(WIP) "Ung bon coustilleur" - The Arming and Role of the Coustillier
There's not a whole lot on the coustillier, both online and in modern sources, especially in English, so I will attempt to shed some light them. I have translated quite a few sources for this, so enjoy! The Coustillier First, it is important to know who the coustillier is: he was the armed valet of the man at arms, and as such formed part of the lance fournie , that is, the 'furnished lance'. This is the man at arms and his entourage; the "lance" is the man at arms, and by extension, it is his crew. Although it changes between peoples, and changes over time, for the men of the Grande Ordonnances in the 15th century, this "lance" was the man at arms, a coustillier, a page for them, and two archers and a valet for them both; all were mounted. This was outlined in the 1445 Luppe le Chastel ordinance of Charles VII: "... that is to say each man at arms [shall have] a coustillier , a page and three horses, and two archers, a page or a valet de guerre