The Siege of Hesdin, 1522

This weekend I visited Stuart's for a couple of games based around the Anglo-Imperial siege of Hesdin, which took place in September 1522. As you will see from the account below, the siege was not a success, but Hall's mention of the deer in the castle's hunting park gave us an idea for a game which we thought it would be fun to try.

The Siege of Hesdin, September 1522

The French campaign of 1522 led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Lord High Admiral of England, was largely one of burning and destruction, a tactic Surrey would repeat the following year on the Anglo-Scots border, https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-english-attack-on-jedburgh.html. The only real attempt at a siege took place at Hesdin which Surrey, allied with Imperial troops sent by Charles V, briefly invested and attempted to capture. Located in Artois in northern France in the previous century Hesdin's castle had been a residence of the famed Dukes of Burgundy and housed Philip the Good's aviary along with a host of mechanical devices that delighted guests as well as playing jokes on them! The first of these had been installed in the 13th century but under Philip the Good they were refurbished and added to with Philip spending £1,000 on them in 1433. Richard Vaughan's excellent study on the Burgundian Duke quotes how the clerk who recorded the £1,000 payment took relish in detailing what is was for. Whilst not military related I have included it here as it is a great insight into what the Burgundians found amusing in the fifteenth century and gives an indication of the castles former glory:

"Paid to Colard le Voleur, valet de chambre and painter of my lord the duke, the sum of £1,000...for the following work which he has carried out a Hesdin Castle.

For painting the gallery of the castle in exactly the same style as before, ornately and with the best available materials. For making or refurbishing the three figures which can be made to squirt water at people and wet them, a contrivance at the entry of the said gallery for wetting ladies as they walk over it, and a distorting mirror; and for constructing a device over the entrance of the gallery which , when a ring is pulled, showers soot or flour in the face of anyone below. Also in the same gallery, a fountain from which water spurts and is pumped back again, and another contrivance, at the exit from the gallery, which buffets anyone who passes through well and truly on the head and shoulders.

[For the restoration of] the room before [you reach] the hermit where water can be made to spray down just like rain, also thunder, lightning and snow, as if from the sky itself; and next to this room, a wooden hermit which can be made to speak to anyone who enters. Also for the paving the half of which this room which was not previously paved, including the place where people go to avoid rain, whence they are precipitated into a sack full of feathers below. 

Too carry out these works my Lord duke has provided him with wood and stone ... He also made a bridge in this room, constructed in such a way that it was possible to cause anyone walking over it to fall into the water below. There are several devices in this room which, when set off, spray large quantities of water onto the people in it, as well as six figures, more than there had been before, which soak people in different ways. In the entrance, there are eight conduits for wetting women from below and three conduits which, when people stop in front of them, cover them all over with flour. When someone tries to open a certain window, a figure appears, sprays the person with water, and shuts the window. A book of ballads lies on a desk but when you try to read it, you are squirted with soot, and if you look inside it, you can be sprayed with water. Then there is a mirror which people are invited to look at, to see themselves all white with flour; but, when they do so, they are covered with more flour. A wooden figure, which appears above a bench in the middle of the gallery announces, at the sound of a trumpet, on behalf of the duke, that everyone must leave the gallery. Those who do so are beaten by large figures holding sticks...and those who don't want to leave get so wet that they don't know what to do to avoid the water. In one window a box is suspended, and above that box is a figure which makes faces at people and replies to their questions, and one can both hear and see the voice in this box.

He has decorated the room in front of the hermit, where it can be made to rain, in good quality oil colours of gold, azure, and so on...,and he has done the whole ceiling and panelling of this room in azure sewn with large stars picked out in gold...After all this was completed my lord [the duke] ordered him to make conduits and suitable contrivances low down and all along the wall of the gallery, to squirt water in so many places that nobody in the gallery could possibly save themselves from getting wet, and other conduits and devices everywhere under the pavement to wet the ladies from underneath."

Since the days of such pranks and hilarity the territory and castle had been captured by the French and in September 1522 was held by Oudart du Biez, Lord of Escœuilles, who would hold Boulogne and skirmish with the English later in the 1520s (see https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2024/10/when-thei-were-askried-alarme-was-rong.html). According to the French Chronicler Martin du Bellay, Du Biez held the castle with (translated from the French) "thirty men-at-arms and two hundred dead-pays, whose charge he saw, the lord of Serai, with a thousand foot soldiers, and captain la Lande with five hundred, being under the charge of the lord of Longueval, who had remained ill at Abbeville". Unlike the English term "dead-pays" it seems the French term "morte-payes" did mean actual troops and not men that existed on paper only but whom wages were still collected for.

16th Century Map with Hesdin castle and town shown at the top close to the woodland.

With a small army of English and Imperial troops Surrey began the siege on 16 September 1522 writing to Wolsey to explain the plan to batter and mine the walls and describing how the town of Hesdin had been abandoned due to the plague: "Today we will lay siege to Hesdin. The French have abandoned the town, where the pestilence is raging. The Emperor's council are willing that it shall be burned, which shall be done within three hours. De Bies (du Biez) is the chief captain within the castle, with 1,000 gentlemen and 80 horses. The walls are of marvelous height, and mostly above twenty feet thick. In one place they say there is a gallery running the wall along from one tower to another, where [we shall place] our battery, and also assay by mine to throw down the walls in another place". It seems that the Anglo-Imperial force besieging Hesdin had the advantage that some of Imperial Captains, such as Floris van Egmont, Count of Buren, had lived in the castle previously as Surrey commented in his letter of 16 September "If there be such a gallery as Buren and others, who have lived ... years within the castle, say, I trust we shall have it". 

Unfortunately for Surrey this was not to be the case and ten days later on the 26 September Surrey wrote again to Wolsey explaining how after a discussion between the English and Imperial captains they had decided to raise the siege believing it could only be taken by mining, which would take too long: "Yesterday I and the King's council were with the Emperor's council, and it was agreed on Saturday to raise the siege, as it cannot be taken except by mines, which would be long and difficult, as we know by Beaurayn  (Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain)  that there are already counter mines within the castle, and the year would be so far past before our mines were finished, that we should be able to go no further into the country. The reasons why the Emperor's most experienced men think the castle impregnable are, that after we had nearly finished a battery, there were such ramparts and fortifications made within, that it was unassailable. Then it was proposed to begin a new battery in a new place, but it was found that the ramparts could not be attacked. All the most experienced captains of both armies, being examined separately, agreed that the place was impregnable except by mines, and we resolved not to waste time before it. Although it was not I that advised the siege, I have not spared exposing myself, while pestilence was raging in the town, to view all places about the castle, but have urged them on to attempt the winning of it, offering them the help of our artillery and as many Englishmen as they desire for the assault." 

Du Bellay's Chroncile also describes how the siege progressed and supports Surrey's description that no assault was attempted "finally the English, persuaded by the lord of Beaurain ( Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain) , son of Monseigneur du Reu, undertook to go and attack Hesdin, being the weakest place on the entire border, seeing also Boulonge, Thérouanne (which had been returned to the French in 1520) and Montreuil as well provided as the said east. And when they arrived at the said place of Hesdin, the enemies lodged themselves on the side of Saint-Pol, and made their approaches to make their battery between the Robin tower and the Saint-François tower; where, after having made a battery for fifteen days, and made a breach of thirty or forty fathoms, even though the said breach was reasonable , they did not dare to undertake to give the assault; also beat the tower Saint Ghrestofle on the side of the park, but only removed the defences upstream."

Along with the wondrous mechanical devices Hesdin had also been famed for it's hunting park and it is within Hall's chronicle that we find reference to this with Hall describing how during a parley Du Biez (called "Mounsire de Bees" by Hall) prayed that they did not hurt any of the deer. Hall also relates how the town had suffered from the plague and that the Burgundians ("Burgonyans")  in the army set fire to some of it:

"On tewsday in the mornyng came a trumpet from the Castle of Hedyng and desired to speake wih the capitaine, whiche incontinent sent for him : my lorde capitaine sayd the trumpet the capitaine of Hedyng desireth you to come thither and see the place, and on the walles he wil bring you good lucke, and he prayeth you not to hurt the dere in his parke, and for any other hurt you can do him he careth not: well sayd the lorde Admyrall (Surrey), I will send him answere by my trumpet. Incontinent he called a trumpet and had him go to Hedyng to Mounsire de Bees (Du Biez) and to say to him that he would come to the castle of Hedyng, & if he slay any of my menne with his artilerie, let him trust me, that If I gette the castle I shall save neither man, woman, nor childe. So with that message the trumpet departed & declared it, to Mounsire de Bees, whiche sayd that it was spoken of noble corage, and so the trumpet returned, and thesame day the campe was removed and the whole army came about the castle of Hedyng, at whiche tyme the toune of Hedyng was sore infecte with pestilence, wherefore a generall commaundement was geven that no man should ones come into the toune, howbeit some of the Burgonyans did and set fyre in the houses".

Hall continues on to describe how the English and Imperial guns were not up to the task of defeating the castle's walls and how the English were keen to assault the castle but were put off by the lack of the Imperialist's enthusiasm and the fact that if it was successfully stormed they would have to hand it over to the Emperor Charles V, the castle being part of his inheritance. Interestingly Hall also mentions how no deer were left in the park, so the English and Imperialists must have indulged in some hunting during the siege:

"When the siege was planted, the ordinaunce was very light for the wayes were so depe and the grounde so wet that the great ordinaunce could not be caried. This thing was well debated by the lord Admyral (Surrey) and the capitaines. After they had been there, xi. dayes, fyrst they considered that the castle could not be obtained without great ordinaunce, which in no wise could then be caried, and also if they with the light ordinance shotyng should spend all their pouder and not get the castle then in theim might be reckened great foly, and also they should be in great jeopardie to passe without ordinaunce, and further the plage began sore in the armye, wherfore they determined to leaue the siege and returne. But while they lay at the toune they bet doune roffes, galleries, chymnies, and suche other thinges as the light ordinaunce would bete doune, whiche sore defaced the beautie of the castle. They also destroied all the dere in the Parke, whiche were falowe dere and left none for the capitaine. The Englishemen were clerely determined to have assauted the castle if the Burgonions would have done thesame: but they refused, whiche seyng the Englishmen left the assaut alone: For though the Englishemen had gotten it, it should have been delivered to the Emperours use by the treatie, for he clamed it as his inheritaunce, whiche caused the Englishemen to leave the assaut."

"he prayeth you not to hurt the dere in his parke"

Neither Surrey, in his letters, or Hall, in his account, mention how the French harried the English whilst they were encamped around Hesdin. Du Bellay explains how Montreuil was garrisoned by the Count of St Pol "with four hundred men-at-arms and Monsieur the Duke of Guise, (he would be made duke in 1527) his brother-in-law, with six thousand foot soldiers, being under the charge of the Lord of Lorges; and the said lords were companions in power." St Pol and Guise had been ordered to prevent the enemy from roaming the country and they preyed upon parties of foraging English. Du Bellay described a particularly fierce encounter where four hundred of the besieging force were attacked by Guise and the Lord of Pontdormy (for other actions involving Guise see https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2023/08/bourbons-rebellion-neufchateau1523-and.html  and the second scenario https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2024/01/hemmingstedt-1500.html and for Pontdormy see https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2023/05/entendyn-to-bryng-gunnepouder-and-other.html). Most of the four hundred English had been killed or captured but thirty or forty withdrew into a garden surrounded by large hedges in an attempt to defend themselves against the French cavalry. Monsignor de Guise dismounted to attack the garden, despite being so close to the Anglo-Imperial camp and all of the men taking refuge behind the hedges were slain:

"During the said siege, the enemies did not stay for a long time until from day to day they had no alarm in their camp; and among others Monsignor de Guise and the Lord of Pontdormy, informed of four hundred English who had come running towards Bies (modern day Lebiez) and the commandery of Oyson (modern day Loison-sur-Créquoise), left Montreul with their companies and part of that of Monseigneur de Yendosme; who...even though they were only half a league from their camp, they charged with such vigor that they were all taken or killed, apart from thirty or forty who withdrew into a garden enclosed by large hedges, where they fought so obstinately that Monseigneur de Guise, against the opinion of many, because he was too close to the enemy's camp, set out on foot to attack them, assaulted in the said garden, where in the end they were all killed without the English ever surrendering to mercy."

Although the castle survived the siege of 1522 it fell to the Imperialists in July 1553 after a two week siege. Charles V ordered the castle's destruction with the town shrinking to the size of a village.

An Imperialist hunting party with Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain, at the head prepares for the days chase.

The English hunting party under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, prepare for the hunt. Note the huntsmen on foot, holding a bird of prey, at the front of the hunting party. 

"he prayeth you not to hurt the dere in his parke"

For our first game we tried something a bit different and, inspired by Hall's account of the deer, played out a hunt within the park that lay outside Hesdin's walls. The hunt was gamed as a contest between the English and their Imperial allies with one player taking the role of the English and the other taking the role of the Imperialists/Burgundians. The hunt was fraught with peril, from the park itself but also from the defenders within Hesdin who would be hiding within the park ready to surprise the Anglo-Imperialists as they enjoyed a days hunting! Victory was based on whoever scored the most points in the hunt.

As always both games were based around our modified version of Lion Rampant.

"They also destroied all the dere in the Parke, whiche were falowe dere and left none for the capitaine."

For the hunt twenty tokens were placed around the park, see the photo of the table below. To see what a token represented a unit had to activate the token. In order to do this the unit had to reach the token and on the following turn a successful move activation would reveal the token. Only one token could be activated by a retinue each turn, so once the token was activated it would end the turn of that player.

To find out what the token was the player would then take a card from a deck of 20 that corresponded to the list below. The card picked would denote what had been uncovered from the list below:

Ace of Clubs - A Stag

Two of Clubs - A unit of French Men at Arms

Three of Clubs - A unit of French Gendarmes (containing the French retinue leader Oudart du Biez)

Four of Clubs - A unit of French Mounted Archers

Five of Clubs - Wild Boar

Six of Clubs - A unit of Aventuriers

Seven of Clubs - The Thicket - The unit became entangled in the bracken and had to miss D6 turns

Eight of Clubs - Mistep - the unit raced over difficult ground, some of them falling badly and injuring themselves meaning the unit took D3 casualties

Nine of Clubs - A unit of French Men at Arms

Jack of Clubs - A unit of Franc Archer Foot

Queen of Clubs - A unit of French Gendarmes

King of Clubs - Sniper - as the unit searched the park a shot rang out from one of Hesdin's towers and the unit took D3 casualties

Ace of Hearts - Nothing

Two of Hearts - Swamp - the unit got trapped in boggy ground and had to miss D6 turns

Three of Hearts - A Doe

Four of Hearts - Wild Boar

Five of Hearts -  A Stag

Six of Hearts - A Doe

Seven of Hearts - Falling rocks and trees - As the unit explored a falling rock or tree hit it causing D3 casualties

Eight of Hearts - Wild Boar

"De Bies is the chief captain within the castle, with 1,000 gentlemen and 80 horses"

In hiding around the park was a French Retinue representing some of the garrison of Hesdin. When a unit of French Men at Arms, Gendarmes or Franc Archer Foot was revealed by activating a token, as described above, then the unit discovering them was considered to have been charged by the French unit. As this was a surprise attack the unit that discovered them could not evade or countercharge. The combat was resolved immediately.

When a unit of French Mounted Archers or French Aventuriers was revealed the French unit was moved a full move away from the unit that discovered it. The mounted archers could dismount as part of their move to shoot the following turn.

The French turn was then played after the two players had taken their turns. So, for example, if the turn sequence was the English player and then the Imperialist player, if the English player discovered a unit of French men at arms the French men at arms would charge that unit. The Imperialist player would then take their turn. The French men at arms would then take their turn, and may need to test for a wild charge.

For the French turn we tested for morale and wild charges as normal. Du Biez could challenge the retinue leaders of the English and Imperial retinues. What the French units did depended on which of the two players won control of them for that turn. Both players started with 5 playing cards, but not those included in the deck for the tokens. Each turn they could play a card and whoever played the highest card won control over the French units for that French turn. Both players would then take another card. The French units behaved like a normal retinue and a failed activation would end their turn.

The French units could not attack the deer or boar. 

The English and Imperial Units could not attack one another and would count as friendly units for Blunders.

"the dere" and boar

In the park were three boar and four deer, two stags and two does. As soon as they were discovered, via the token activation system as described above, the deer and boar would move 3D6 inches in a random direction. They could pass through any terrain apart from the castle walls at which point they would stop. If they reached a table edge they would escape.

Any unit the boars or stags passed through, English, French or Imperial, suffered D3 casualties. The does did not cause casualties.

At the very start of each turn the deer and boar that had been revealed would move another 3D6 inches in a random direction. They would continue to do this until they were killed or they escaped.

To kill the deer or boars units could attack them or shoot them.

Each boar had 3 "wounds", armour of two, and would defend on a 5+ on 3 dice if attacked.

The stags had 4 "wounds", armour of one, and would defend on a 5+ on D6 dice if attacked.

The does had  2 "wounds", armour of one and would defend on 6+ on 2 dice if attacked.

For a unit to shoot the boar or deer they had to be under half range, otherwise as a single animal in the park they were considered too difficult to target.

To attack the boar or deer a unit could simply charge them but the animal could evade 2D6 inches away from the charge on a roll of 7+ on 2D6.

Victory Points

The game would end on the turn when all of the animals had been killed or had escaped the table.

Victory Points were awarded to the English and Imperial Retinues as follows:

5 Points for each stag killed

3 Points for each doe killed

3 Points for each wild boar killed

4 Points if one of their units killed or routed the French retinue leader Oudart du Biez

A player would get an extra 1 point for each animal if it was killed by their retinue leader's unit. After all it is the retinue leaders who had decided to amuse themselves by organising the hunt and surely the honour of the kill should be theirs!

The retinue would loose:

 1 point for every unit killed or routed in the hunt 

 4 points if their retinue leader was killed or routed

A view of the table from above. The walls of Hesdin can be seen in the top right. In the bottom right is the English hunting party whilst the Imperial hunting party can be seen in the bottom left. The park takes up most of the board and the twenty "tokens" that the hunting parties have to find are distributed around it.

The Hunting Parties

For this game Stuart chose to play Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, and the English hunters so I took command of Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain and the Imperialist or Burgundian hunting party.

The Hunting Party of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Lord High Admiral of England

1 Unit of Demi Lancers (contains retinue leader Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey)

1 Unit of Demi Lancers

2 Units of Mounted Archers

2 Units of Border Horse

1 Unit of Garrison Archers

The Hunting Party of Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain

1 Unit of Imperialist Men at Arms (contains retinue leader Adrien de Croy, sieur de Beaurain)
1 Unit of Imperialist Men at Arms

3 Units of Mounted Crossbowmen

2 Units of Imperial Lancers

1 Unit of Landsknecht Shot

As you can imagine this was a very entertaining game and a brief attempt to capture what went on follows. The captions below the pictures also help to describe the hunting adventures that took place in Hesdin's park.

As the hunt begins the English immediately lose a man who is killed by snipers on the castle walls.

A small force of landsknecht along with huntsmen with dogs have accompanied the Imperialist hunting party.

The landsknecht make effective "beaters" and drive a stag out into the open...

...the stag leaps through the park and the Burgundian lancers and men at arms give chase...

...the stag is caught and it is the Imperial Commander, Adrien de Croy, who gets the kill and thus the honour of the day.

As the hunting horns blew and the two parties rode into Hesdin's park it became apparent how dangerous hunting so close to the castle's walls could be. A shot ran out from the battlements and one of Surrey's huntsmen was killed by the garrison's sniper fire. The Burgundians were slightly further from the walls and as they advanced into the park their supporting landsknecht disturbed a stag which leapt from the undergrowth and attempted to make an escape but spotting their quarry the Burgundian men at arms and lancers instantly gave chase. The Imperial captain himself, Adrien de Croy, charged in for the kill and the first prize of the day fell to the Burgundians, although it could be argued the first blood of the day had gone to the French sniper on the castle walls.

In search of a similar success the Earl of Surrey is accompanied by a group of English archers whose role is to drive the game out of hiding...

...unfortunately for the English their presence in the park has alerted the garrison and Surrey engages in a skirmish driving back crossbowmen and arquebusiers from Hesdin's garrison.

Undisturbed by the garrison Adrien de Croy's men find more game as a large wild boar springs from the undergrowth...

...the Burgundian lancers chase the wild boar, which knocks some men from their steeds as it attempts to escape. The lancers drive the beast towards the English...

...the border horsemen who have accompanied Surrey spot the boar being driven their way and set their dogs upon it...

...the boar is brought down by the borderers and their dogs, meaning the English now have a kill.

During the commotion caused by the chase of the boar the Burgundian lancers are surprised by a force of the garrison's men at arms who have sallied out from the walls of Hesdin...

...the French and Burgundians break many lancers on one another and Adrien de Croy's personal retinue takes losses.

The English hunters encountered further resistance as French crossbowmen and arquebusiers emerged from a concealed sally port and opened fire on them. The French skirmishers were quickly driven back inside the walls whilst at the same time deeper within the park the horns of the Burgundians sounded as they gave chase to an enormous wild boar. In the excitement of the chase some of the Burgundians were wounded as they fell from their mounts in the rough terrain whilst those lancers and men at arms who attempted to corner the boar were injured by the beast's fearsome tusks. As the boar bounded away it was the hounds of Surrey's border horsemen who caught up with it and the expert norther skirmishers made the kill, stealing the prize from the Burgundians.

It was now the turn of the Burgundians to be attacked by the French and many lances were broken as a unit of French men at arms rode into the park and attacked them. For a moment it looked as if Adrien de Croy may be unhorsed and captured but his personal bodyguard rescued him as the French momentarily withdrew. 

Further from the walls a sow and her litter of piglets were disturbed by the border horsemen who gave chase but before they could make the kill a troop of Burgundian mounted crossbowmen appeared and shot the sow dead, meaning each hunting party had taken a boar. Yet another boar erupted from the undergrowth to charge past the Burgundians but, having already been involved in some chaotic hunting and a fierce clash with the French they were unable to give chase in time and the boar made good its escape.

The English have disturbed another boar, this time a sow with her piglets. The English give chase but it is the Burgundians who poach the kill from them as she is brought down by a troop of mounted crossbowmen.

Adrien de Croy and his men give chase to another wild boar but, already exhausted by the first kill and subsequent clash of arms with their French counterparts, they are unable to keep up with the boar and it escapes into the trees.

Beneath the walls of Hesdin a cavalry melee takes place as more of the garrison ride out to disrupt the hunt and protect the park's deer...

...there is fierce fighting between the English demi lancers and French men at arms and Surrey is driven from the park in the fighting!

Unaware of the danger posed by the garrison some of the English longbowmen, many of them no strangers to poaching back in England, kill a doe in the park.

By now the activity in the park was alerting more of the garrison and, having had time to get into full armour, a troop of gendarmes rode out from the castle. Unprepared to encounter such heavily armoured cavalry some of the English were caught unawares and slain by the gendarmes. Surrey's personal guard of demi lancers were charged and managed to drive the French back but in the heat of the melee Surrey lost his nerve and fled, bring much shame to the English hunting party!

Despite the loss of their captain the English continued with the hunt. Amongst the ranks of the English archers were poachers and game keepers. It was these men who shot a doe whilst the fearless border horsemen succeeding in gaining another kill, chasing a doe right up to the castle walls.

The fearless border horse ride right up to the castle's walls and achieve another kill in the form of a young doe...

...their presence means even more French troops from the garrison emerge.

.

The Captain of Hesdin, Oudart du Biez, rides out from the walls and the English suffer heavy losses...

...meanwhile the Imperialists continue with their days sport and find a mighty stag but he is too fast and bounds off into the deep woodland before the lancers and men at arms can give chase. With the French now on high alert and sallying forth from Hesdin the hunt is over and the English and Imperialists withdraw from the park back to their camp.

By now more and more French were emerging from the walls including their captain, Oudart du Biez, and his own troop of gendarmes. It was the English who bore the brunt of the attack with most of them fleeing the park as they came under attack. The Burgundians continued their hunt and the landsknecht disturbed the hiding place of a majestic stag. But the stag was too wily for the huntsmen and within moments he had outwitted the riders and the dogs leaping to safety deep within the forest. With the counter attack from the French, the English taking two does and a boar and the Burgundians taking a stag and a boar it had been a bloody days hunting for all involved! 

"four hundred English who had come running towards Bies and the commandery of Oyson"  are now heading back to the Anglo-Imperial camp around Hesdin.

"they charged with such vigor that they were all taken or killed"

Our second game was based on Martin du Bellay's account of the English looting party being set upon by Guise and the Lord of Pontdormy as they attempted to return to the English camp. The English would deploy in a column on one half of the table. The English player had to attempt to get back to camp (by leaving the table) with the loot whilst the French player had to attempt to wipe out the English foraging party.

Each army comprised of two retinues.

No French units started on the table. From turn one they could deploy from the table edges on either side of the English column, up to the stream, see the photo of the table below. The French player had to  write down before the game which units he intended to arrive on which side. The French units could only deploy via move activations. They could not arrive via skirmish, shooting or attack activations.

Activation

To further add to the confusion the order in which the retinues acted would change each turn. Each retinue, the two English and two French, had a different coloured dice. The four dice were placed in a bag. Each turn a dice was taken from the bag and the retinue's whose dice was drawn would then act. This was done for all four retinues every turn. If a retinue was wiped out its dice were removed from the bag.

The English Loot

The English had four loot "tokens", two being wagons and the other two being cattle. At the start of the game the English player allotted these to four units (cavalry or infantry). These units could move a maximum of 6" per turn and would lose the cattle or wagons if they were defeated in combat or battered. They could not attack or skirmish but could shoot whilst they had the cattle or wagons. English/Imperialist units could pick up the "lost" cattle or wagons by moving into base to base contact with them. They were then considered to have picked it up and could move with it. The cattle or wagons could only be picked up by English/Imperialist units. 

If lost the wagons would not move but the cattle would move 2D6 inches in a random direction at the start of every turn. The cattle could leave the table via this movement

The Wagons and cattle could not be taken into or move into the garden, see below.

"a garden enclosed by large hedges"

Part of the table was covered by a garden with large hedges, see the photo below. The garden hedges provided +1 armour to units next to them being shot at from the other side. Infantry units could fight normally in the garden but cavalry units fought as though they were in difficult terrain so would always hit on 5+ with armour of 2. The wagons and cattle, could not enter the garden. No other area on the table provided cover or acted as difficult terrain.

"set out on foot to attack them"

If Guise's unit wild charged then Guise and his men were considered to have dismounted and the gendarme unit was replaced with a foot knight unit. If the gendarme unit had already taken casualties these were taken forward to the foot knight unit. 

Guise dismounting incurred a risk due to the fact "they were only half a league" from the English camp. If Guise dismounted then every subsequent turn the English player rolled 2D6 at the start of his turn. If he rolled an 11 or 12 then a unit of kings spears, a unit of demi lancers and a unit of border horse would arrive via move activations from the end of the table the English were trying to reach and join the first English retinue listed below. The English player could then roll for them as part of that retinue to arrive via move activations from the table edge.

A view of the table from above. In the top right is the hedged garden. The English column must escape via the table edge to the right but the French cavalry will be arriving to stop them from the top and bottom left halves of the table.

Victory 

The game would end once (if!) all of the English had escaped and was based on victory points which were awarded as follows:

The English:

4 points for every loot "token" they safely escorted to the other side of the table

2 Points if Guise was killed or routed

1 Point if the Lord of Pontdormy was killed or routed

The French:

1 point for every English unit killed or routed

Minus 3 points if the Monsignor de Guise did not attack an enemy

The Armies

Stuart played the French in this game and I took command of the returning English raiding party.

Monsignor de Guise and the Lord of Pontdormy

Monsignor de Guise

1 Unit of Gendarmes - (unit includes Monsignor de Guise - retinue leader - see special rules above)

2 Units of French Men at Arms

2 Units of Mounted Crossbowmen

2 Units of French Ordonnance Archers (with lance)

The Lord of Pontdormy

1 Unit of Gendarmes - (unit includes the Lord of Pontdormy - retinue leader)

1 Unit of Gendarmes 

1 Unit of French Men at Arms

1 Unit of Mounted Crossbowmen

1 Unit of French Ordonnance Archers (bows)

2 Units of French Ordonnance Archers  (with lance)

The English Foragers

First Retinue

1 Unit of Demi Lancers - (unit includes the retinue leader)

2 Units of Mounted Archers

1 Unit of Imperialist Lancers

1 Unit of Shire Archers

1 Unit of Garrison Bill

1 Unit of Landsknecht Pike

Second Retinue

1 Unit of Garrison Bill (unit includes the retinue leader) 

1 Unit of Garrison Bill 

2 Units of Adventurers (see http://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2021/07/this-is-like-no-house-of-praier.html for Hall's description of these troops in this campaign)

2 Units of Shire Archers

Things did not play out well for the English in this game as described below!

The raiding party is "only half a league from their camp" when a French ambush is sprung.

The ambush is sprung and French lancers and mounted crossbowmen attack the column of English and Imperialists...

...one of the English captains leads his demi lancers in an attempt to drive off the French cavalry. 

As the English and landsknecht get closer to safety it becomes apparent they are being attacked from all sides.

The column becomes strung out along the road as it is set upon by the French.

A group of English archers and a unit of landsknecht pike continue down the road desperate to escape.

As the motely crew of four hundred English looters and their Imperial allies returned from a successful raid they began to drop their guard as they drew closer to their camp around the walls of Hesdin. Being "only half a league from their camp" they were surprised when horsemen  appeared on both flanks as they crossed a bridge over a shallow stream. One of the English captains was mounted and he led an attack on the French cavalry hoping to drive them back so the infantry could make good their escape with the loot and cattle.

This initial charge by the English succeeding in pushing back the lightly armed French lancers and mounted crossbowmen but it meant that the English column had become more strung out and even easier target for the second wave of French cavalry that emerged. Behind the crossbowmen and lancers were units of French men at arms and gendarmes who would not be so easy for the English to drive off when they attacked.

More and more French cavalry are arriving.

The column of looters attempts to keep order but panic is spreading.

At the rear of the column the two English captains fight a rearguard action, one with a bodyguard of demi lancers and the other...

...with a force of well armoured billmen.

One of the English captains is slain in a furious charge by the Lord of Pontdormy's gendarmes.

A group of English adventurers "a certain nombre of wilde persones, as menne out of service and apprentises that ranne fro their Masters and other ydle persones," have accompanied the looting party having been told "that if they got any botie they should ever bryng it to tharmy and they should be payde to the uttermost". They are unable to escape and prepare to sell their lives dearly as the French men at arms ride them down.

It was now that the real fighting began as the heavily armoured French cavalry thundered into the retreating English column. Both of the English captains attempted to fight them off, each captain holding one of the flanks, but they were unable to match the ferocity of the French attack and both were slain sending the surviving English and Imperial troops into a panic. Having been driven off initially the lighter French horse now rejoined their heavy cavalry and began to pick off the English as they attempted to escape.

The other English captain is killed as the cavalry melee around the mill continues.

At the head of the column the landsknecht pike drive off an attack by French lancers.

The mastermind behind the ambush "Monsignor de Guise" commits to the attack and "against the opinion of many" because he is  "too close to the enemy's camp"...

...sets out on foot to attack the English.

A scene of chaos unfolds as the French gendarmes and men at arms ride the looters down.

Monsignor de Guise now arrived and "against the opinion of many" dismounted in order to lead the attack on the remaining English infantry and stubborn landsknecht who would not flee. The landsknecht put up a brave fight brushing off attacks from the lighter cavalry whilst the English archers and billmen sought to drive back the circling French but it was all in vain. The looting column's cavalry had been been killed or routed and the remaining infantry were totally surrounded by French heavy cavalry and their supporting mounted archers and crossbowmen. The landsknecht fought to the last and the road was left littered with English and Imperialist dead. The raiding party never made it back to the siege lines and "they were all killed without the English ever surrendering to mercy".

The bodies of the slain lie around the abandoned wagons.

A small force of landsknecht pike remains but they are completely surrounded by the French cavalry and die to a man. The column of four hundred looters has been slaughtered with few prisoners being taken and even fewer managing to flee.

These were two entertaining games both of which initially looked like they may go either way but then quickly swung to a total defeat for one of us! Whilst Stuart did succeed in getting some kills in the hunting game this was completely negated by the facts that the English hunting party was really badly mauled by the French surprise attacks and that Surrey fled. For the Burgundians/Imperialists however it was nearly a ride in the park with my retinue leader, Adrien de Croy, scoring the top points possible by personally killing a stag. The second game was the exact opposite with Stuart's ambush working perfectly and my column of troops being completely destroyed. At one point it did look as though my lead units were going to escape with some of the cattle and a wagon but Lion Rampant being what it is they kept refusing to go any further and the entire force was eaten up by a swirling mass of French cavalry!

We had a lot of fun with the hunting rules in the first scenario although it did feel more like a strange board game than a wargame at times. When the deer or boar were revealed it was a great laugh trying to chase them through the terrain and score a kill, so much so that we may incorporate elements of these rules in games in the future so that units involved in a skirmish can suddenly give chase to a boar or stag to score some extra victory points. I think it will depend on the nature of the game but they have certainly given food for thought for possible scenarios in the future.