The Navarrese Company ( es, Compañía navarra; eu, Nafarroako konpainia) was a company of
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
, mostly from
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
and
Gascony
Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...
, which fought in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
during the late 14th century and early 15th century, in the twilight of Frankish power in the dwindling remnant of the
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzant ...
. "Navarrese Company" is a modern informal term for these soldiers and is thus somewhat inaccurate.
Origins
The first Navarrese Company was formed to fight for
Charles II of Navarre against
Charles V of France
Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...
. In 1366, after peace was made, the mercenaries were organised into a coherent company of soldiers under
Louis, Count of
Beaumont-le-Roger
Beaumont-le-Roger () is a commune in the department of Eure in Normandy region in northern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas Franc ...
in his own right and
Duke of Durazzo in right of his wife,
Joanna
Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Jani ...
. Louis was a brother of Charles of Navarre, who supported his endeavour to recapture lost
Durazzo and the ''
regnum Albaniae''. Charles of France likewise aided him with 50,000
ducats
The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...
.
In 1372, the Navarrese ranks began to swell through the recruiting techniques of
Enguerrand VII de Coucy
Enguerrand VII de Coucy, (1340 – 18 February 1397), also known as Ingelram de Coucy and Ingelram de Couci, was a medieval French nobleman and the last Lord of Coucy. He became a son-in-law of King Edward III of England following his marria ...
, who was hired to form a force of 500
lance
A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...
s and 500 mounted archers, mostly from Gascony. Though these soldiers were recruited for service in Albania, they were first organised in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's admin ...
. In 1375 and 1376, many men from Navarre began enlisting and travelled directly to Albania to join their countrymen. The enrollment lists for those years have been preserved in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
and reveal the important presence of many engineers. The total number of men which left
Tortosa
Tortosa (; ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain.
Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hig ...
between February 1375 and June 1376 was in the thousands. They were paid thirty gold
Aragonese florins a month.
In 1376, Louis and the Navarrese captured Durazzo, thus reestablishing the ''regnum Albaniae''. Louis died that same year, leaving the Navarrese unemployed. They put themselves under at the command of the
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". ( Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), ...
early in 1377 and were formed as four companies, commanded by four captains: the Gascon
Mahiot of Coquerel and Pedro de la Saga and the Navarrese
Juan de Urtubia and Guarro.
Morea
The Navarrese entered
Morea in the spring or early summer of 1378, some coming at the invitation of
Gaucher of La Bastide, the
Hospitaller prior
Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...
of
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pari ...
and
commandant
Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...
in the
Principality of Achaea and others probably at the bequest of
Nerio I Acciaioli
Nerio I Acciaioli or Acciajuoli (full name Rainerio; died 25 September 1394) was the actual ruler of the Duchy of Athens from 1385. Born to a family of Florentine bankers, he became the principal agent of his influential kinsman, Niccolò Acciaiol ...
. Gaucher hired Mahiot and the remnant of the company for eight months during the captivity of the
Grand Master Juan Fernández de Heredia
Juan Fernández de Heredia (in Aragonese ''Johan Ferrández d'Heredia'', pronounced ; – 1396) was a Spanish knight of Aragon who served as Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 24 September 1377 to his death. His tenure was occupi ...
. Meanwhile, Juan de Urtubia was in
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part ...
with a following of more than 100 soldiers.
After leaving the service of the Hospital, the Company took up with
James of Baux James of Baux or James of Les Bauxfrench: Jacques des Baux, it, Giacomo or ''Jacopo del Balzo'' (died 17 July 1383) was the Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1374 to 1383. He was the last Latin emperor to govern any imperial territory.
James b ...
, the latest claimant to Achaea. Indeed, Mahiot and the Navarrese governed the entire Morea under the auspices of James of Baux. In 1379, Urtubia with a large force invaded
Boeotia
Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its ...
and sacked
Thebes—then under the control of the
Catalan Company
The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (Spanish: ''Compañía Catalana'', Catalan: ''Gran Companyia Catalana'', Latin: ''Exercitus francorum'', ''Societas exercitus catalanorum'', ''Societas cathalanorum'', ''Magna Societas Catalanorum' ...
—with the assistance of the archbishop of the city,
Simon Atumano. At this point, the Navarrese Company takes on a different character. Some men who had served under Urtubia are with Mahiot in the Morea again. The Company organised itself as a viceregal power in Achaea under three captains: Mahiot,
Pedro de San Superano, and
Berard de Varvassa. For the next two years, the Navarrese governed Achaea and often hired itself out to the Hospital.
When James of Baux succeeded to the
imperial title of Constantinople, the Navarrese leaders received imperial titles for upholding his rights in Achaea. When James died in 1383, the Navarrese were the reigning power in Frankish Greece and it fell to them the responsibility of reorganising the state and securing a new prince. While the Navarrese refused to recognise the heirs of James without proof which was too costly to provide, they remained in power in Achaea and were licensed by the barons of the realm to negotiate the treaty of 26 July 1387 with the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...
. In 1386, Pedro de San Superano succeeded Mahiot as the Company's leader.
Notes
Sources
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{{Mercenary companies
14th century in Greece
Basque history
14th century in the Kingdom of Albania
Mercenary units and formations of the Middle Ages
Navarre
Frankokratia
Medieval Boeotia