Postby s_taillebois » Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:20 pm
Actually, the vexation in this discussion is the concept that there was a clear division between a civilian weapon and a military weapon. That's as much an perception of our society now, as anything else.
With the banking/trading families, interests and guilds, it wasn't uncommon for them to negotiate provisions in their charters allowing them to maintain small stores of arms, and for that matter, what amounted to as strongpoints. For example, in the early Renn., one of the problems for the Italians in establishing local centralized authority, was getting the various interests within Florence, Genoa, Pisa and etc...to pull down their defensive towers.
At the larger fairs, such as Chartres, and Champagne, state authority had enough power (or interest in keeping the trade flowing) that weapons were discouraged within the town itself.
However, prior to the Italian invention of the letter of credit, the trade guild caravans had to carry enough specie to trade, which made them targets. And so, some hired, bought, or had the local prince provide them with what amounted to as an armed escort. And since these men were often lower order aristocrats, they would have had weapons and armour roughly equivalent to their military compatriots. Useful for them, insofar as it could intimidate the less well equipped brigands, and put them on a somewhat equal footing to the sometimes problematic detachments of the mercenary armies.
Also, some of these trade interests, sent caravans well out into areas where no centralized authority existed. The Germans were getting out into the forests of Russia, and a few French traders appeared to have gotten as far out as central asia. And excepting where the government had a strong central authority (ie China, or the reign of Henry of Anjou (which is one of the reasons he was well regarded), these trading caravans were on their own when out in the hinterlands.
Later on, and especially in the towns which had bargained (or bought) free charters, it wasn't uncommon for 'civilians' to train with and keep military hardware...to counter balance the aristocrats. A good visual example (albeit a later period) to look up would be Captain Couq's militia company (Rembrant). Another example would be Jost Amman's 1585 German woodcut "Allegory for Trade". Although the drawings are somewhat ambiguous, the traders are wearing rapiers and one bears some form of a triangular cutting sword. The couriers have what appears to be a pike, and a spear with round ball just below the blade. Along of course with the usual daggers and such. And gods know that the townsmen (and by extensions the traders) were inordinately fond of the Pike.
So the arbitrary distinction we're trying to make between a 'civilian' and 'military', weapon...was a bit diffuse at best.
Steven Taillebois
