1. Fields of Glory
France, 1346. Edward III lands in Normandy and leads an army across northern France in search of a decisive confrontation. Berenger Fripper commands a vintaine of archers whose discipline is continually tested by forced marches, foraging, civilian suffering and the unequal rewards of campaigning. The march…
2. Blood on the Sand
Calais, 1346–1347. Berenger and his archers serve in the English army surrounding the fortified port. The siege depends on controlling supply and information, but evidence that someone within the vintaine is passing intelligence to the French threatens the unit and the wider campaign. Capture by Genoese…
3. Blood of the Innocents
France, 1356. After plague and years of mercenary service, Berenger joins the Black Prince’s chevauchée through south-western France. The English strategy deliberately destroys resources and settlements to force John II into battle, making civilians as important to the campaign’s purpose as the opposing army. The vintaine’s…
4. Ashes of Rebellion
Northern France, 1358. John II remains an English prisoner and the young Dauphin Charles struggles against Étienne Marcel in Paris, Charles of Navarre and a peasant uprising in the countryside. Berenger’s former companions now serve in a free company led by John Hawkwood, surviving by force…
5. Treaty of Blood
Northern France, 1360. Negotiations at Brétigny promise peace between Edward III and John II, but soldiers who have lived by wages, ransom and plunder see little place for themselves in a settlement. Berenger returns to Hawkwood’s company as armed bands continue to move through abandoned farms…