"Gensdarmes banners and flags" Topic

Could anyone offer any wisdom as to how Gensdarme units of the Pavia period appeared? Did they include heraldic banners of the individual knights or simply "national" heraldry?

Most French Gensdarmes were still organized in companies, I believe. During a parade in 1552 (can't remember the location) a commentator noted that the French gensdarmes all sported barding painted in their captains colours.

So there would be a lot of personal heraldry, and some national. Its possible I suppose, that even within a single company, there would also be a mix of personal heraldry too.

But look at the artwork, there is quite a bit about for that period.

What's a "gensdarme"? Is that a plural for gendarme? Should I spell the plural of Templar, Tempslar? (just kidding with you, don't take offense please)

gens d'armes

Gendarmes were 'Gentlemen' and consequently had the money to lavish on their arms and armour. Quite a lot of horse armour was covered in fine cloth. This was ornately patterned in a lot of cases. Personal heraldry seems to have been less important. Most armour was 'white' metal sometimes with gold trim and 'etched' patterns.

Try and have a look at "The Battle of Pavia" published by the Ashmolean Museum Oxford. This a pamphlet covering the restoration of the famous picture of the battle. It is available for a few pounds – direct from the museum's online shop. I think there is a link here (somewhere).

pikeandplunder.blogspot.com

There are also some pics of my own Gendarmes, banners, and command figures etc.

James

Have a look at 'The Renaissance at War' by Thomas Arnold there's a lot of pictoral references in there, particularly of the French Gendarmes in their photographs of the Pavia tapestry.

link

As for the banners, as far as I have seen, most are national banners.

Some gendarmes have their coats of arms represented on the barding in some way. For example one of the scenes in the tapestry shows Francis I being pulled from his horse, to the left of this Charles de Bourbon is arriving and the front of his horse barding bear his coat of arms – whether this is purely artistic license and representation is unknown, you'll have to deal with that but at the end of the day that's what you'll be doing when painting the figures.

There's a few woodcuts and a painting of emperor Maximilian meeting Henry VIII and their horse barding bear their arms, and this works well on a figure;

link

But I think it's best reserved for your generals.

In summary, most gendarmes of the period chose to show their wealth in decorating their barding in lavish cloth – think Laura Ashley sofas and you're almost there – joking aside patterns for such material or wallpaper is a good starting point.

hope that helps.

"Should I spell the plural of Templar, Tempslar"

No, but if there were two of you, you would be Knights Templar.

here's an example;

link

And to settle the pronunciation;

[French, from Old French gent d'armes, gendarme, sing. of gens d'armes, mounted soldiers, men-at-arms : gens, people, men (from Latin gentçs, pl. of gçns, clan; see genə- in Indo-European roots) + de, of (from Latin dç; see de-) + armes, pl. of arme, weapon; see arm2.]

"No, but if there were two of you, you would be Knights Templar."

I know this! But there can be only ONE Gerard de Ridfort.

I am happy to increase my education of French: gens d'armes, thanks for that. (you might think that Gerard de Ridfort would know these kinds of things. But it is not so, for one who dropped out of school in the first grade to go on Crusade)