11

Redemption and Extension of “Journeys” in the Accounts of Hainault in the 15th century: Indicators of a Military Situation Legal pilgrimages, called “journeys,” were common in medieval justice. An order could also be given, proclaimed by crier, to “extend” them; i.e., to postpone the deadline for their completion, sometimes with an offer of an alternative - a redemption, through payment of a sum of money. It is revealing to compare the texts and mention of these measures in the accounts to the military situation at the time. These occurred in times of trouble, of external threats, a case in point in the county of Hainault, when the roads were far from safe and when it was feared that there would not be enough hands available to defend the country. There are a glaring number of them during the military campaigns of Charles the Bold and Maximilian of Austria against France, between 1467 and 1493.