"French Ordonnance Archers" Topic

I am in the processing of completing a late 15th Century French Ordonnance army, suitable for the early Italian Wars around 1500.

I am using Old Glory gensdarmes, for the French Gensdarmes, but I do not like the Old Glory figure of the mounted archers.

I am looking for recommendations for figures to use for mounted archers that will go reasonably closely with the Old Glory Gensdarmes. Size and to a lesser extent, style.

Anyone care to make recommendations?

TIA

Phil

Make that 28mm.

And I have just read some posts on TMP from a few years ago, and it seems my Ordonnance Archers are actually mounted archers, not lancers.

So, a suitable mounted archer that goes with the Old Glory Gensdarme?

Use lancers. While the "ordonnance archers" where likely able to fight as archers, when horsed they would support the Gensdarmes and not slug around their bows. There is no depiction or description that I am aware of that mentions or shows mounted archers. When mentioned as using bows, they are fielded on foot.

If you use normally armoured (breastplate, helm) riders with unbarded horse you should be fine. Personally I like Eurekas set, but I doubt that they mix with Old Glory. I do have many miniatures of the OG range, but their mounted minis are not among my favourites.

I think the Perry plastic light horse come with bow cases

I would also go from the rules/list that you have. If they fight as lancers, then model them as such. If they fight as archers …..

John

Ordonnance archers in the early 16c were indeed mounted archers who alongside a gendarme, man at arms and coustiller formed the lance.

They gradually became armed with a light lance with the archer function being served by mounted crossbowmen and arquebusiers.

In gaming terms anything goes really whether you want to represent them as light lancers and/or bow armed dragoon types either will suffice, they were not mutually exclusive.

I've pulled together a few sources and offered my own representation in the following 3 posts;

link

link

link

Hope that helps

Stuart

Here's the complete lance, gendarmes in the lead followed by men at arms with mounted archers and coustillers in support, depending on the campaign, battle, source all but the gendarmes could be considered as 'archers' being part of the Ordonnance

Mounted archers

They fought as mobile infantry

Men at arms / light lancers

Gendarmes

Superbe, monsieur!