Jacques de Crèvecœur — lord of Crèvecœur and Thois, captain of Compiègne, governor of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, dead by 1436 — belonged to one of the most exclusive clubs in Europe, and its badge was a necklace. In 1430 at Bruges, Philip the Good of Burgundy married Isabella of Portugal, and marked the occasion by founding the Order of the Golden Fleece. Membership was capped at twenty-four knights besides the duke himself; it rose to thirty in 1433, and would not reach fifty until 1516. Crèvecœur was one of that founding handful. The collar was a chain of firesteels cut in the shape of the letter B, for Burgundy, linked by flints — the striking of sparks turned into jewellery — with a ram's sheepskin hanging beneath. Unlike the Templars or the Teutonic Knights, this was not a religious order with vows and a rule; it was a duke binding the greatest men of his territories to himself by honour and obligation, which in the fifteenth century worked at least as well. It also outlasted them all. The order still exists, in a Spanish branch and an Austrian one.

Tradition of London give him the full late-medieval display: a visored helm carrying a great winged crest, plate harness throughout, a gold collar at the throat, and a tabard of gold and red chevrons falling over the body. Note that the crest is nearly as tall as his head — parade and tournament equipment, built to be seen across a field and instantly read. Set him with Charles Duke of Orleans for the French nobility of his own generation, or opposite Joan of Arc, whose war against the English and their Burgundian allies ran through exactly these years. He also pairs simply as a figure with Humphrey Littlebury — two standing knights sixty years apart, which is a diorama in itself if you set them side by side and look at how much armour changed.

Model: K20 / Tradition of London / 54mm (1/32) scale / 1 piece set

All hand painted Toy Soldier sets packed in the Classic Tradition Red Boxes. All Toy Soldiers cast in quality white metal, and individually hand painted in gloss enamels.

Please allow 2-3 weeks delivery.