French Royal Army Reform

Timeline

1. 1461–1464Paris · Île-de-FranceAfter acceding to the throne, Louis XI maintained and expanded the roughly twenty compagnies d'ordonnance created by Charles VII, giving the crown standing heavy cavalry paid annually, reducing reliance on the feudal knights of the great lords, and providing military backing for local control in the early 1460s.
2. 1465Central France · FranceDuring the War of the League of the Public Good in 1465, Louis XI mobilized a mixed force of compagnies d'ordonnance, francs-archers, and Swiss mercenaries. Though at a disadvantage at times, the standing army system allowed the king to maintain the capacity to fight and negotiate during the crisis, validating the military reforms.
3. 1466–1470France · FranceAfter the crisis, Louis XI invested further in royal artillery and logistics, and institutionalized the hiring of Swiss pikemen and German infantry, so that by the late 1460s the French army led most allied princely forces in organization, firepower, and infantry quality, laying the foundation for later operations against Burgundy.