Routiers

====Geographical origins====

====Geographical origins====

Routiers were usually referred to as "Englishmen" in France, but they were actually composed for the most part by [[Gascony|Gascons]], after the name of the region of what is now South-West France in which they resided.<ref>Urban, William (2006), ''Medieval Mercenaries'', Greenhill Books,{{ISBN|978-1-85367-697-0}} p. 95</ref> But the Gascons were considered then as a distinct people from the French. The full demographic that filled the ranks of the routiers included Spaniards, Germans, English, and Frenchmen.<ref>Urban (2006), p. 106</ref> Although there had been major raiding campaigns led by English noblemen such as [[Edward the Black Prince|the Prince of Wales]], many individual ''routes'' were led by Gascon officers. Kenneth Fowler has examined the origins of 166 named captains. Ninety one of these were involved in the Great Companies. 36 were English, 26 from Aquitane, 19 were Gascons, five from [[Béarn]] and five from Germany. In addition to these, there was a group of 45 Breton captains and a further group from Navarre.<ref>Fowler, Kenneth (2001), ''Medieval Mercenaries Vol. 1: The Great Companies'', Blackwell, Oxford, {{ISBN|0631158863}}, pp. 6–7</ref>

Routiers were usually referred to as "Englishmen" in France, but they were actually composed for the most part by [[Gascony|Gascons]], after the name of the region of what is now South-West France in which they resided.<ref>Urban, William (2006), ''Medieval Mercenaries'', Greenhill Books,{{ISBN|978-1-85367-697-0}} p. 95</ref> But the Gascons were considered then as a distinct people from the French. The full demographic that filled the ranks of the routiers included Spaniards, Germans, English, and Frenchmen.<ref>Urban (2006), p. 106</ref> Although there had been major raiding campaigns led by English noblemen such as [[Edward the Black Prince|the Prince of Wales]], many individual ''routes'' were led by Gascon officers. Kenneth Fowler has examined the origins of 166 named captains. Ninety-one of these were involved in the Great Companies. 36 were English, 26 from Aquitane, 19 were Gascons, five from [[Béarn]] and five from Germany. In addition to these, there was a group of 45 Breton captains and a further group from Navarre.<ref>Fowler, Kenneth (2001), ''Medieval Mercenaries Vol. 1: The Great Companies'', Blackwell, Oxford, {{ISBN|0631158863}}, pp. 6–7</ref>

====Organisation====

====Organisation====