stuart Carroll
Tags: History, France, Europe, Renaissance, Scotland, England/Great Britain, Italy, Royalty, 16th Century, 17th Century, Faith & Religion
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retained an interest. The most recent French intervention in 1513 had ended disastrously; after a crushing defeat at the hands of the Swiss at Novara, Burgundy was invaded and Dijon besieged. By January 1515 France had lost all her possessions in Italy, the House of Sforza had been reinstalled as dukes of Milan, Genoa was an independent republic, and the whole of Naples was under Aragonese control.
French honour and the reputation of the Valois dynasty were at stake. Within a year of his accession, Francis invaded Italy in pursuit of his claim to the duchy of Milan. He faced a formidable league of anti-French forces which included the Duke of Milan, the Pope, the King of Aragon and the Emperor. Recent wars in Italy had shown that campaigns could no longer be won solely with heavy cavalry, the strongest arm of the French army. Until 1510 the King of France had been able to employ Swiss mercenaries, the best infantry in Europe, but they were now in Sforza pay. Instead, Francis raised 23,000 German landsknechts whose tactics were closely modelled on those of the Swiss, but they were notoriously ill-disciplined. The elite of the infantry was the famous ‘Black Band’ from Guelders, comprising 12,000 pikemen, 2,000 arquebusiers, 2,000 men armed with two-handed swords and 1,000 halberdiers. 5 Claude de Guise was initially seconded to the unit as an officer under his uncle, the Duke of Guelders. But on the eve of battle, the duke was called home and Guise was elected by the landsknechts, in preference to their current lieutenant, as their new captain. His knowledge of German may have been a reason for choosing him ahead of other, more experienced, French princes. At the age of eighteen and still a minor (he was not released from his mother’s charge until October 1518), the count found himself a general on his very first campaign.
At midday on the 13 September 1515 the Swiss swarmed out of Milan and tried to catch the French army whilst it was camped in the vicinity of Marignano, attacking in three compact echelons of pikemen, each containing about 7,000 men. The first square encountered the French at 4 pm and though the German landsknechts were pushed back they did not break. Fighting continued by moonlight until midnight in one of the bloodiest battles of the sixteenth century.
Next morning, the battle raged with renewed fury. The decisive factors were the French artillery, whose 74 guns did great damage to the tightly packed ranks of the Swiss, and the timely arrival of Venetian reinforcements. As the Swiss began to retreat, Guise rashly charged forward and was hit on the right arm and on the thigh by arquebus shots, and a third killed his horse. Unhorsed, lying prone and defenceless, the count’s armour resounded with dozens of pike and halberd blows; he would have been killed had not one of his German squires, Adam Fouvert from Nuremberg, hurled himself forward and taken the blows, giving his own life to save his master’s.
It was only with difficulty that the household officers of the king were able to locate the duke’s body among the 16,000 corpses that littered the battlefield, his wounds so severe that his recovery was regarded as a marvel of contemporary medical practice. A month later, his arm in a sling, he was able to accompany Francis into Milan as captain-general of landsknechts. The House of Lorraine had once again provided valiant service to the kings of France: Claude’s elder brother, Antoine, was signalled out for his command of a gendarmerie company and his younger brother, Ferry, was killed.
Claude’s visceral experience and his miraculous recovery confirmed his trust in divine providence. When he regained consciousness after the battle, he made a vow to go on pilgrimage on his return home. In early 1516 he was greeted by Antoinette and their first child, 3-month-old Marie, future queen consort of Scotland. Two days later, dressed in full armour ‘as if he were in battle’, he walked the
French honour and the reputation of the Valois dynasty were at stake. Within a year of his accession, Francis invaded Italy in pursuit of his claim to the duchy of Milan. He faced a formidable league of anti-French forces which included the Duke of Milan, the Pope, the King of Aragon and the Emperor. Recent wars in Italy had shown that campaigns could no longer be won solely with heavy cavalry, the strongest arm of the French army. Until 1510 the King of France had been able to employ Swiss mercenaries, the best infantry in Europe, but they were now in Sforza pay. Instead, Francis raised 23,000 German landsknechts whose tactics were closely modelled on those of the Swiss, but they were notoriously ill-disciplined. The elite of the infantry was the famous ‘Black Band’ from Guelders, comprising 12,000 pikemen, 2,000 arquebusiers, 2,000 men armed with two-handed swords and 1,000 halberdiers. 5 Claude de Guise was initially seconded to the unit as an officer under his uncle, the Duke of Guelders. But on the eve of battle, the duke was called home and Guise was elected by the landsknechts, in preference to their current lieutenant, as their new captain. His knowledge of German may have been a reason for choosing him ahead of other, more experienced, French princes. At the age of eighteen and still a minor (he was not released from his mother’s charge until October 1518), the count found himself a general on his very first campaign.
At midday on the 13 September 1515 the Swiss swarmed out of Milan and tried to catch the French army whilst it was camped in the vicinity of Marignano, attacking in three compact echelons of pikemen, each containing about 7,000 men. The first square encountered the French at 4 pm and though the German landsknechts were pushed back they did not break. Fighting continued by moonlight until midnight in one of the bloodiest battles of the sixteenth century.
Next morning, the battle raged with renewed fury. The decisive factors were the French artillery, whose 74 guns did great damage to the tightly packed ranks of the Swiss, and the timely arrival of Venetian reinforcements. As the Swiss began to retreat, Guise rashly charged forward and was hit on the right arm and on the thigh by arquebus shots, and a third killed his horse. Unhorsed, lying prone and defenceless, the count’s armour resounded with dozens of pike and halberd blows; he would have been killed had not one of his German squires, Adam Fouvert from Nuremberg, hurled himself forward and taken the blows, giving his own life to save his master’s.
It was only with difficulty that the household officers of the king were able to locate the duke’s body among the 16,000 corpses that littered the battlefield, his wounds so severe that his recovery was regarded as a marvel of contemporary medical practice. A month later, his arm in a sling, he was able to accompany Francis into Milan as captain-general of landsknechts. The House of Lorraine had once again provided valiant service to the kings of France: Claude’s elder brother, Antoine, was signalled out for his command of a gendarmerie company and his younger brother, Ferry, was killed.
Claude’s visceral experience and his miraculous recovery confirmed his trust in divine providence. When he regained consciousness after the battle, he made a vow to go on pilgrimage on his return home. In early 1516 he was greeted by Antoinette and their first child, 3-month-old Marie, future queen consort of Scotland. Two days later, dressed in full armour ‘as if he were in battle’, he walked the
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