A free company sometimes called a great company or, in French, grande compagnie was an army of mercenaries between the 12th and 14th centuries recruited by private employers during wars. They acted independently of any government, and were thus "free".
The free companies, or companies of adventure, have been cited as a factor as strong as plague or famine in the reduction of Siena from a glorious rival of Florence to a second-rate power during the later 14th century; Siena spent , florins between and buying off the free companies. Mercenary groups first appeared in the 12th century, when they participated in the Anarchy a conflict of succession between King Stephen and Empress Matilda between and These troops of seasoned mercenaries were organized and mobile, a valuable advantage during the battles of the time, and were important elements of the armies of Henry II of England and his son, Richard I.
King John used them at the beginning of his reign, when he was richer and more powerful than the King of France. However, in , he did not pay the mercenaries. Philip II of France used them to overcome the Plantagenets. During the Hundred Years War between England and France there were intermittent hostilities punctuated by periods of truce, when soldiers would be laid off en masse.
Similar events occurred in Spain and Germany. The Catalan Company , formed in Spain in the early s, fought in the Byzantine Empire before ending up in what is now Greece and the Navarrese Company , also formed in Spain, followed them there.
By , free companies, men at arms, and brigands had spread throughout the country from the Seine to the Loire engaging in unlawful activities. One of the main brigand leaders was a Welshman named Ruffin, who was enriched by robberies and became a knight [ citation needed ].
