Guerre Folle-The Mad War & The Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier

July 28th 2023 marks the 535th anniversary of the battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier, one of our more famous late medieval-early renaissance battlefields close to our Maison, l'hotel de Hercé. This battle is one of our "walk the battlefield in the Morning, Wargame in the afternoon" wargame holiday tour and wargame series.

The battlefield of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier is in Brittany, North of Rennes on the Route to Fougeres. The battlefield site is a short walk of the memorial and the last stand site of the German landsknechts, we can also visit the English archer monument, and the ruined chateau of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, plus Chateau Fougeres one of Europes largest medieval fortresses.

For me it is a very interesting war and battle for both sides, Brittany ultimately loses her independence, a lot of Princes of noble blood and the future King of France fight for the Bretons, with large numbers of field cannons on wheels with professional artillery officers and large trains, large numbers arquebusiers and pike. Use of large numbers of mercenary pike, shot and cavalry from Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland and the Breton and French Gendarmes d'Ordonnance army systems clash. The foundations for the d'ordonnance system for both armies built by the Arthur III de Richemont duke de Bretagne.

I have been putting together for three years a list of the combatants and short histories of some of the key characters of both armies. Like all of my medieval projects I have researched also the blasons of the known chevaliers present, ransomed and killed (who are easier to find). I am slowly adding Perry WOTR miniatures to the collection with specifically built units for the battle and hope to finish the whole collection by the end of 2023.

I do hope you find this interesting and useful in your wargame endeavours for this small but interesting early renaissance war, and a grand part of French History.

François II de Bretagne

Background to the Mad War

1484-6

After the death of of Louis XI and the beginning of the regency of Anne de Beaujeu (1483-1491) sister of the minor and future king Charles VIII. The western Dukes moved in 1485 after Anne sent a large contingent of Royal French Ordonnance household troops to support Henry Tudors invasion and the battle of Bosworth. At the beginning of the reign of Charles VIII, Louis II de Orléans tried to seize the regency but was rejected by the States General at Tours (15 January to 11 March 1484). The western ducal lords lead by Louis II de Orleans, Francois II of Brittany, Rene duke de Lorraine and Anjou & King of Naples, Alan de Albret vicomte de Tartas, comte de Graves de Castre, Jean de Chalon Prince of Orange, Charles de Orleans comte de Angoulême.

In April, Louis II de Orleans left for Brittany to join Duke Francis II; he also sent a request to the pope to annul his marriage, so that he would be free to marry Anne of Brittany, Francis's heir. On 23 November, he signed a treaty which envisaged his marriage with Anne. Returning to the royal court, Louis tried to take the king into his custody, but Anne de Beaujeu prevented him by force: she stopped some lords of the royal guard and placed the Duke of Orléans under house arrest in Gien chateau.

Having escaped from Gien on 17 January 1485, Louis of Orléans tried to invest Paris with a small army made up of Burgundian and German Mercenaries, but failed. He managed to escape on 3 February to Alençon Normandy, and made amende honorable on 12 March and he was locked up in Orléans chateau. At the same time, Francois II roused Breton nobility, but was brought back to order by the royal troops in Normandy, Anjou and Maine.

On 30 August, Louis of Orléans issued a proclamation against the regency. The royal army marched to Orléans, but Louis escaped to Beaugency, whence he was dislodged by the young general Louis II de La Trémoille in September. On the 9th August, Francis II of Brittany agreed to a year-long truce. Known as the Peace of Bourges, the truce was signed on 2 November 1485.

In 1486 Anne of Brittany, Francis's heir was used as a political pawn, first to Marry Maximilian of Austria, which was rejected by the crown (which lead to a small invasion by the French) then Alan de Albret vicomte de Tartas (who had claim also to the dukedom)