A soldier with his family

On the left side of the tapestry, the civilian followers of the imperial army storm the battlefield to plunder the French camp. Among the many scenes and figures in costume depicted, one that stands out in the foreground is that of a soldier who has seized two chickens, which are hanging by their legs from the pike he carries on his right shoulder.

At his side is a woman, probably his wife, pushing her son, dressed and armed like a little soldier, in front of her. 

Sixteenth-century armies were followed by a multitude of non-combatants of various classes and professions. Women in particular were very numerous. There were camp followers, prostitutes, so-called war wives, who hired themselves out to a soldier and acted as his companion for the duration of the campaign, and real wives who brought their children with them, as depicted in this group of figures.