Raoul de Gaucourt, also known as the Sieur de Gaucort or Sire de Gaucourt (c. 1370–1461) was a French soldier and statesman. He fought at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 and the Siege of Harfleur in 1415, and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England. He was described by Juliet Barker in 2005 as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten".
Early life and background
Born c. 1370,[1] Gaucourt came from a noble family from Picardy.[2] The family was loyal to the House of Armagnac, and Gaucourt had "strong personal connections" with Charles, Duke of Orléans, Charles I d'Albret and Marshal Boucicaut.[2]
Military career
Early career
Gaucourt fought at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396,[3] and was knighted on that battlefield at the age of 26.[2] He was captured and ransomed during the battle.[2]
In 1400 Gaucourt was a founding member of Boucicaut's Order of the White Lady on a Green Shield.[2]
In 1409 Gaucourt commanded a French army in Genoa, and captured Milan alongside Boucicaut.[2]
During the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War, in 1411, he captured the bridge of St Cloud on behalf of Charles, Duke of Orléans.[4]
In 1412 he served as Chamberlain to Charles, Duke of Orléans.[5] He then served as captain of a number of Armagnac castles.[5]
In 1415 he was a founding member of the Order of the Prisoner's Shackle.[5]
Siege of Harfleur
Gaucourt was chosen by d'Albret and Boucicaut to help defend the town of Harfleur from the army of the English king Henry V in September 1415.[6] Historian Juliet Barker said that they needed "an experienced and trustworthy knight to take charge of the defences".[6]
Gaucourt, alongside Jean d'Estouteville, refused to surrender the town.[7] When Henry's troops laid siege to the town, "de Gaucourt and his men fought back with a courage and determination that won the admiration of the English chaplain".[8] Gaucourt oversaw the repair of defences in the town.[8]
Gaucourt and members of the town council met with Henry on 17 September 1415.[9] Gaucourt refused to surrender.[10] However, the next day the town council offered to surrender on 22 September if the siege had not been broken by then.[11] Gaucourt was unaware of this offer until he met again with Henry,[12] but he and his fellow military commanders in the town (d'Estouteville and Guillaume de Léon) agreed to surrender.[13]
Gaucourt and his troops had held out for 18 days, rather than the 8 that Henry had planned for; "Henry had underestimated the determination and ingenuity of de Gaucourt and his men".[14] On 22 September Gaucourt presented the town's keys to Henry.[15]
Gaucourt and 65 others were taken prisoner.[16] Gaucourt was later released to carry a message to the Dauphin from Henry, challenging him to one-on-one combat to end the war.[17] After doing so, Gaucourt "retreat[ed] to his sickbed",[18] suffering from dysentery.[19]
Later career and death
Following the Battle of Agincourt, Gaucourt surrendered himself to Henry in Calais,[19] and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England.[1] He was released on licence in 1416 and again in 1417.[20] In January 1417 he carried a secret message from Henry to the French king.[21]
After his final release "he became a major figure in the reconquest of English-held lands in France",[1] and "fought in every campaign against the English".[22] This included fighting alongside Joan of Arc, including at the Siege of Orléans.[22]
Gaucourt died in 1461.[1] He was in his late 80s or early 90s.[22]
Legacy
He was described by Barker as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten",[2] and "one of the chief architects of the final expulsion of the English from France".[22]
References
- ^ a b c d Caption to image 34 in (Barker 2005)
- ^ a b c d e f g (Barker 2005, p. 178)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 247)
- ^ (Barker 2005, pp. 178–179)
- ^ a b c (Barker 2005, p. 179)
- ^ a b (Barker 2005, p. 180)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 182)
- ^ a b (Barker 2005, p. 183)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 193)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 194)
- ^ (Barker 2005, pp. 198–199)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 200)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 202)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 188)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 204)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 205)
- ^ (Barker 2005, pp. 207–208)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 211)
- ^ a b (Barker 2005, p. 342)
- ^ (Barker 2005, p. 370)
- ^ (Barker 2005, pp. 371–372)
- ^ a b c d (Barker 2005, p. 372)
Sources
- Barker, Juliet (2005). Agincourt : the King, the campaign, the battle. London: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-72648-1. OCLC 1244223711 – via Internet Archive.
This page was last edited on 5 March 2024, at 17:34