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Charles VII Establishes a Standing Army (Compagnies d'Ordonnance)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1439

In 1439, King Charles VII of France issued a military ordinance funding a standing force, the compagnies d'ordonnance, from royal finances, replacing…

Timeline

  1. 1439Orléans · Centre-Val de LoireThe Estates-General at Orléans in 1439 approved the permanent collection of the taille to maintain the royal army, providing the financial basis for a standing army. Previously the French army had long relied on feudal obligations and short-term hiring, making sustained campaigns difficult.
  2. 1439Bourges · FranceCharles VII issued an ordinance dividing the country into several military districts, each with a compagnie d'ordonnance (about a hundred men), whose soldiers received fixed pay and were under direct royal command. At the same time nobles were restricted from privately maintaining troops, marking France's transition to a centralized standing army system.

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