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Raoul de Gaucourt, also known as the Sieur de Gaucort or Sire de Gaucourt ( c. 1370–1461), was a French soldier and statesman. He fought at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 and the Siege of Harfleur in 1415, and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England. He was described by Juliet Barker in 2005 as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten".

Born c. 1370, ^[1] Gaucourt came from a noble family from Picardy. ^[2] The family was loyal to the House of Armagnac, and Gaucourt had "strong personal connections" with Charles, Duke of Orléans, Charles I d'Albret and Marshal Boucicaut. ^[2]

Gaucourt fought at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, ^[3] and was knighted on that battlefield at the age of 26. ^[2] He was captured and ransomed during the battle. ^[2]

In 1400 Gaucourt was a founding member of Boucicaut's Order of the White Lady on a Green Shield. ^[2]

In 1409 Gaucourt commanded a French army in Genoa, and captured Milan alongside Boucicaut. ^[2]

During the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War, in 1411, he captured the bridge of St Cloud on behalf of Charles, Duke of Orléans. ^[4]

In 1412 he served as Chamberlain to Charles, Duke of Orléans. ^[5] He then served as captain of a number of Armagnac castles. ^[5]

In 1415 he was a founding member of the Order of the Prisoner's Shackle. ^[5]

Gaucourt was chosen by d'Albret and Boucicaut to help defend the town of Harfleur from the army of the English king Henry V in September 1415. ^[6] Historian Juliet Barker said that they needed "an experienced and trustworthy knight to take charge of the defences". ^[6]

Gaucourt, alongside Jean d'Estouteville, refused to surrender the town. ^[7] When Henry's troops laid siege to the town, "de Gaucourt and his men fought back with a courage and determination that won the admiration of the English chaplain". ^[8] Gaucourt oversaw the repair of defences in the town. ^[8]

Gaucourt and members of the town council met with Henry on 17 September 1415. ^[9] Gaucourt refused to surrender. ^[10] However, the next day the town council offered to surrender on 22 September if the siege had not been broken by then. ^[11] Gaucourt was unaware of this offer until he met again with Henry, ^[12] but he and his fellow military commanders in the town (d'Estouteville and Guillaume de Léon) agreed to surrender. ^[13]

Gaucourt and his troops had held out for 18 days, rather than the 8 that Henry had planned for; "Henry had underestimated the determination and ingenuity of de Gaucourt and his men". ^[14] On 22 September Gaucourt presented the town's keys to Henry. ^[15]

Gaucourt and 65 others were taken prisoner. ^[16] Gaucourt was later released to carry a message to the Dauphin from Henry, challenging him to one-on-one combat to end the war. ^[17] After doing so, Gaucourt "retreat[ed] to his sickbed", ^[18] suffering from dysentery. ^[19]

Following the Battle of Agincourt, Gaucourt surrendered himself to Henry in Calais, ^[19] and spent 10 years as a prisoner in England. ^[1] He was released on licence in 1416 and again in 1417. ^[20] In January 1417 he carried a secret message from Henry to the French king. ^[21]

After his final release "he became a major figure in the reconquest of English-held lands in France", ^[1] and "fought in every campaign against the English". ^[22] This included fighting alongside Joan of Arc, including at the Siege of Orléans. ^[22]

Gaucourt died in 1461. ^[1] He was in his late 80s or early 90s. ^[22]

He was described by Barker as "a medieval chivalric hero whom the modern world has forgotten", ^[2] and "one of the chief architects of the final expulsion of the English from France". ^[22]

• Barker, Juliet (2005). Agincourt : the King, the campaign, the battle. London: Little, Brown. ISBN  978-0-316-72648-1. OCLC  1244223711 – via Internet Archive.