The Compagnie d'Arc d'Amiens is an archery club founded on 14 November 1803 in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

and affiliated to the and the .

History

Urban Militia

The armed troops were instituted for the defense and the police of the city of

shortly after 1117, following the victory of the rebels against the seigniorial tyranny. The

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

of the urban militia of Amiens were grouped in a group called the ''Grand Oath'' (Grand Serment), which consisted of 90 men recruited from the most notable families of the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

. On an unknown date, perhaps towards the end of the fifteenth century, a ''Little Oath'' (Petit Serment) was made up, made up of 60 men. The members of the Oaths had to swear during their admissions to respect the

Statutes A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

of the group, the authority of the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and that of the city's Mayor. These 150 archers formed, with 60

crossbowmen An arbalist, also spelled arbelist, is one who shoots a crossbow. Background An extensive list of archaic words for medieval crossbowmen is given by Payne-Gallwey. Richardson, in his 1839 dictionary, did not make specific reference to the cross ...

, the specialized troops of the small municipal army. With the advent of

firearms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originated ...

at the end of the 16th century, 60

arquebusiers An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

and 80 were added to their ranks. The Oaths were religious associations placed under the patronage of

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

for the Grand Oath and Saint Christine for the Petit Oath, both killed by being riddled with arrows. The "Grand Oath" celebrated a solemn mass on the day of its patron, 20 January, on the left side

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

of the . The archers of the city were deployed in the service of the King on numerous occasions, in particular at the battle of

Bouvines Bouvines (; ) is a commune and village in the Nord department in northern France. It is on the French- Belgian border between Lille and Tournai. History On 27 July 1214, the Battle of Bouvines was fought here between the forces of the French ...

in 1214. During the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, they were opposed several times, to the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

archers, better armed, their bows being high two meters allowed their arrows to be sent over two hundred meters. The ''Garden of the Grand Oath'' (Jardin du Grand Serment) is located against the ramparts from the 15th century to 1790, today from the Baraban bridge to the Célestins bridge. The (Bird shooting) was practiced there, then after the seventeenth century the ''Tir au berceau''. The name of the ''rue des Archers'' (Archer's street) is a last memory of this garden. In this place, the militia organized once a year a contest whose goal was to touch a 3D representation of a bird, the first archer to succeed was named Roy for the year. If an archer succeeded three years in a row, he became Emperor. These titles gave rise to honors and privileges. This discipline is still practiced today, a title of Roitelet was even added for young people. Peaceful meetings took place between Oaths from different cities, even distant ones. These games were called the ''Noble Days'' (Nobles jours). The messenger bringing the invitation received gifts, money or jewels from the municipality.

Privileged company

The progress of armaments involves the disappearance of the

bow BOW as an acronym may refer to: * Bag of waters, amniotic sac * Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States * Basic operating weight of an aircraft * BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...

in favor of the

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

. Archers were still commissioned at the time of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, notably at the siege of

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, but only to escort prisoners or ammunition convoy. The Oath loses its militia status and becomes a privileged Company. The advantages of archers are however maintained: exemptions from

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

es and charges, watchtower, accommodation for warriors. They benefited in particular from the ''Franc salé'' (salty Franc): they did not pay, on the salt they bought, the heavy tax of '' Gabelle du sel''. These advantages had made them called the ''Franc-archer''. In return, the city only asked them for fairly sparse police or ceremonial services. They must place themselves at the disposal of the authority in case of alarms, fires, riots ... They take rank in uniform with their weapons at religious or civil events:

Feast of Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the feast is observed by the Latin Church, in addition to ...

Saint John's Eve Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, feast day of Saint John the Baptist. This is one of the very few feast days marking a saint's birth, rather than their death. The Gospel of Luke ...

Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...

and fireworks on anniversary of victories, entries of great figures... The archers no longer wore either

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

s or

chain mail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...

, but a white cloth coat with blue faces trimmed with silver; blue vest, panties and stockings; white and blue plumed

tricorne The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat in a triangular shape, which became popular in Europe during the 18th century, falling out of style by the early 1800s. The word "tricorne" was not widely used until the mid-19th century. During the 18th ...

; white wool epaulettes; the sword at the side; on the chest, a medal bearing the image of

. During the parade, at the head of their procession, we find the

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

and the fifes followed by the Banner Holder. The banner embroidered with the date of 1733 has entered the

Musée de Picardie The Musée de Picardie is the main museum of Amiens and Picardy, in France. It is located at 48, rue de la République, Amiens. Its collections include artifacts ranging from prehistory to the 19th century, and form one of the largest regio ...

. During 17th century the ''Tir au Berceau'' became a regular practice, but the annual ''Tir à l'oiseau'' competition was maintained. Meetings with foreign companies are no longer called ''Noble Days'', but ''Provincial Prices'' or ''General Prices'', depending on the distance from the participating cities. While the old Statutes were drawn up by each Oath and therefore differed from city to city, a common law was accepted by almost all the Companies in the 18th century. It is still in place today after some modifications over time. It is the General Regulations in 70 articles, published in 1733 by Henri Charles Arnauld de Pomponne, Abbot of Saint-Médard de

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

, who qualified himself as Grand Master of the Archery of the Arc in France because the relics of

were brought to his Abbey in 840. The French Revolution suppressed all associations. The Privileged Companies were dissolved on June 13, 1790 and their property was sold on January 16, 1792.

Sport Association

At the beginning of the 19th century, the archers regrouped in a Society for leisure and sports. The Fundamental Company of the Knights and Archers of Amiens (Compagnie fondamentale des chevaliers et archers d'Amiens) was created on November 14, 1803, by the descendants of

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the Company of the 18th century, Gérard and Madaré. The city of

owned up to four associations of archers simultaneously. When the

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

was established in 1845, railway workers formed a ''Société du Nord'' (Society of North) which had land at the corner of the Voirie and Boulevard de l'Est (currently Boulevard d'Alsace Lorraine). This society was fleeting. Another society, the ''Francs Archers'', celebrates its patronal feast on the same day at the . In 1903, for the centenary of the reorganization of the company, a banner is offered to them, it will be blessed by the Daveluy abbey. The Fundamental Company of the Knights and Archers of Amiens remains the company which has known how to last over time despite the changes of premises. It had to change its location, staying in turn: at Bastion de Longueville, Rue du Vivier, near by Boulevard Fontaine (currently Boulevard Carnot), on Bastion de Guyencourt, in the old ditch against Boulevard Saint-Jacques (currently Boulevard Faidherbe). In 1913, the

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of Amiens Edmond Soyez financed the current stand, 15 rue de Lannoy. The archer no longer has a uniform, but he must wear a cap decorated with a few archery emblems. Companies are federated into Regional Rounds: that of Amiens is part of the ''Ronde de Picardie'' formed by 24 Companies. In all the Rounds, each year the clubs organize the ' in turn. This celebration is the opening day of a competition between Companies of the Round which takes place every Sunday of the summer. The first was organized in 1903 for the centenary of the Company.

Today

Currently, the club is affiliated to the which awarded it the ''Bronze Label''. The official club outfit is white pants, a white polo shirt, with the club logo on the chest and ''Amiens'' written in red on the back. In 2012, the club had 95 licensees.

Organization

* Captain /

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

: Paul Foulon * Lieutenant /

Vice-President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

: Claude Cagé *

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

: Christian Trefcon * Vice-Treasurer: Arnaud Jesson *

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

: Elise Foulon * Vice-Secretary: Nathalie Dupont * Board's members: ** Christine Thomas ** Eric Cadran ** Gautier Gente ** Pascal Gerbet ** Laurent Coffinier ** Sébastien Tétu

Formers Captains

Events

The club organize an indoor, an outdoor/Fédéral and a

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

competition every year, usually in the Samara Arboretum, and a junior competition.

Internal events

Each year a (shooting bird) take place to determine the Roy of the compagny. Sinde 1978, this competition is also open to children who can become Roitelet(te). A variant has also been created for

compound bow In modern archery, a compound bow is a bow that uses a levering system, usually of cables and pulleys, to bend the limbs. The compound bow was first developed in 1966 by Holless Wilbur Allen in North Kansas City, Missouri, and a US patent w ...

s, the winner win a K d'or.

Bouquet provincial

The (provincial bouquet) has been organized in

five times, in 1893, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1939. In 1899, 100 companies participate with a total of 1500

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

s. On 7 June 1903, the ''Compagnie d'Arc d'Amiens'' organize the with the assistance of the Union des francs-archers''. 150 companies were at the parade. On 7 May 1911, the parade take place in front of

Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...

Championnat de France 2012

From 29 August to 1 September 2012, the ''Compagnie d'Arc d'Amiens'' organizes the French Archery Championships at the . This is the first France championship organized in

. The company receives the ''2012 sports event award'' (prix de la manifestation sportive 2012) for this event. The results for

Recurve bow In archery, a recurve bow is one of the main Bow shape, shapes a bow (weapon), bow can take, with limbs that curve away from the archer when unstrung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently than the equivalent strai ...

are:

Infrastructures

Jeu d'arc

Since 1913, thanks to the

''Edmond Soyez'', the association's head office is located at 15 rue de Lannoy in

. The second ''jeu d'arc'' was offered to the company by the constable ''Gérard De Berny'' (1880-1957). As the association is the owner, the training sessions are open to the public without any schedule restrictions for club members. This place includes a ''salle d'armes'' (weapon's room) where archers can mount their bows, and 2 ''jeu d'arc'' with a distance of about 50 meters each. The total length of this place is therefore about 120 meters. For a width of about 8 meters, the land being located between the houses.

Gymnasium

For the winter season, trainings sessions takes place at the Jean Renaux gymnasium in the north district of Amiens. Its length allows shots up to 40 meters. The indoor competitions organized during the year by the club generally take place in this gymnasium.

Honours

For international or university competitions, archers were members of the club during the championship.

National

Championnat de France de tir fédéral

Championnat de France de tir nature

Championnat de France de tir 3D

Championnat de France de tir Beursault

Championnat de France de tir sur cible en plein air

Championnat de France universitaire

International

World Firefighters Games

World Police and Fire Games The World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) is a biennial athletic event, open to active and retired law enforcement and fire service personnel throughout the world. The WPFG Federation is an arm of the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), ...

World Field Archery Championships

European Field Archery Championships

External links

* * * *

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{Reflist Sports clubs and teams in France Archery in France Sports clubs and teams established in the 1800s 1803 establishments in France