Arnaud de Cervole
Arnaud de Cervole, also de Cervolles, de Cervolle, Arnaut de Cervole or Arnold of Cervoles (c. 1300 - 25 May, 1366), known as l'Archiprêtre (The Archpriest), was a French mercenary soldier during the Hundred Years' War.
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[edit] Early career
He was born in Lot-et-Garonne in the Périgord somehere around the year 1300. Even though a layman, he possessed the ecclesiastical fief of Velines in Dordogne; because of it he was called the Archpriest of Vélines (Archiprêtre de Velines).[1]
In the early 1350s, he commanded a band of 80 men in South-West France. In 1356, he was wounded and captured after fighting in the forces of the Count of Alençon at the Battle of Poitiers.[2]
In 1358, Arnaud and his troops laid siege to Avignon and forced Pope Innocent VI to pay him a thousand gold florins. After the Pope paid the ransom, Arnaud discharged his troops on the spot, pocketed the money and left, leaving his men ever more furious and dangerous.
[edit] Battle of Brignais
In 1362, he was hired by the French king John II to deal with English brigands, dispatching him with a small royal army led by the Comte de Tancarville and the Comte de la Marche. [1] This army was defeated at the Battle of Brignais, where Arnaud was captured.[3]
[edit] A failed crusade
In 1365, he was approached by Pope Urban V to lead a new Crusade to the Holy Land. The purpose was to clear the Pope's domains of mercenary bands with the added benefit of striking a blow against the Turks. Although the Archpriest did set about collecting mercenaries together, the project progressed slowly and many had dispersed again by the end of the year. A fresh attempt was made in 1366 but supply problems caused discontent. On 25th May, 1366, Arnaud de Cervole was murdered by his own men.[4]
[edit] In popular culture
Arnaud (as Arnaut) appears as a character in Michael Crichton's novel Timeline and its film adaptation, where he is played by Lambert Wilson.
[edit] References
- ^ Sumption, Jonathon (1999). Trial by Fire. London: Faber and Faber. p. 359. ISBN 0571138969.
- ^ Sumption (1999), p.360
- ^ Fowler, Kenneth (2001). Medieval Mercenaries: Vol. I The Great Companies. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 61–4. ISBN 0631158863.
- ^ Sumption (1999), pp523-4,532-3
