"When thei were askried Alarme was rong all the countrey", the Calais Garrison's raid of July 1523

This weekend Stuart visited and once again we returned to Hall's chronicle as a source for our scenarios. We played two games based on the fighting that took place between the garrisons of Boulogne and Calais in the Summer of 1523. This was a time of heightened tension in the Calais Pale and the Boulonnais as the English had invaded France during the previous summer of 1522 and would launch another invasion later that year. Hall's chronicle has lots of detail on these clashes which, heavily biased though it may be, is perfect for basing scenarios around. You will notice I couldn't resist including lots of the detail and got quite carried away when writing up the background!

"When thei were askried Alarme was rong all the countrey"

The early 1520s saw Henry VIII's forces returning to France. In July 1522 Sir Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, raided Morlaix before leading an army from Calais in September of the same year in an ineffective campaign. A year later in September 1523, Henry's, brother in law, Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, led a larger army into France but yet again little was achieved. Between these campaigns the state of open war between France and England meant the Calais garrison was kept occupied by raids and skirmishes with the opposing French garrisons. 

Edward Hall's chronicle, published a couple of decades later in the 1540s, contains a wealth of detail about the fighting between these rival garrisons describing how on 24 May 1523 the French attempted to send a ship into Calais harbour and set in alight only for the ship to miss the target and float towards the Rysbank. The ship had been laden with Caen stone, presumably so it would quickly sink and block the harbour entrance. The garrison collected the stone as it was of use in repairing the town's fortifications. The Calais Captains John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, and Maurice Berkeley wrote to the Captain of Boulogne Oudart du Biez, Lord of Escœuilles, via a herald, Calais Pursuivant, that they were grateful for the gift and would like more stone at the same price! Hall describes the events:

"In this season, the Frenchemen havyng a greate desire, to have the kynges toune of Calice' devised first to destroy the haven, by the which thei supposed, that Calice might have been lightly gotten, for faulte of reskewe. Whereupon thei laded an old ship of. iiii. C. tonne, with great Cane stone, in the port of Depe, whiche ship had no mast, but came with a forsaile, as though the mast had been cut, and cast over the bord in the sea in a tempest. And when she came before Caliche, euery man that sawe her thought she had been wether driven, and lost her mast by tempest, and so aboute. x. of the clocke at night the. xxiiii. daie of Maie, thesaid shippe came before Calice haven, as though she would entre for harborow, and so was enteryng and missed the chanell, & turned to the sandes, towarde Rise banke, and the Frenchemen supposyng, that they had been in the very chanell, launched out their boate, and sodainly set the shippe on fire, and lepte into their boate, and so skaped by the shore. When thei of Calice sawe the fire, they were sore troubled, and at the last when the water was gone they perceived the ship consumed, and the goodly Cane stone liyng whole. 

Wherfore the lorde Barnes deputie of Calice, the lorde Berkley Ieuetenaunt of the castle, the lorde Sandes thresorer of Calice, and other commanded all the laborers that might be gotten, to breake the remnaunt of the ship, and to cary awaie the stone, and so thesaied stone was brought to Calice: wherupon thesaied capitaines sent a letter, to the capitain of Bulleine, by Calice pursiuant at armes, desiryng him to geve thankes, to Monsire Lodowyke capitain of Depe, for the sendyng of so faire a ship, and goodly stone to Calice wiche stone thesaied lordes sent worde, they had received into the toune of Calice, and that it did them muche profite, for the fortification of thesaied Toune, desirynge hym to sende more, and they would receive it on thesame price." 

The Captain of Boulogne, Oudart du Biez, sent the herald back answering that he had lost nothing and that they had received nothing from him. This prompted a raid by one hundred English "light men of warre, called aventurers", which from the description sound like some of the irregulars who had campaigned in France the year before and were later known as the "Krekkers". Hall had described four hundred such men who joined Surreys 1522 campaign as "adventurers". Under a captain known as "Lathebery" these men raided into the Boulonnais before being attacked by five hundred men from the garrison of Boulogne. According to Hall in the skirmish that followed 46 Frenchmen were killed whilst 22 of the English adventurers were killed and 20 captured:

"To the whiche letter, the capitain of Bulleine answered, I have nothyng lost, nor they have nothyng gotten of me, tell hym that hath lost, with whiche answere the pursiuant departed. Wherupon thenglishemen beyng greved, there issued out of Calice an. C. light men of warre, called aventurers, and came nere Bulleine, and obteined a greate botie, wherof the garrison of Bullein beyng advertised, issued out and folowed the Englishmen, and sharpely them encountered. The Englishemen shot so, that the French men whiche were five hundred, lighted and fought sore, so that as it appered evidently, that there wer dedde on the ground, xlvi. Frenchemen, and. xxii. Englishemen, and the Frenchemen toke. xx. Englishemen prisoners, the residue of the Englishemen kept them to gether, and so came to Calice, the capitain of this enterprise was one Lathebery."

In July 1523 the violence escalated with William Sandys, the treasurer of Calais, declaring that the French under du Biez wished to destroy the English Pale, that being the area around Calais in English control. Accompanied by Captains "Guiot (or Guyot), Thomas Palmer (who would be Captain of the Scout Watch in the campaign later that year: https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2023/05/entendyn-to-bryng-gunnepouder-and-other.html), Ripton, Raufe Broke" and others Sandys led 700 of the garrison out towards Boulogne on the evening of 9 July. Sandys brought light guns and supplies with his force. That morning he had sent two hundred light horse through the Calais Pale to prevent any spies from leaving and informing the French of their attack. Sir William Sandys and his troops reached a place Hall describes as the "Water of Sclaukes", close to Boulogne, in the early hours of the morning on 10 July:

"The lorde Sandes thresorer of Calice, entendyng to be revenged on the Frenchemen called the counsaill of Calice to hym, and declared to them how that the Frenchemen, and in especiall Monsire de Bees capitain of Bullein, daily imagened to destroye the Englishe pale, and that they on the Englishe part had nothyng done yet against them: wherfore be advised them all to do some act, and he hymself would be present, and formoste man, and their leder and capitain. Whereupon it was concluded and commaunded, that euery man should be in a readines, at the soundyng of a trompet, upon whiche warnyng, the saied lorde Sandes the. ix. daie of luly early in the mornyng, sent furth two hundred light horses, through the Englishe pale, to stoppe the people from goyng, the one towarde the other, least his enterprise should bee askried, and so the people wer kept in all that daie, and in the evenyng aboute seven of the clocke, he hymself with a capitain called Guiot, Thomas Palmer, Ripton, Raufe Broke and other, set forward with light ordinaunce and vitaile, and embattailed themselfes in good arraie, and marched towarde Sandifelde by a. xi. of the clocke, and there refreshed themselfes and in good ordre, thei came to the Water of Sclaukes, not farre from Bullein, whiche was the tenth daie of July."

The "Water of Sclaukes" was a body of water the English had to cross, today known as the Estuaire de la Slack. It was here that the Captain of Boulogne met Sandys and the Calais garrison with seventy men at arms and four hundred infantry armed with pikes, crossbows and handguns. At around 4am Captain Ripton led the Calais Spears, a force of men at arms and demilances, in an attack on the French. With Captain "Guyot" and his horsemen supporting the English infantry and Thomas Palmer and Raufe Broke joining the fray when required the English forced their way across the water. A French standard was captured as was a man at arms called "Charles de Maruiel". By 9am the French had retreated towards Boulogne:

"When thei were askried Alarme was rong all the countrey, and the capitain of Bullein sent furth. lxx. menne of Armes, and foure hundred footemen with morice pikes, crosebowes, and hande gunnes, wherefore capitain Guyot was sent with his bend of horsemen, to aide thenglishe footemen, whiche were farre behynde, and Capitain Ripton, was appoynted to fight with the Frenchemen, and sir Thomas Palmer, and Raufe Broke, with the remnaunt of the horsemen, stode for a stale. Then capitain Ripton profered forwarde with the Speres of Calice, and the Frenchmen came on valiauntly, then began a sore skirmishe, the Frenche men bothe horsemen and footemen, defended the passage at the water of Sclaukes, whiche is but a gut made by force of lande water, but after long fight the Englishemen gat over the water by pure force, and toke the Frenchemens standerd, and a gentleman, whiche was a man of Armes of Bullein, called Charles de Maruiel, and ever sir Thomas Palmer and Raufe Broke, stode, & aided where necessitie was moste. Thus this skirmishe continued, from foure of the Clocke in the mornyng, till. ix. of the clocke, before None, and ever the Frenchemen encreased, but at the last they retreited themselfes toward Bullein, in whiche returne diverse of them wer slain."

A view of the table from above. The "Water of Sclaukes" is represented by the river running across the table and the coast can be seen in the bottom right. The English, who must get half of their force across the water, are on the right hand side with the French deployed along the "Water of Sclaukes" at the bottom of the photo.

Scenario

As always both games were played using our amended Lion Rampant rules.

The first game featured the clash between the French and English over the "Water of Sclaukes". Both forces were deployed on either side of the water. See the picture above.

The water counted as difficult terrain for combat and movement but gave +1 armour to units that were shot at when they were in the water.

Victory was based on victory points with the game ending on the turn that one of the sides reached 10 victory points. If both sides achieved this in the same turn then the game was considered a draw.

Victory points were awarded as follows:

The English

3 points if Oudart du Biez,  Lord of Escœuilles, was killed or routed

2 points if the Gendarme unit carrying the main French standard was destroyed or routed

2 points if Charles de Maruiel was killed or routed

3 points once half of the points of the English force had completely crossed the "Water of Sclaukes" 

The French

3 points if William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, was killed or routed

2 points if Captain Ripton's unit was destroyed or routed

2 points if Sir Thomas Palmer's unit was destroyed or routed

2 points if Captain Guyot was killed or routed

2 points if Raufe Broke's unit was destroyed or routed

2 points if Captain Lathebery's adventurer unit was destroyed or routed

A view of the table from behind the advancing Calais garrison. The "Water of Sclaukes" lies in front of the English with the Boulogne garrison deployed to the left.

"and the capitain of Bullein sent furth. lxx. menne of Armes, and foure hundred footemen with morice pikes, crosebowes, and hande gunnes"

The armies

The two forces were divided into two retinues with the French being led by Oudart du Biez,  Lord of Escœuilles and Charles de Maruiel and the English cavalry being led by William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys and Captain Guyot and his horsemen being in command of the infantry. Stuart took command of the English for this game and I took the role of the French captain.

Sir William Sandys and the Calais Garrison

The English Cavalry

1 Unit of King's Spears (Sir William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys - retinue leader)

1 Unit of King's Spears (Captain Ripton's unit)

1 Unit of Demilances (Sir Thomas Palmers unit)

1 Unit of Demilances (Raufe Broke's unit)

2 Units of Mounted Archers

1 Unit of Border Horse

Captain Guyot and the infantry

1 Unit of Demilances (Captain Guyot - retinue leader)

1 Culverin

2 Units of English "Adventurers" (1 unit contains Captain Lathebery)

2 Units of Garrison Bill

2 Units of Garrison Archers

Oudart du Biez,  Lord of Escœuilles and the Boulogne Garrison

Oudart du Biez,  Lord of Escœuilles and the cavalry

1 Unit of Gendarmes (Oudart du Biez,  Lord of Escœuilles - retinue leader) 

2 Units of Gendarmes (1 unit flies the French battle standard)

2 Units of Men at Arms

1 Unit of Ordonnance Archers with Bows

1 Unit of Ordonnance Archers with lances

Charles de Maruiel and the French infantry

1 Unit of Gendarmes (Charles de Maruiel -retinue leader)

1 Unit of Ordonnance Archers with lances

2 Units of Aventuriers

2 Units of Arquebusiers

2 Units of Franc Archer Foot

A brief write up follows and the photo captions also tell the story of the game.

Raufe Broke leads his demilances forward at the head of the Calais garrison's cavalry. 

As the French take up defensive positions in the water one of the pieces of "light ordinaunce" Sir William Sandy's has brought with the raiding party opens fire.

A view of the battlefield. The English infantry can be seen on the left facing a charge from French men at arms across the water whilst on the right the English cavalry are advancing.

In the early light of the summer morning "the lorde Sandes thresorer of Calice" gave the command to attack. The spears of Calais and other horsemen from the garrison raced forward whilst the infantry under the command of Captain Guyot sent a hail of arrows across the "Water of Sclaukes". In an attempt to find cover from the English archers the French infantry waded into the estuary, advancing until they were waist deep in the water.

The French men at arms charged into water hoping to reached the other bank and quickly disperse the English infantry but they were met by shots from one of the garrison's artillery pieces. Once across the heavily armoured French had some success in scattering the archers but the gendarmes behind them had not crossed the "Water of Sclaukes". Unsupported the men at arms were surrounded by billmen and then "capitain Guyot was sent with his bend of horsemen, to aide thenglishe footemen". The men at arms were driven back and defeated with the English billmen following up on their success and leading a counter attack across the water.

Infantry from Boulogne's garrison prepare for the English attack. 

The French men at arms charge across the Estuaire de la Slack and attack the English infantry scattering some of the archers...

...they are quickly repulsed as "capitain Guyot was sent with his bend of horsemen, to aide thenglishe footemen"

The Calais garrison's horse look for a place to attempt to cross the estuary but they are faced by French pike and gendarmes.

The French have waded into the water to contest a crossing by the English.

Border horse from the Calais garrison skirmish with the French arquebusiers and crossbowmen that prevent them from crossing the water.

Things had not gone as well for the cavalry of the Calais garrison. As they rode along the water in an attempt to find a crossing they came under heavy fire from the Boulogne garrison's arquebusiers and crossbowmen. The Calais garrison's border horse made some effective skirmish attacks and the mounted archers dismounted to provide support but they were unable to force the French back from their defensive positions in the estuary.

It was the garrison of Boulogne's horse who crossed the "Sclaukes" and charged the English horsemen. A swirling cavalry melee soon developed with the horsemen of both garrisons fighting in the shallows as well as on the sandy river banks. Raufe Broke was the first English captain to be unhorsed shortly followed by Sir Thomas Palmer. Palmer's demilances charged into the water and saw off a band of French lancers. As the demilances regrouped a unit of French mounted archers set upon them and, caught off guard, Sir Thomas Palmer fell. Further down the river bank "capitain Ripton profered forwarde with the Speres of Calice" and splashed into the waters. He was slain in a sharp fight with some of Boulogne's crossbowmen who were able to use the banks of the estuary to their advantage against the heavily armoured English horsemen.

As the fighting intensifies Raufe Broke and his demilances are defeated by some of the Boulogne garrison's gendarmes.

A swirling cavalry melee develops as Sir Thomas Palmer drives some of the French lancers back into the "Water of Sclaukes"...

...Sir Thomas Palmer's band of demilances are then counterattacked by French mounted archers. As the horsemen clash in the water Palmer is unhorsed and his men flee. 

"Then capitain Ripton profered forwarde with the Speres of Calice, and the Frenchmen came on valiauntly, then began a sore skirmishe, the Frenche men bothe horsemen and footemen, defended the passage at the water of Sclaukes". Captain Ripton is slain as his Spears of Calais charge into the water.

With three Captains already down the Calais garrison suffers its worse blow yet as Sir William Sandys is unhorsed in a melee with gendarmes from Boulogne. 

But it hasn't all gone the way of the French. The English billmen "gat over the water by pure force, and toke the Frenchemens standerd".

Oudart du Biez, Captain of the Boulogne garrison charges into Captain Lathebery and his "light men of warre, called aventurers". Lathebery is killed in the fighting and seeing his banner fall the remaining English Captain, Captain Guyot, sounds the retreat and withdraws with the remainder of the raiding force.

The French were now on the attack. Sir William Sandys and his unit of heavy cavalry were charged by a group of French gendarmes. In a furious fight both sides took casualties and Sandys was one of them, his fall badly damaging the English cavalry's morale. The infantry of Calais had been far more successful with the billmen crossing the "water of Sclaukes" and engaging the French on the other side. In the fighting that followed the billmen "toke the Frenchemens standerd" driving back a unit of French gendarmes.

With their cavalry badly mauled it was now the turn of the Calais infantry to be pushed back. Oudart du Biez, Lord of Escœuilles spotted the banner of Captain Lathebery, the man who had bested five hundred of his garrison in a raid earlier that summer. He charged the "light men of warre, called aventurers" killing Lathebery. With Lathebery's death the remaining English captain on the field, Captain Guyot, sounded the retreat and the Calais garrison withdrew. They had been unsuccessful in their attempt to cross the "water of Sclaukes".

"diverse of Picardy had gathered them together and had taken the church of Odirsaell, whiche was wel fortefied, and a strong place".

"Then the lorde Sandes commaunded a curtail, whiche he had with hym, to be shotte to the churche"

Following this attack Sir William Sandys was informed that the church of Oderzelle, now known as Audresselles, was held by a force of French infantry. He ordered it to surrender and when its garrison refused commanded an attack which was repulsed by handguns, crossbows and pikes. Sandys ordered one of the light guns he had brought, described by Hall as "a curtail", to open fire on the church. The remaining seventy two men inside surrendered at 1pm. The church still stands today, much of it being rebuilt, but parts of the original fortified tower remain: https://www.wikipasdecalais.fr/index.php?title=%C3%89glise_Saint-Jean-Baptiste_d%27Audresselles

"Or the skirmishe was ended, came the lorde Sandes with the fotemen, with his spere on his thigh, and his helme on his hed, and greatly encoraged his compaignie: duryng whiche conflict, diverse of Picardy had gathered them together and had taken the church of Odirsaell, whiche was wel fortefied, and a strong place: whereof the Lorde Sandes beyng advertised, he marched thether ward, and in the waie burned all that might be brent, and sent an officer of Armes, to the that kept the churche of Odirsaell, to yeld the churche to hym, whiche to hym aunswered, that they would stande at defence: then he commaunded an assaut, which quickly was done, and the Frenchemen defended themselfes with hand gonnes, crosebowes, and pikes, so that the Englishmen could not entre. Then the lorde Sandes commaunded a curtail, whiche he had with hym, to be shotte to the churche, and perced it through : then they within sawe that their defence could not hold, yelded themselfes body and goodes. Out of the Churche came. Ixxii. Frenchemen, whiche were taken as prisoners, and all the goodes whiche they had caried into the churche were taken for a botie. Thus by one of the clocke, the said tenth daieof luly, was the churche of Odirsaell taken."

Sir William Sandys was not done yet. His next target was another fortified church about 4km away at Odyngham, now called Audinghen. The attack on Odyngham's church commenced at 4pm with forty Frenchmen surrendering around midnight after the Steeple had been set on fire. Forty French prisoners were taken:

"In this while also, had the Frenchemen manned the steple of Odyngham whiche was a very strong tower, muche like a castle, to whom the lorde Sandes sent an officer of armes, to commaunde them to yelde the fortresse, to whom they answered, that they wer Frenchemen, and to hym they would none yeld, and if he came thether, they would withstand him: wherupon he and his armie marched thether ward, and aboute foure of the clocke at after none, he assaulted the steple, and the Frenchmen them selfes valiauntly defended, but sodainly by a chauce unknowen the steple was a fire, and' the Frenchemen fled doune to the quire, then the Englishemen lightly entered the body of the churche, & assaulted the Frenchmenne, whiche cried mercie and yelded theim selfes, and at twelve of the Clocke at midnight the assault ended, and there were yelded out of the churche fortie prisoners."

After reprimanding the priests of Oderzelle and Odyngham for defending their churches, Sir William Sandys  then led his 700 men to the castle of "Hardyngham", probably at todays Tardinghen, which he burnt and destroyed before leading his men and the booty they had taken, back to Calais. Hall claims only a dozen of the garrison were lost in this venture:

"After whiche tyme, the Lorde Sandes encamped hymself, and made good watche for feare of enemies, & in the mornyng called to hym all the priestes, whiche were in bothe the churches, and stode at defence, and said to them, that they ought not to be men of warre, and notwithstandyng he had theim as prisoners, yet for Gods sake he relesed them, admonishyng them, that if ever after they wer taken at defence, they should be hanged on the nexte galowes: after whiche monicion done, he delivered them frely.

About, viii. of the clocke in the morning, he marched forward in good ordre of battaill, and came to the Castle of Hardyngham, the whiche he brent and spoyled, and so the. xi, day of July, he and his compaignie whiche passed not. xii. C. men, of whiche he had lost but onely. xii. returned to Calice with greate store of bestiall and pillage."

English troops raid the Boulonnais, they will return to Calais "with greate store of bestiall and pillage."

Scenario

This game attempted to recreate the assault on the church at Oderzelle. Both of us commanded an English retinue with victory going to the Captain of the first unit to get to the church and break in. The English retinues were deployed on either side of the church, each being the same distance from the building (see the picture below).

 The church was defended by a mixture of static units and randomly controlled units. The French units were spread equally on each of two sides of the church the attacks would come from, apart from the Foot Knight retinue leader who was placed in a central position between the forces on either side. We could each position the force that would be facing the other English player at the start of the game.

To break into the church a player had to get an infantry unit into base to base contact with it. As an ordered activation, he could then use that unit to attempt to storm the church. If there were 7 or more models in the unit the church was stormed on a roll of 8+ on 2D6; if there were 6 or fewer models in the unit then the church was stormed on a roll of 9+ on 2D6. 

If both players stormed the church on the same turn the game would be a draw.

The French Units

The Static Units

The aventuriers and arquebusiers in the French force were static units. The only movement these units could make was to return to their position if they had retreated out of them and could not shoot. All of the static units could try and activate every turn. They activated before the randomly controlled units. They would always try and shoot at the nearest enemy unit.

The randomly controlled units

We both started with 5 playing cards. Each turn we could play a card and whoever played the highest card got to control the randomly controlled units for that French turn. We would both then take another card. These units behaved like a normal retinue and a failed activation would end their turn.

A view of the table. Oderzelle is to the left with the fortified church in the centre. The church is surrounded with Sir Thomas Palmer lining up his men outside Oderzelle and Sir William Sandy's taking command of the men on the opposite side.

Sir William Sandy's had "sent an officer of Armes, to the that kept the churche of Odirsaell, to yeld the churche to hym, whiche to hym aunswered, that they would stande at defence"...

...and so Sir William Sandy's men prepare for the assault.

The defenders in the church stand ready to repel the English armed with crossbows and handguns.

Sir Thomas Palmer commands the troops on the village side of the church. As they prepare to attack other members of the Calais garrison will begin to put Oderzelle to the torch.

The church is defended on all sides by groups of...

...pikemen, crossbowmen and arquebusiers.

The Armies

As per the scenario rules above we both played as the English in this game, competing to see who could be first to take the church of Oderzelle. Stuart played as Sir Thomas Palmer whilst I played as Sir William Sandys.

The French defenders of Oderzelle

Randomly controlled units

1 Unit of Foot Knights (retinue leader and placed in a central position)

2 Units of French Pike

2 Units of Franc Archer Foot

Static Units

2 Units of Aventuriers

2 Units of Arquebusiers

The English Attackers

"lorde Sandes with the fotemen"

1 Unit of Foot Knights (Sir William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys - retinue leader) 

1 Culverin

2 Units of Garrison Archers

2 Units of Garrison Billmen

Sir Thomas Palmer

1 Unit of Foot Knights (Sir Thomas Palmer- retinue leader) 

1 Culverin

2 Units of Garrison Archers

2 Units of Garrison Billmen

This was a fairly straightforward scenario but the race to the objective nature of the game along with the attempts to win the control of the French defenders made it a lot of fun. A very brief write up follows.

"the Frenchemen defended themselfes with with hand gonnes, crosebowes, and pikes, so that the Englishmen could not entre." 

Supported by his archers Sir Thomas Palmer leads his dismounted men at arms and billmen in an attack on the church.

On the other side Sir William Sandy's does the same.

Sir William Sandy's advances on the church of Oderzelle.

The French attempt to repulse the attack with crossbows and handguns...

...but a rain of English arrows means the defenders take many casualties.

When Sir William Sandys "officer of Armes" returned to him with the news that the defenders of Oderzelle had refused the offer of surrender and "that they would stande at defence" he "commaunded an assaut". With Sandys taking command of one part of the attacking force and Sir Thomas Palmer captaining the other the attack began. On both sides of the church arrows rained in whilst the defenders shot back with handguns and crossbows.

Under the cover of the archers the English sent forward their billmen and dismounted men at arms with both Sandys and Palmer leading from the front. Palmers men suffered badly from hails of arquebus shot whilst Sandys men engaged in a bloody melee with defending halberdiers and pikemen who were driven back. Sandys himself was in the thick of the fighting and attacked a unit of French arquebusiers who fled back into the church.

Hand to hand fighting breaks out around the church.

Sir Thomas Palmer's men take heavy casualties from the French guns and crossbows.

The fighting continues outside the church...

...and Sir William Sandys leads the attack from the front.

The French attempt to drive Sandys back and...

...the English captain is badly wounded in the fighting.

With their captain down a group of Sir William Sandy's billmen continue the attack.

On the other side of the building it looks as though some of Sir Thomas Palmer's men will be the first to break into the church...

...but they are beaten to it by Sir William Sandys men. The billmen force their way into the church and the defenders surrender.

Sir William Sandy's willingness to enter the fray cost him dearly. A band of defenders armed with pikes charged into his personal bodyguard of men at arms and Sandys was badly injured, his men carrying him from the field. Despite this set back and the fierce resistance put up by the defenders of Oderzelle the situation was hopeless. Sir Thomas Palmer had ordered his "curtail... to be shotte to the churche" and it looked as if his men would be the first to storm it. They were just beaten to it by a group of Sir William Sandys billmen on the other side. Angered by the wounding of their captain they broke in through one of the church windows and the French troops inside surrendered.

"Lorde Sandes...called to hym all the priestes, whiche were in bothe the churches, and stode at defence, and said to them, that they ought not to be men of warre, and notwithstandyng he had theim as prisoners, yet for Gods sake he relesed them, admonishyng them, that if ever after they wer taken at defence, they should be hanged on the nexte galowes: after whiche monicion done, he delivered them frely."

We had a lot of fun in these two games and all the details from Hall's chronicle really helped to bring the scenarios to life. In the first it initially looked as though things were going to all go Stuart's way but his cavalry suddenly went from one disaster to another with lots of the named characters dropping in succession which meant I'd suddenly totted up lots of victory points. The second games was a essentially a Lion Rampant race and it came down to the wire with both of us having a unit trying to break into the church at the same time. It really could have gone either way.

For one of our next games we hope to try and recreate James IVs assault on Norham castle in 1513 and the attack on the church was a test run of a potential rules mechanism we could use. Of course no raid into French territory would be complete without a trip to the pub and we happened upon an Oktoberfest themed evening in one of my locals. Below is a final picture of the two "captains" enjoying some festbier!