Owning a warhorse was more than a necessity for medieval knights—it was a symbol of their status and a critical asset in battle. England’s warrior aristocracy had multiple avenues to secure these prized animals, ranging from bustling horse fairs to deals with foreign merchants and independent traders.
Sourcing Elite Warhorses from Abroad
For a fourteenth-century knight like Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, being properly mounted was essential for fulfilling his military duties and ensuring his survival in battle. The best warhorses, known as destriers, cost an average of £35, almost the entire annual income of some knights. Even the less expensive warhorses, known as rounceys, cost roughly £8, a figure that still represented a significant outlay for men serving in cavalry retinues.
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For Edward I (1272–1307) and his nobility, finding warhorses was initially challenging, as suitable horses were scarce in England. As the prospect of war with Wales grew imminent in 1276, many aristocrats turned to overseas markets to secure their mounts. The main marketplace for warhorses at this time was the Champagne fairs in northeastern France. This area was a prime location for commerce, as it was bisected by the main north-south route between Flanders and Italy and the east-west road connecting Paris to Germany. These fairs attracted international merchants selling a variety of goods, including cloth, wool, dyes, and, crucially, horses. From late 1276 up to the outbreak of war with Wales early the following year, English nobles shipped almost 250 warhorses from France to England.
Further Welsh rebellions in the spring of 1282 resulted in a second war between England and Wales. As with the previous conflict, Edward I and his nobles turned to France to purchase their warhorses. However, King Philip III of France also needed warhorses for his army and promptly issued a prohibition on their export. Faced with the instability of foreign horse markets, Edward I was forced to consider alternative plans to ensure his armies were well-horsed. An edict was issued ordering each member of the aristocracy to always have a warhorse at the ready, and the king set a precedent by embarking on an ambitious program of warhorse breeding. Despite these efforts, the toll of continuous warfare in England meant the demand for warhorse replacements was high. One effect of this demand was the growth of a warhorse market in England.
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Foreign Traders and the Rise of England’s Warhorse Market
England’s burgeoning warhorse market was dominated by foreign merchants who drew on their international connections to find suitable horses. Italian trading families such as the Fauberti from Florence were prominent in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. The Fauberti began as wool traders but quickly diversified into horse trading to meet demand. A knight wanting to buy one of their warhorses had the option of purchasing it on credit. This system provided the Fauberti with the advantage of securing horse sales even when immediate cash was scarce. Typically, a horse was exchanged, and both parties agreed on a future payment date, normally within three to six months. However, collecting these payments could sometimes prove difficult: between 1275 and 1279, the Fauberti were forced to turn to the courts to recoup debts owed by several prominent knights, including Sir John de St John and Sir Roger L’Estrange, both commanders in the conquest of Wales. The total amount owed was £768—equivalent to around half a million dollars today.
London’s position as a prominent trading port made it a hub for foreign merchant traders like the Fauberti. It attracted families such as the Gallerani from Siena, who opened offices in Walbroke to trade elite horses alongside other goods like gems, sweets, and wool. They sold horses to the Earl of Gloucester and Edward II’s favourite, Piers Gaveston, and provided several warhorses for Aymer de Valence, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke, to ride on Scottish campaigns. Such was the demand for warhorses in 1306 that the Gallerani joined forces with the great Italian banking family, the Frescobaldi, forming a ‘Horse Joint Venture’ to cater to wealthy clients through branches in London and Paris.
The Role of Horse Fairs in Supplying Knights
Other Continental traders rubbed shoulders with London’s Italian horse merchants. The French brothers William and Pons Toulouse specialized in finding horses for English royalty. In 1315, they brought 21 warhorses to the city for inspection by Edward II’s officers. The most expensive was a grey roan destrier purchased from the executors of Sir John Comyn, a knight who had died at the Battle of Bannockburn the previous year. The remaining horses were sourced from various French and English horse markets, including Smithfield in London.
Smithfield as shown on the Agas map of 1561 (Wikimedia Commons)
The twelfth-century author William FitzStephen noted that a weekly horse fair took place at Smithfield on Fridays, featuring the sale of destriers as well as cart and plow horses. Smithfield continued to serve as a site for acquiring warhorses throughout the Middle Ages: in 1440, Edward Priour sought reimbursement for a horse purchased there from Sir Launcelot de Lile.
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Beyond London, notable horse fairs were held in towns such as Winchester, St Ives, and York. Foreign merchants vied with independent dealers at these fairs. In 1290, York trader John Grantham sold a £13 horse to Sir Ralph Fitz William, and in 1301, brothers Gawayn and Ruffinus Farrar sold a similarly priced horse to Sir Marmaduke of Thweng. These fairs also catered to the army’s broader needs for riding, cart, and baggage horses. For instance, the Ascension Day horse fair at Beverley supplied 71 horses for £108 8s 6d in 1307.
Royal Stables: Favour and Opportunity for Knights
Some knights were fortunate enough to receive warhorses through royal favour. At the start of the Welsh War in 1282, Edward I gifted 36 horses to members of his household. Surplus youngstock from royal studs was also periodically sold off.
One such sale occurred at the royal stud in Woodstock (now Blenheim, West Oxfordshire) in 1294. Thirty-one colts aged between 1 and 4 years were auctioned, attracting buyers like Sir John Langeley, who purchased two for £2 each. These young horses, although cheaper, were seen as investments: with time and effort, they could become combat-ready mounts.
Advertisement
The avenues for acquiring a warhorse in medieval England were as diverse as the knights who relied on them. Whether purchased from the international merchants at Champagne fairs, sourced from local horse markets like Smithfield, or obtained through royal favour or stud auctions, these elite animals were integral to the knightly profession. The growth of England’s warhorse market, shaped by the demands of constant warfare and the ingenuity of foreign traders, ensured that knights could always find a mount to suit their needs and station. This intricate network of fairs, dealers, and royal initiatives underscores the essential role of warhorses in sustaining medieval chivalry and military power.
Dr Emma Herbert-Davies is a graduate of the Institute for Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds, UK. She is a keen horsewoman and has published several articles and book chapters on medieval horses. Her upcoming book, The Warhorse in England: 1272-1327, will be published by Trivent Publishing this February.
Top Image: Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, England, c. 1325. British Library Collections, Add MS 42130, fol. 202v
By Emma Herbert-Davies
Owning a warhorse was more than a necessity for medieval knights—it was a symbol of their status and a critical asset in battle. England’s warrior aristocracy had multiple avenues to secure these prized animals, ranging from bustling horse fairs to deals with foreign merchants and independent traders.
Sourcing Elite Warhorses from Abroad
For a fourteenth-century knight like Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, being properly mounted was essential for fulfilling his military duties and ensuring his survival in battle. The best warhorses, known as destriers, cost an average of £35, almost the entire annual income of some knights. Even the less expensive warhorses, known as rounceys, cost roughly £8, a figure that still represented a significant outlay for men serving in cavalry retinues.
For Edward I (1272–1307) and his nobility, finding warhorses was initially challenging, as suitable horses were scarce in England. As the prospect of war with Wales grew imminent in 1276, many aristocrats turned to overseas markets to secure their mounts. The main marketplace for warhorses at this time was the Champagne fairs in northeastern France. This area was a prime location for commerce, as it was bisected by the main north-south route between Flanders and Italy and the east-west road connecting Paris to Germany. These fairs attracted international merchants selling a variety of goods, including cloth, wool, dyes, and, crucially, horses. From late 1276 up to the outbreak of war with Wales early the following year, English nobles shipped almost 250 warhorses from France to England.
Further Welsh rebellions in the spring of 1282 resulted in a second war between England and Wales. As with the previous conflict, Edward I and his nobles turned to France to purchase their warhorses. However, King Philip III of France also needed warhorses for his army and promptly issued a prohibition on their export. Faced with the instability of foreign horse markets, Edward I was forced to consider alternative plans to ensure his armies were well-horsed. An edict was issued ordering each member of the aristocracy to always have a warhorse at the ready, and the king set a precedent by embarking on an ambitious program of warhorse breeding. Despite these efforts, the toll of continuous warfare in England meant the demand for warhorse replacements was high. One effect of this demand was the growth of a warhorse market in England.
Foreign Traders and the Rise of England’s Warhorse Market
England’s burgeoning warhorse market was dominated by foreign merchants who drew on their international connections to find suitable horses. Italian trading families such as the Fauberti from Florence were prominent in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. The Fauberti began as wool traders but quickly diversified into horse trading to meet demand. A knight wanting to buy one of their warhorses had the option of purchasing it on credit. This system provided the Fauberti with the advantage of securing horse sales even when immediate cash was scarce. Typically, a horse was exchanged, and both parties agreed on a future payment date, normally within three to six months. However, collecting these payments could sometimes prove difficult: between 1275 and 1279, the Fauberti were forced to turn to the courts to recoup debts owed by several prominent knights, including Sir John de St John and Sir Roger L’Estrange, both commanders in the conquest of Wales. The total amount owed was £768—equivalent to around half a million dollars today.
London’s position as a prominent trading port made it a hub for foreign merchant traders like the Fauberti. It attracted families such as the Gallerani from Siena, who opened offices in Walbroke to trade elite horses alongside other goods like gems, sweets, and wool. They sold horses to the Earl of Gloucester and Edward II’s favourite, Piers Gaveston, and provided several warhorses for Aymer de Valence, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke, to ride on Scottish campaigns. Such was the demand for warhorses in 1306 that the Gallerani joined forces with the great Italian banking family, the Frescobaldi, forming a ‘Horse Joint Venture’ to cater to wealthy clients through branches in London and Paris.
The Role of Horse Fairs in Supplying Knights
Other Continental traders rubbed shoulders with London’s Italian horse merchants. The French brothers William and Pons Toulouse specialized in finding horses for English royalty. In 1315, they brought 21 warhorses to the city for inspection by Edward II’s officers. The most expensive was a grey roan destrier purchased from the executors of Sir John Comyn, a knight who had died at the Battle of Bannockburn the previous year. The remaining horses were sourced from various French and English horse markets, including Smithfield in London.
The twelfth-century author William FitzStephen noted that a weekly horse fair took place at Smithfield on Fridays, featuring the sale of destriers as well as cart and plow horses. Smithfield continued to serve as a site for acquiring warhorses throughout the Middle Ages: in 1440, Edward Priour sought reimbursement for a horse purchased there from Sir Launcelot de Lile.
Beyond London, notable horse fairs were held in towns such as Winchester, St Ives, and York. Foreign merchants vied with independent dealers at these fairs. In 1290, York trader John Grantham sold a £13 horse to Sir Ralph Fitz William, and in 1301, brothers Gawayn and Ruffinus Farrar sold a similarly priced horse to Sir Marmaduke of Thweng. These fairs also catered to the army’s broader needs for riding, cart, and baggage horses. For instance, the Ascension Day horse fair at Beverley supplied 71 horses for £108 8s 6d in 1307.
Royal Stables: Favour and Opportunity for Knights
Some knights were fortunate enough to receive warhorses through royal favour. At the start of the Welsh War in 1282, Edward I gifted 36 horses to members of his household. Surplus youngstock from royal studs was also periodically sold off.
One such sale occurred at the royal stud in Woodstock (now Blenheim, West Oxfordshire) in 1294. Thirty-one colts aged between 1 and 4 years were auctioned, attracting buyers like Sir John Langeley, who purchased two for £2 each. These young horses, although cheaper, were seen as investments: with time and effort, they could become combat-ready mounts.
The avenues for acquiring a warhorse in medieval England were as diverse as the knights who relied on them. Whether purchased from the international merchants at Champagne fairs, sourced from local horse markets like Smithfield, or obtained through royal favour or stud auctions, these elite animals were integral to the knightly profession. The growth of England’s warhorse market, shaped by the demands of constant warfare and the ingenuity of foreign traders, ensured that knights could always find a mount to suit their needs and station. This intricate network of fairs, dealers, and royal initiatives underscores the essential role of warhorses in sustaining medieval chivalry and military power.
Dr Emma Herbert-Davies is a graduate of the Institute for Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds, UK. She is a keen horsewoman and has published several articles and book chapters on medieval horses. Her upcoming book, The Warhorse in England: 1272-1327, will be published by Trivent Publishing this February.
Top Image: Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, England, c. 1325. British Library Collections, Add MS 42130, fol. 202v
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