Savoy Truffle
Blackbird
From "A History of Savoy" by J. P. Lerrier
The early period of the war lacked any really significant battles. Upon arriving at Montpellier the Savoyard army led by Duke Louis was set upon by a small French force which was easily crushed, that being about it. Duke Bertrand of Auvergne considered an attempt to lift the siege of Aurillac, but in the end decided against it, based on his knowledge of his own terrain and it's defensiveness. Instead, he decided to wait and to defend Clermont-Ferrand, allowing Savoy to continue the siege in peace.
The difficult terrain of southern France (courtesy of Cezanne)
Meanwhile in the north, the French king faced war on various fronts. Charles VII, known as le Bien-Serv (the well served), had during his reign drastically improved the French army, both in terms of doctrine, equipment and especially leadership, but his conduct of this particular war is considered by many historians to have been surprisingly poor, some would even say baffling. Apparently he believed invading the Burgundian Netherlands with a massive army would be enough to make Phillip the Bold see sense, and make peace. Charles was wrong, and while his invasion was reasonably successful large numbers of troops died from starvation, as the army was simply too big to support itself. Meanwhile, Savoy was given a free hand in the south, Duke Louis occupying Montpellier in January 1441.
Upon entering the city, Louis recieved news that 6,000 new infantry troops from the peasantry of Savoy were ready for combat, used as he was unable to afford a company of mercenaries. He knew that his current army was not enough to dislodge the large Auvergnais force defending Clermont Ferrand, and hoped that he could force a victory through sheer superiority of numbers by bringing these new conscripts into his own army.
February 26th 1441
Savoyard Army Encampment, Near Issoire
Roberto d'Aosta was not normally a cowardly man. He was a professional soldier, a veteran of various campaigns in Europe, a knight and a gentlemen, who showed no fear in the face of adversary. He had seen madness in men's eyes as he hacked the life out of them, he had seen the fear, the terror, the raw fury of battle, and not once had he flinched or recoiled from his duties.
But now he was terrified, covered in sweat, as the dim glow of the moon cast shadows on the cold, hard ground, waking from some already forgotten nightmare. He cursed at himself, and lay back down, but found that all the sleepiness had gone out of him. Everyone around him lay asleep, and it was deathly silent, the sky dark and the shadows eerie. Roberto sighed, and wiped his eyes. He knew that this army, Duke Louis's army, was within a day's march of Clermont-Ferrand, and there would likely be a battle tomorrow, and so he was desperate to get back to sleep, to get as much replenishment as possible before going into battle.
But it was not to be. He heaved himself up, and as he quietly crept through the camp he took deep breaths of the fresh night air. He relished the silence, but...it was not silent. Wandering not far from camp, he came across a still copse of trees and chanced upon a blackbird, sitting on the branch of a tree, regarding him without any kind of fear. The sight of the small, beautiful little bird in it's own tranquil little world stirred Roberto's poetic imagination, and he could not help but marvel.
Tomorrow, though, this tranquility would be brutally shattered, and the blood of men would soak the ground.
The Battle of Issoire (Auvergne province)
