Jean de Lastic
Jean Bompar de Lastic (1371 - 1454), is the thirty-sixth large Master of the order of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem. It succeeds Antoine Fluvian, large main of 1421 to 1437 (Spain).
Origins auvergnates
Jean de Lastic was born in 1371 in the family castle from Lastic (today in the commune of Borough-Lastic). He is resulting from an old auvergnate family (by his mother, he was the grandson of the count de Clermont and dauphine of Auvergne).At the end of the years 1380, probably, it is received knight in the Order of the Hospital ones, and in the Langue of Auvergne like before him two of his/her uncles had been it. After having undoubtedly accomplished a long stay with the seat of the convent of the Order, Rhodos, and equipped with various commanderies (Those, Montchamp, Carlat), he is elected large prior of the Language of Auvergne. Returned with Bourganeuf, seat of the great priory, it will reinforce defenses with them, while in particular making build a tower, completed in 1530, which always bears its name and shelters today the tourist office of the city.
It is in Bourganeuf when it learns its election like large Master in 1437. It will not leave France without to have carried out purchases of weapons. Indeed, the Mamelukes of Egypt, after having occupied Cyprus in 1424-1426, did not dissimulate any more their ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean and threatened Rhodos.
A defender of Rhodos
The first gesture of Jean de Lastic while arriving at Rhodos, in 1438, consists in sending an embassy to Cairo in order to negotiate a prolongation of the truce concluded before with the Mamelukes. By spies, the Hospital ones had learned, indeed, that the sultan of Egypt had concluded an agreement with the Othoman sultan , Mourad II, expect that this last would remain neutral in the event of attack of Rhodos.Jean de Lastic calls upon the help of the European sovereigns and papacy, but it will not obtain anything: English and French always fight themselves, the Aragoneses are concerned with their installation in Naples, the States of Central and Balkan Europe as well as the Byzantine emperor have extremely to make with the Turks, and papacy is in full schism.
The sources on the two conflicts which opposed the Mamelukes to Hospital are partial and contradictory.
A first attack takes place in September 1440 following the Arab sources. The Egyptian fleet moves initially towards Rhodos, then towards the island of Kos, and presents itself again in front of Rhodos in November. The Hospital ones, whose vessels of high edge are lower than those their adversaries, find the parade while making pass their combatants on flat-bottomed boats which launch out to the boarding of the unfavourable ships. The assessment is heavy: 700 dead Egyptian side, 60 on the Christian side. The Egyptians do not insist. According to the Arab sources, the one second forwarding would have been led in 1442 or 1443 against Rhodos by Inâl Al 'Alâ' I Al-Nâssirî and by the emir Tamouhaï, but it would seem that it is about a confusion with that of 1440.
The second Egyptian forwarding takes place in 1444. She is known, Arab side, by the chronicle of Abou Al-Mahâsin ibn Taghrî Birdî (1530-1604). The fleet of the Mamelukes, strong of 75 vessels, unloads this time an army of 18.000 men, which puts the seat in front of Rhodos on August 10th, 1444. The version of the facts, Christian side is given by a chronicle, must with a Catalan Francisc Ferrer, poet at his hours. The two sources agree to note that the various attacks of the Egyptians were pushed back. An exit victorious, and almost despaired, ordered by Jean Lastic, would have even made it possible to throw to the sea the Egyptian pieces of artillery placed in front of the principal door of the city, badly defended since the mole separating the commercial port and the military port. September 18th, a new attack shows a failure. The seat is then raised. 300 Mamelukes were killed and 500 others wounded, without counting to the losses of the combatants not Mamelukes and the auxiliaries.
Jean de Lastic will draw all the conclusions from the weakness of defenses of the wearing of Rhodos. He will make them reinforce, and will devote all his energy to obtain in Europe subsidies necessary. It will however be necessary to await magistère of Raymond Zacosta and that of Pierre d' Aubusson so that is built on the mole (thanks to a generous liberality of the Duc of Burgundy) the strong Saint Nicolas's Day, key of the defense of the city at the time of the seat of 1480. Twice, the Othoman troops will fail in their attack against this fort, where Pierre d' Aubusson in person, assisted of his Antoine brother, had placed himself at the head of the defenders.
Jean de Lastic dies in 1437. Jacques de Milly, large prior of the Language of Auvergne, succeeds to him the head of the Order.
Sources
- Edmond Giscard d'Estaing, " Jean de Lastic, large main of Hospital (1437-1454) the " , Yearly (XII, IV), October-December 1964.
- Gilles Nightingale, Pierre d' Aubusson, the " shield of the chrétienté". The Hospital ones in Rhodos , Manufacture, Besancon, 1991,319 p.