Pierre Terrail of Bayard

Military youth and beginnings

Pierre III Terrail, wire of Aymon (or Amon) lord of Bayard and Helene Alleman-Laval, fact part of these historical characters whose exemplary existence gave rise to a legend which crossed the centuries. The perpetuation of its acts of glare and its great bravery was ensured by one of his/her comrades in arms, Jacques de Mailles, which described its life in the work the very merry one, pleasant and entertaining history of the Knight Bayard . The personality and the life of Bayard all whole are summarized in the famous formula “Knight without fear and reproach” which arrived to us.

Terrail were a family of noble from the Dauphine, which since five generations had seen perishing four of its members in the Guerre One hundred Year old. The art of living and to die and the acute sense of the honor were the essential values of this family. Though noble, Terrail could not carry out large train, their field being limited indeed to 28 newspapers, that is to say the equivalent of 7 hectares. Pierre III Terrail was born with Pontcharra, with the Château Bayard, in 1476. This residence, actually simple house-strong, was built at the beginning of the 15th century by the back grandfather of Bayard, Pierre Terrail first of the name, told to the Old man . Elder supposed of a family of eight children, including four boys, Bayard had to carry out, within this big family, an ascetic life. If it could foresee a military career, it was thanks to the generosity of his/her uncle Laurent Alleman, brother of his mother and bishop of Grenoble. He begin first of all with very modest studies at the School Cathedral from the capital from the Dauphine, with the angle of the current street Hache, where he learned how to write. In February 1486, 11 years old, it obtained, always thanks to his/her uncle Laurent Alleman, a place of page to the court of Charles I {{er}}, Duc of Savoy, where it was called Riquet then Piquet . It left to make its training of the weapons with Turin, and finished its military studies with the Cour of France. In 1493, at the 17 years age, it entered in the capacity as man-at-arms to the Company of the Count de Ligny.

Birth of the legend

In 1493, as soon as joined Ligny, Bayard on the occasion to make recognize its valiancy and its bravery, which were not long in making it famous in spite of its young age. It made “wonder of weapons” in many confrontations related to the Guerres of Italy, under Charles VIII. It took part in the Bataille of Fornoue (1494). In 1496, his/her father died. " Piquet" then took the title of lord of Bayard. Rider except par, it also excelled as infantryman, which it proved while gaining, in 1503, the duel the opponent with the famous Spanish captain Alonso de Sotomayor, which showed it ill-treatment lasting its captivity. Six months earlier, in February, it had been already distinguished at the time of a combat of honor to eleven compared with eleven against the Spaniards. Bayard became the hero of the accounts that the soldiers told themselves to distract their trouble.

The defense of the bridge of Garigliano

In 1504, the retirement of the French troops out of the Royaume of Naples was going to be used as theater with the one of its more important facts of weapons. The Garigliano, river heir to the Liri antique, which is thrown in the the Mediterranean in the north of Naples made separation between French and Spaniards. The order was given by the Marquis de Gonzague, general-in-chief of the troops of the King de France, to send a level of recognition to cross the river on a quickly launched bridge of boats. Informed at the last time, Bayard, united with the small group of scouts into simple pourpoint, without to have taken time to thread its armor and its helmet. Quickly, the three or four hundred French and Swiss having crossed Garigliano were overflowed by the 1 500 supported artillery men which launched against them Gonzalve de Cordoue. The French Army had to beat a retreat. The bridge, extremely narrow, forced the Spaniards one by one to be presented in front of Bayard, remained only with the rear-guard. Valiancy, the address and the endurance of Bayard made wonder. “ Like an escaped tiger ”, known as Theodore Godefroi, “ it was driven back with the barrier of the bridge and with blows of sword defended oneself so that the enemy could not distinguish if it dealt with man or the Devil. This beautiful action deserved to him for currency a porcupine, with these words: Transfer agminis unus habet ”. One needed all the persuasive heat of his companions so that it lets some of them take over: the Father of Brantôme and the captain Ymbault de Rivoire. This last, a From the Dauphine, lord of Romagnieu, excited the admiration of the inhabitants of Lyon, city in which it remained. The lane which served its house still bears the name which was then given to him of Montée of Garillan . It is finally the French artillery, setting out of battery on the opposed bank, which forced the Spaniards to take the broad one and put an end to the battle.

Captain

In April 1507, always under the reign of Louis XII, it forced the passage of the Apennines in front of Genoa and took the city, which had been just raised. This victory was the occasion of one dazzling ravelled French troops in the presence of the King, the April 20th 1508. One glowing miniature of Jean Bourdichon immortalisé this moment. At the beginning of May 1509, Bayard and his troops took Treviglio, in the south of Bergamo, between Milan and Brescia. The May 14th 1509, Bayard was still illustrated, with Agnadel this time (in the south of Bergamo, close to Crémone), victory which opened with Louis XII the doors of Venice. A victory acquired in a blood bath: 14 600 dead, that a Vault of Dead as well as a commemorative stele recalls still today. The King precisely had just granted Bayard the functions of captain, rank usually reserved for powerful noble of the kingdom. Generally, the troops were ordered by the lieutenant. The captain, notable, being seldom present on the battle field.

From August to September of the same year the seat of Padoue took place. Bayard was then in garrison with Vérone. He attacked four Venetian garrisons which protected the door from Vicence. He tried in 1510 to remove the Pape Jules II, which had been turned over against French, his old allies.

In 1512, after having taken Bologna, it besieged Brescia in February. 19, it was seriously wounded there of a blow of spade in the top of the leg. Collected by a gentleman, it saved to him his residence of the plundering and his wife of dishonor.

Quickly given, it was illustrated again, with Ravenne this time, during the delicate withdrawal of the French troops. His/her comrade in arms, Gaston de Foix, will die the weapon with the hand, this evening of the April 11th 1512, at only 23 years.

Marignan

The legend affirms that the January 20th 1515, whereas François I {{er}} names Bayard general Lieutenant of the Dauphine one. With Marignan, at the evening of the victory, for “largely honouring”, François Ier wanted to take “the order of knighthood of its hand”.

Thus the next morning, the September 15th 1515, the Compagnies of ordinance were gathered. François Ier, then twenty years old, would have been made adouber knight by that which best carried out with the eyes of all the ideal of courage and honesty that the valiant knights of the Moyen-âge fixed themselves.

Unfortunately for the legend, this event is only reported years later, in 1525, in a work of which the political goal is acknowledged (to return to the royalty more value, it which undergoes the defeat of Pavia). In the same way all the documents are referred to it go back to 1439 and beyond that.

Popular governor

Named by François Ier Lieutenant-General of Dauphine, Bayard ensured the governorship of the province, since, according to the habit, the governor titrates some - who was then the duke of Longueville- did not deal by no means with his province.

Bayard was acclaimed the March 17th 1515, at the time of his entry in Grenoble, happy to receive illustrates it knight. Bayard set out again with Marignan in July. The victory enabled him to remain thereafter a little at greater length in its government of Dauphine, not without having on several occasions to set out again in shift in Italy or in the north of the France at the request of the King. Bayard very took in heart his functions and was acquired new titles with the public recognition. Three fields held especially its attention: the plague, floods and brigands.

In 1521, it defended Mézières besieged by the German troops of Charles Quint.

It was seriously wounded on the Milanese face. He says to his companions: “ I never turned the back in front of the enemy, I do not want to start at the end of my life . ”

Died and posterity

In 1523, François I {{er}}, refusing the defeats, recalls it to its sides. The August 22nd, the first Italian troops cross the mounts close to Lyon. Bayard was mortally wounded by a blow of Escopette in the back the April 29th 1524, with Rebec in the Milanese, while with the rear-guard it covered the retirement of the French Army. The broken spinal column, it enjoignit his/her companions to leave it so that they were not taken. The constable of Bourbon, which had been turned over against the king of France, continued the French with the head of the troops of Charles Quint. He comes in front of Bayard and known as: “Ah! Mister de Bayard , says it, that I have large-pity to see you in this state, you who were so virtuous knight! - Mister , answered it dying, it is not need for pity for me, because I die as a man of good; but I have pity of you, because you are useful against your prince and your fatherland! ”

He failed in the opposing side, cried by his enemies. He was 48 years old. Its body was brought back to France and buried with the convent of Tiny of Saint-Martin-in Hères (close to Grenoble), its remainders were authenticated and transferred on August 21st, 1822 in collegial the Saint-Andrew from Grenoble.

The admiration which caused the Bayard Knight at the same time sound living and a long time after its death can be close to that which inspire the epopees of Jeanne d' Arc or Of Guesclin. Bayard incarnates the type of the subordinate chief, who knew neither functions of mark, nor command as a chief (although François Ier had promised that it deserved “the highest loads”), but whose historical fame however exceeds much that of many characters whose role or loads was in theory more important. The traditional image attached to Bayard is that of the perfect knight, who can not only fight with talent, but also to defend oppressed, and to be opposed to plundering overcome cities. In this direction, he is somewhat the heir to a medieval design of the honor. This chivalrous spirit enabled him to be cried with its death by its enemies.

In order to preserve and to honor the memory with the knight, the towns of Pontcharra (place of its birth) and of Rovasenda (place of its death) are twinned.

Monuments

equestrian Statue with Pontcharra (Isere).
Statue with Grenoble, Saint-Andrew place.
Mausoleum of Bayard, classified Historic building 1625, located in the Collegial Saint-Andrew at Grenoble.
Bayard Museum with the Castle Bayard with Pontcharra.
Statue with Charleville-Mézières, inaugurated in October 2005. It is about a copy of the work of the sculptor Aristide Croisy who was dismounted by German during the First World War and restored at the city after the armistice of 1918; it was definitively molten during the occupation of the last war.
Statue in the enclosure of the prestigious Stanislas College of Paris, from which it inspired the currency “ French without fear, Chrétien without reproach ”.
the name of Bayard given to the large rock by the narrow passage of which one penetrates in the town of Dining (Belgium) while coming from Beauraing has nothing to do with the knight: he refers to a blow of shoe of the horse Bayard, legendary gifted mounting of the word which carried the Four wire Aymon, continued by the hatred of Charlemagne, therefore well before the 16th century…
the Collar Bayard separates the plate from the Gapençais of the plate of the Champsaur in the Hautes-Alpes

References

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