Bertrand of Guesclin

Bertrand of Guesclin , born in 1320 with the castle of the Mound-Broons close to Dinan, dead the July 13rd 1380 in front of Châteauneuf-with-Randon, is a Connétable of France.

Biography

The black Mastiff of Brocéliande

Oldest son of Robert II of Guesclin (v. 1300-1353), lord of the Mound-Broons and its wife Jeanne de Malesmains (dead in 1350), lady of Direction, its ugliness (one says of him which it is “ugliest that there was of Rennes with Dinan”), and its brutality are worth the opprobrium to him paternal, and he must gain the respect of the nobility to the point of his sword. He pointed out himself as of his childhood by his force, his skill in the exercises of the body and his quarrelsome tastes. At the time of a tournament where it has prohibition to take part, it demolishes all its adversaries, before refusing to fight his father by inclining his lance by respect at the time of the tournament (with the great surprise of the assembly). It is 15 years old.

Bertrand of Guesclin makes known himself in 1357 while taking part in the defense of Rennes besieged by Henry de Grosmont, Duc of Lancaster. Eléastre de Marès the adoube knight with the Castle of Montmuran in the Yew, and names it Capitaine Pontorson and Mont Saint-Michel on recommendation of Pierre de Villiers. It started to announce its bravery in the wars that delivered Charles of Blois and Jean de Montfort for the heritage of the Duché of Brittany: it supported the rights of the first.

In 1360, it is lieutenant of Normandy, Anjou and the Maine then in 1364, general captain for the countries between the Seine and the Loire and Chambellan of France.

It passed in 1361 to the service of the France and celebrated the advent of Charles V in April 1364, by gaining the Bataille of Cocherel against the army of king de Navarre. It receives the Duché of Longueville in Normandy.

After this victory, it flew again to the help of Charles of Blois to Brittany; but in September 1364 with the Battle of Auray, despite everything its efforts, its party was beaten, it is made prisoner by John Chandos chief of the English army (Sept. 1364). The king de France pay his ransom of 100.000 books.

In 1365 at the request of the king of France it delivers the kingdom and involves the Grandes companies, cluster of undisciplined soldiers who devastated the provinces. He persuaded them to take part in the First civil war of Castille at the side of Henri de Trastamare which disputed with Pierre Cruel the the throne of Castille. He covered glory there, and already he had destroyed the party of Pierre the Cruel one, when this one called with its help two valiant English captains, Chandos and the Prince Noir.

Of Guesclin was demolishes and taken afterwards wonders of value to the Bataille of Najera, delivered against its opinion (1367). It is made prisoner and is released only against one strong ransom, again paid by Charles V. It takes part and avenges its defeat with the Bataille for Montiel, in 1369. It restores Henri on the throne and in reward of these actions in Spain it is made Duc of Molina.

Constable of France

In October 1370, returned in France, it is made Connétable by Charles V. Its large company will be to expel the English. Contrary to the practices of the French knighthood, it does not proceed by large campaigns with all the Ost French, but prefers to reconquer whole provinces methodically, besieging Château after castle. It will drive out the English of the Normandy, of the Guyenne, the Saintonge and the Poitou.

Very often, the seat does not last, the exit while being accelerated by a victorious attack or more often still by a trick.

  • in 1378, it takes part in the countryside against the Brittany, with his/her cousin Olivier de Mauny - knight banneret, lord of Lesnen and Pair of France, which was named general Capitaine of Normandy and chamberlain of Charles V in 1372;
  • in 1374, it fights with Réole;
  • in 1376, it receives the seigniory of Pontorson in Normandy;
  • Charles V, having in 1378 confiscated Brittany with Jean IV of Brittany, the Breton soldiers, jealous of the independence of their fatherland, deserts the army from Guesclin, and the constable is suspected itself of treason. Made indignant of such a suspicion, it returns at once to the king the sword of constable, and wants to pass in Spain near Henri de Transtamare; but, alleviated soon by the king, who recognizes his error, it turns over in the South to still fight the English.

In 1380, it fights against the Grandes companies in Auvergne, and it puts the seat in front of Châteauneuf-with-Randon: after several terrible attacks, the place promises to go to the Constable himself, if it were not helped in 15 days. The hero died in this interval (to have drunk too much ice-cold water after having fought in full sun), the July 13rd 1380, and the governor comes, the expired truce, to deposit the keys of the place on his coffin. Its body is deposited with Saint-Denis.

After its death

Of Guesclin had wished that its body was brought back in Brittany. The road was long, the weather was hot and embaumer was decided. In the absence of royal embalmers, one will éviscéra and décervela the body (with the convent of Dominican of Puy) which was bathed in a wine mixture and spices, but without obtaining the discounted effect: a few days later, a cloud of flies darkens the procession, following of close the cart on which one had posed the body. It had to be boiled (with the convent the Dominican ones of Clermont-Ferrand) in a large cauldron to detach the flesh of the skeleton. This one and the heart carried on their road towards Brittany until the king Charles V decides, almost single fact for a junior by small birth, to invite the bones of its late constable to rest in the royal basilica of Saint-Denis, at the sides of kings de France. Its burial, like those of the majority of the princes and dignitaries who rested there, was profaned by revolutionists in 1793, like was also the tomb containing its flesh pulps (in Montferrand). When from the tomb which contains its entrails (SAINT LAURENT church, in Puy), he escaped the profanation: the ballot box was placing on tip at the town hall in order to give him a laic burial then was finally replaced in the SAINT LAURENT church with its contents, they always remain there. Its heart alone arrived to Brittany where it was deposited under a flagstone with the convent of the Jacobins with Dinan. In 1810, the tomb stone and the ballot box containing the heart were transferred in the basilica Saint-Saver from Dinan. Three of the four tombs still visible and are decorated monuments, that of Montferrand having disappeared at the time of the French revolution. The lying ones of St-Denis and that of Puy make it possible to observe a character and a face apparently carved with the resemblance of the subject, in addition known by physical descriptions and several contemporary miniatures, insisting all on the ugliness and the pugnacity which its face revealed. There exists with Chateauneuf-of-Randon (Lozere) and the place known as " Habitarelle" where was located the camping of Dugesclin at the time of its death, a cenotaph built by subsidy and subscription main roads, whose lying one reproduces that of Puy.

Eustace Deschamps composed a Ballade on the demise of Bertrand Of Guesclin .

Unions

One knows two unions for Bertrand of Guesclin:
  • he was the husband, in first weddings, probably in 1363 with Vitré, of Tiphaine Raguenel (dead in 1373), girl of Robin III Raguenel, lord of Châtel-Oger, hero of the Combat of the Thirty, and Jeanne de Dinan, viscountess of the Suspension brace;
  • it married, in second weddings, the January 21st 1374 with Rennes, Jeanne of Laval (dead after 1385), girl of Jean of Laval (death in 1398), and of Isabeau de Tinteniac. After its widowhood, in 1380, Jeanne of Laval remaria, on May 28th, 1384, with Guy XII of Laval (death in 1412), lord of Laval.

One knows no legitimate descent with Bertrand of Guesclin. On the other hand, Jeanne of Laval, by its second marriage, is the ancestor of an incalculable number commoners, noble and sovereigns of all Europe.

Relationship

Bertrand of Guesclin had a brother:

  • Olivier of Guesclin: (death in 1403). With died of Bertrand of Guesclin it took again the title of count de Longueville.

and two cousins:

  • Olivier of Guesclin: Lord of Vauruzé, in favor of Charles of Blois, duke of Brittany.

Titles

Armorial bearings

“money to the bicephalous eagle éployée of sand beakful and membrée of mouths, to the cotice of same stitching on the whole ”

The '' cotice '' (or stick bandages some - quasi-equivalent) is a band reduced in width and was used in general like Brisure for the juniors - choice surprising for Bertrand, who was the elder one.

Anecdotes

  • “Of Guesclin” is a modernized form of its name, which one is unaware of the exact C-W communication. According to certain historians, the name of the lords of Pontorson, then of Broons was Of Guerplic . The constable himself does not leave us any indication, signing Bertran simply. His/her mother, Jeanne de Malemains, indicate itself “Uxor domini mei Roberti de Glaquino”. This name of Glaquin , or more often Claquin , finds among poets of the next century François Villon and Marot. The flagstone of the basilica Saint-Saver of Dinan under which its heart is buried mentions Guéaquin, which is perhaps related to the legend reducing it from Aquin or Haquin, the mythical general who would have led the Arab armies to the battles of Poitiers.

  • Although the majority of the representations which were made of him show with a sword, of Guesclin did not use this weapon with which it was not very skilful, preferring a large axe to him.

  • Of Guesclin is regarded as " the Ganelon of Brittany " by many Breton Nationalistes which reproaches him for having made go the troops of king de France who it ordered as Connétable, on those of the duchy of Brittany, then independent.

  • a portrait of Of radically different Guesclin is drawn up in the Cycle of Ogier d' Argouges , a historical saga of Pierre Naudin. It is presented there like a not very advisable character, badly raised and incompetent of prowesses, evidence historical to the support. The author disputes even the " Du" of its name, affirming that the character was called actually Bertrand Guesclin, the mark of nobility having been added only very a long time after its death by novelists in lack of hero.

  • It was for a long time, of the middle of the 19th century in the middle of 20th, one of the French heroes who were with the Republic what are the saints with the religions. At that time, its history, more or less fictionalized, was presented like the life of a model citizen, that his very personal conscience had always brought to make the good of the greatest number, to the service of his fatherland.

See too

Related article

External bonds

  • genealogical Card in the base roglo of INRIA

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