Geoffroi de Charny - Military Career

Military Career

Geoffroi de Charny fought at Hainault and in Flanders, and participated in a crusade under Humbert II of Viennois in the late 1340s. Humbert, was a terrible soldier and leader(1) and the crusaders signed a treaty with the Turks in 1348, despite the capture of Smyrna under a previous commander.

We know from the Chronicles of Froissart that de Charny traveled to Scotland by order of the French King on at least two occasions and was well known to the Scottish nobles of the time. The chronicle describes the French Knight's visit and de Charny briefly in this passage written in Middle English: .. "Mctray Duglas and the erle Morette knewe of their comynge, they wente to the havyn and mette with them, and receyved them swetely, sayeng howe they were right welcome into that countrey. And the barons of Scotlande knewe ryght well sir Geffray de Chamey, for he had been the somer before two monethes in their company: sir Greffray acquaynted them with the admyrall, and the other knyghtes of France".

It is recorded and recently translated that Geoffroi was taken prisoner on two occasions. Once was at the battle of Morlaix. It is further recorded that in 1342 Geoffroi was taken prisoner in Brittany, then taken to Goodrich Castle in England, where his captor was Richard Talbot. An English letter patent of October 1343 describes him as having 'gone to France to find the money for his ransom'. It was a rare occurrence that a man would be thus trusted and since he went on to fight other battles, someone apparently paid Geoffroi's ransom, and he was knighted the very next year.

Another incident which provides insight into Geoffroi's mind is the retribution exacted upon Lombardy-born Aimery of Pavia, the man who betrayed him in his attempted recapture of Calais on New Year's Eve, 1349. Geoffroi conducted a dangerous raid on Aimery's castle. Geoffroi took Aimery captive to St. Omer, decapitated him, quartered his body, and displayed it on the town gates. As Professor Kaeuper drily adds: 'To show that all this was a private matter and not a part of the business of war (there was currently a truce), Charny took possession only of Aimery himself, not his castle.'