Coquillard

The coquillards are at the origin of forgeries pilgrims of Compostelle which sold allegedly reported scallops pilgrimage.

In the slang of the 15th century, this term designated initially the swindlers and the forgers before being adopted by a band of organized brigands which prevails in Burgundy of the medium of the Années 1440 with 1455, date of the lawsuit of fifteen as of theirs with Dijon. It is by this lawsuit and in particular by the instruction which compiles the Jargon coquillard that one knows this band and his procedure.

It seems proven, in particular in the posterior writings on this date of François Villon which seems to have attended them, that the band remained and essaimé after this lawsuit to form local Pègre S. The term “coquillard” spreads with all these local bands.

Lastly, this term indicates again at the 17th century of false pilgrims who misuse the hospitality of the monasteries and are delivered sometimes to the armed robbery.

These four meanings of the term, altogether rather different, tended to create by agglomeration an image of Épinal of the coquillard which is often described as being a false pilgrim brigand of the 15th century, whereas reality is more complex, coquillards of Villon not having never been false pilgrims, for example.

Brigands of the 15th century

Birth of the organized bands

The breathlessness of the Guerre One hundred Year old which begins as of the Traité from Arras (1435) - putting an end to Burgundian engagement - and prolongs by the truce of 1444, as well as the formation of an embryo of professional army throws on the roads of tens of thousands of désœuvrés mercenaries. Knowing only the war, they remain by putting at bag the French provinces. So good number of them end up turning over in their country of origin (30 000 are returned by the king in Suisse and Alsace after the truce of 1444), others are organized in bands and are devoted to all kinds of criminal activities (flight, Faux-monnayage, organized cheating, prostitution and procuring…). They are then joined by paupers often resulting from artisanal, student's mediums (PassetoutGrain,…) even monastic. Thus, the caimans settle in Paris, and the coquillards in the large one is Kingdom of France.

Organization

In the primitive band, a " king of the coquillards" reigned on a pyramidal organization or each one had a definite role. The consents at the time of the lawsuit of 1455 enable us to better know this organization, its wheels and its modus operandi .

The jargon coquillard

We saw it, the minutes of their lawsuit of 1455 compile part of the jargon coquillard - that Villon will use later in its Ballades in jargon - language which had a cryptic vocation and of recognition. Far from being anecdotic, this documentary source is very invaluable for the study of the band. It first of all makes it possible to rather precisely know the field of the exactions to which the coquillards were delivered. In addition, by the etymological study of their vocabulary, there is a rather precise idea of the geographic origins and social of the members of the shell.

Within sight of broad the lexical Field which it has sucity in the jargon, the swindle (“haulage”) seems to be the principal activity of the band. A “grower” (forger) manufactures a “seedling” (false ingot, jewel or stone). A “dessarquor” locates “easily deceived” (a potential victim) and discreetly touches to him some words in connection with the “seedling”. Intervenes then the “walkman”, smoothie which sells or pawns the “seedling” at “easily deceived” the follow-up of the “confermor of strolls” who comes to confirm the dires walkman and to thus ensure the transaction.

Some other words and expressions used by the coquillards:

- Arch: dice to be played/Aubert or Cairo: money/Bazir: to estourbir, kill somebody of a blow of the head/Becquer: to look at, disfigure/Bleach the navy or the rouhe: to escape from justice and " the question" after takebeing taken/Sender: murderer/Feullouze: the purse/Gaffres: sergeants/Godiz: “it is a man who has money and is rich”/Jour: torture/Moucher the navy: to denounce an accomplice, moucharder/Taquinade: charts to be played

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