Guillaume of Forest

Guillaume of Forest (? - 1440), knight, lord of Forest, of Châtelard-on-Yenne, of the Castle of Rossillon, and of Fenarre in Greece, in the principality of Achaïe, page of the Count Vert, in 1381, rider of the Count Rouge which “him bucket has estrennes a viol of France the New Year's Day 1391”, first rider of Good of Bourbon, countess and regent of Savoy, chamberlain, adviser and ambassador of the duke Amédée VIII.

It made the war in France, in 1415, against the king Henri V of England. In 1422, the duke undertook the admirable task to restore peace between France and England and employed its best diplomats there. Dice September, Guillaume of Forest accepted his capacities and left for Lyon “to see the Chancellor of the dolphin and avecques him traicter peace”. In 1426, to October, Amédée VIII sent “to lord Guilherme of Forest his adviser escuyer and chamberlain in ambassery to the roy of Portugal”. In January 1429, it gave him its forwardings to be its ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary “for traicter the marriage among famous demoyselle Bonne of Savoye and illustrates prince François wire of the duke of Bretaigne”.

One of the ambassadors of Savoy to the Interview of Arras, between Burgundian French and, in August of the same year. Admirably received by the king Charles VII, which had just arrived in the city with Jeanne d' Arc, they achieved a marvellous work by obtaining a general truce, which the king communicated on his subjects by highlighting the part played by the envoys of the duke. In 1430, Amédée VIII gave to Guillaume a pension on his cassette. “It grants this mark of its recognition to its heart and fidelus seutiferis and cambellanus Wilhelmus de Foresta in consideration of pleasant and creditable services by luy returned to his father, luy even and its brother”.

In 1432, the Marie princess of Savoy marries the duke of Milan and all the court business with the preparations of the marriage. Guillaume of Forest left for Paris “to buy some hacquinées with my dictates lady of Milan”. He appears in the festivals and ceremonies which proceeded in Le Bourget of the Lake, and in the splendid procession of dignitaries and ladies of the court which accompanies the princess in Italy.

He died before the end of 1440. It is him which had made rebuild the chorus of the church of Rossillon, where it was buried, and build a side chapel, today the sacristy, which carries the weapons as of Forest on the keystone. He had married Madeleine de Livron, girl of Richard de Livron, knight, lord of Allemogne and Marguerite de Rossillon Chatillon.

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