The King Without a Kingdom (40 page)

Authors: Maurice Druon

BOOK: The King Without a Kingdom

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20
. The ban and the arrière-ban were the components of the king’s conscription army, the ban being his knights and barons, and the arrière-ban the rest of his vassals, often foot soldiers, sometimes translated as the ward and the rear ward.

21
. A limner was an image maker or manuscript illuminator; the notion of artist is anachronistic.

22
. Livre tournois, or the pound of the city of Tours.

23
. The three estates were the clergy, the nobility and the commoners or bourgeois.

24
. Fardiers were goods vehicles, carts.

25
. Perrinet le Buffle or Perrinet the Buffalo, clearly a nickname to emphasize his strength.

26
. A cervellière was a close-fitting hemispherical iron skullcap, cervelle meaning brain in French.

27
. An embrasure is a narrow, vertical arrow slit typical of medieval defensive architecture.

28
. One quintal, sometimes translated as a hundredweight, is equal to 100 kilograms.

29
. Passementerie is decorative trimming, for example, gold and silver lace and braid.

30
. The mark was a unit of weight equivalent to 8 troy ounces or 249 grammes.

31
. ‘Le jour de la Saint-Bavard’, a fictional feast day, bavard meaning talkative.

32
. Hippocras, a sweet, spicy drink similar to mulled wine.

33
. A gambeson was a quilted jerkin or doublet, a form of light armour.

34
. ‘On va fricoter le Friquet’, fricoter meaning to cook up (grill), or to have shady dealings with someone, hence the pun.

35
. Called a ‘lin’, a very grand form of barge with sails and oars.

36
. A hanap is an ornate medieval drinking vessel or goblet.

37
. Angoumois was a county corresponding to the modern Charentes region; its capital was Angoulême.

38
. Bulls were papal edicts or mandates. (cf. Golden Bull)

39
. A curule chair is a folding seat with curved legs and no back, used mainly by high officials.

40
. Fouage or hearth tax, based on the number of hearths per household.

41
. Laigle, a Norman market town now called l’Aigle, ‘the Eagle’.

42
. A poleyn was part of the suit of armour, a metal kneeguard.

43
. A banner was a company of soldiers riding under a particular flag or banner.

44
. The old French engeignerie corresponds to the modern engineering, i.e. the science of building machines, for siege warfare for example.

45
. Greaves were pieces of armour covering the shin and calf; cuisses were pieces of armour that protected the front of the thigh.

46
. Cubitières were pieces of armour that protected the elbows.

47
. There were 20 sols or sous in a pound, and 12 deniers to a sol.

48
. Epaulement, parapet or breastwork.

49
. A fougasse was a large, directional land mine set off by fuse; saps were covered trenches.

50
. Parade as in a military parade, and orgueil, meaning pride.

51
. Fascines were long faggots of wood used for lining trenches.

52
. Ballisters were crossbowmen.

53
. Venerer or huntsman.

54
. A viguier was an officer to whom counts delegated part of their authority over their lands, and who thus administered those counties.

55
. An octroi was a town or city toll, collected as one passed through one of the town gates.

56
. Voulges were curved-bladed polearms also called pole cleavers; halberds were pikes with a blade combining a spearhead and a battleaxe.

57
. The arrière-ban were civilians called up for military service by the king.

58
. Bascinet was a type of open-faced helmet.

59
. Jeu de paume, a game also called real tennis, and ancestor of the modern sport of tennis.

60
. ‘Montjoie Saint-Denis’ was the battle cry of French soldiers, Montjoie meaning Mons Jovis, in the direction of, and Saint Denis, whose banner was the oriflamme.

61
. A camail or aventail was a mail neck and throat protection attached to the bascinet.

62
. A bidau was a foot soldier armed with a spear, lance and dagger.

63
. Saltire is a division into four parts by a diagonal cross, gules is the heraldic term for tincture red.

64
. A bachelier, or bachelor, was a young gentleman who had not yet received either land or title and was therefore obliged to ride under the banner of another knight.

65
. Captal was a medieval feudal title in Gascony, meaning first chief.

66
. An abatis was a system of defence consisting in stacking up trees lengthways to form a protective barrier. Here the image is of felled people rather than felled trees.

67
. Frères Mineurs and Frères Prêcheurs are bodies of monks, Franciscans and Dominicans respectively.