Gadifer Shorthose
Encyclopedia
Gadifer Shorthose was the English
mayor
of Bordeaux
from 1434 until 1451. He was a weak leader and the city passed out of English lordship and into France
during his mayorship.
In 1442 Shorthose refused to comply with the orders of the regent
of Gascony
, Robert Roos. On 1 November 1450, Amanieu of Albret approached Bordeaux with an army of 500. Shorthose, leading a hodge-podge force of English men-at-arms, Gascon knights, and municipal militia sallied forth to the challenge. The lack of leadership and organisation doomed the Bordelais expedition and Amaneiu routed the defenders. The day became known as La Male Journade because of the immense loss of life suffered by the citizens of Bordeaux.
In 1451, the French general Dunois broke through the walls of the city and the garrison retreated to the castle, where Shorthose and the other commanders commanded a small group of twenty five men-at-arms, because, out of greed it is said, they had been given funds for eighty but decided to hire less and divert what money remained. On 23 May the castle fell. Shorthose was the last mayor of English Bordeaux.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
from 1434 until 1451. He was a weak leader and the city passed out of English lordship and into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during his mayorship.
In 1442 Shorthose refused to comply with the orders of the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, Robert Roos. On 1 November 1450, Amanieu of Albret approached Bordeaux with an army of 500. Shorthose, leading a hodge-podge force of English men-at-arms, Gascon knights, and municipal militia sallied forth to the challenge. The lack of leadership and organisation doomed the Bordelais expedition and Amaneiu routed the defenders. The day became known as La Male Journade because of the immense loss of life suffered by the citizens of Bordeaux.
In 1451, the French general Dunois broke through the walls of the city and the garrison retreated to the castle, where Shorthose and the other commanders commanded a small group of twenty five men-at-arms, because, out of greed it is said, they had been given funds for eighty but decided to hire less and divert what money remained. On 23 May the castle fell. Shorthose was the last mayor of English Bordeaux.
Sources
- Labarge, Margaret WadeMargaret Wade LabargeMargaret Wade Labarge was a Canadian historian and author specializing in the role of women in the Middle Ages. She was adjunct professor of history at Carleton University....
. Gascony, England's First Colony 1204–1453. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1980.