Since the beginning of the last millennium, carts with ammunition and food have been moving along the roads of Europe after the army. But there were also carts in their composition, in which the fair sex was seated.
The name "waitress" comes from the Italian word for "merchant". But other historians believe that initially women began to engage in this craft for selfish reasons - in exchange for love, one could not only receive food and protection, but also earn a little for the services rendered.
In search of profit
In 1570, so many women joined the army, which the French commander Philip Strazzi was supposed to lead to Italy, that it became almost impossible to move. And then Strazzi made a decision: having selected the most attractive women, he ordered the remaining 800 to be drowned in the river. That is, the status of marktitants was not only unenviable, but also dangerous.
But over time, the attitude towards the waitresses has changed dramatically. From prostitutes they became cantinieres (from the French word for "cook"). The fact is that during the hikes, there was often a problem with food. The efforts of the foragers involved in supply issues were sometimes lacking, especially in the regions already ravaged by the war. So, cantinieres were allowed to sell food in their mobile shops, which they bought from local residents. During their halts, they were given the responsibility of making fires and preparing food. They also sold needles and threads to repair uniforms. The second type of troops' companions are vivandieres (from the French word for "combat friend"), which went into battle with the soldiers. They had with them a barrel of brandy, a mug and a set of pipes filled with tobacco. Brandy - to relieve the painful shock of the wounded, tobacco - to calm the survivors after the battle.
In military service
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Over time, the marshals and generals realized that the waitresses were providing real support, and then it was decided to create militarized units from them that were part of the troops. They were headed by their superiors, who watched over their subordinates, dressed, as a rule, in shabby soldiers' clothes. At the headquarters of the regiment, for example, there was one waitress, who had at her disposal a wagon drawn by four horses. The battalion had to have four waitresses, two of whom acted as laundresses. In companies and platoons, their number increased in arithmetic progression. However, sometimes more important assignments were found for women. For example, when in 1474 the troops of Duke Charles the Bold besieged Noyce, they included more than 4 thousand waitresses.
By order of Charles, they were involved in fortification work, formed a regiment and presented with a small banner with the image of a woman. From that moment on, the waitresses went out in columns to build fortifications to the melodies of flutes and the beat of drums. I must say that the soldiers tried to make the life of their combat friends as safe as possible. Moreover, the premeditated murder of the waitress was threatened with the death penalty without trial or investigation.
In addition, the conclusion of church marriages on a legal basis was not prohibited, since the troops were accompanied by military chaplains. Moreover, if a husband died in battle, then the widow was not forbidden to find a new life partner. The waitresses even had their own hymn: “We, the waitresses, serve our masters at our own request! We steal whatever we can steal, we cook dinner and sew, sweep, wash and clean, care for the wounded. And after work we love to have fun! And although the landsknechts
they often treat us with cuffs, we, waitresses, prefer to serve them …"
I must say that many women, during their army wanderings, amassed good fortunes, allowing them, "after retirement", to buy houses, farms, taverns. And some even married impoverished nobles to become holders of the title and coat of arms. Over time, this craft came to naught. Only during World War II, the leadership of the Third Reich, worried about the "purity of the race", introduced mobile brothels with hired workers into the structure of the troops. Moreover, this issue was dealt with personally by the chief of the General Staff of the ground forces, Colonel-General Halder, as evidenced, for example, by the entry in his work diary: “July 23, 1940. The question of brothels. Small, medium and large establishments. Number - 5, 10, 20 workers. Generation - 600 clients per month”.
Sergey Uranov