The French commander is a knight without fear or reproach. "Do what you have to do and come what may"

A Knight without Fear and Reproach (Modern Elegy) (97) Filled with courage and praying to God, I set out early on a dangerous road. A narrow path lay in front of me, merging at the end into some kind of thick darkness. The distance was silent, like a dark grave; Tall grass only with the wind

#real #from_the_everyday_of_animal defenders and probably #bragging

Our foundation is seven years old. We opened it without a penny to our name, out of sheer enthusiasm and a sincere desire to do everything right. I really wanted to little by little, but cool the volunteers’ heads a little without cooling their hearts. I wanted to show the authorities that animal protection is not crazy grannies-feeders, frantically screaming that people are creatures, children are juvenile scum, and only flea-filled hungry dogs and tailless and eyeless cats at the entrances are worthy of life... I wanted to show that we are reasonable strength, a community of sober-minded people, ready for difficult decisions and real work aimed not only at saving our beloved animals, but also at solving the problem of mass homelessness of these animals. I wanted to embrace the immensity and, as far as possible, increase the “ecological literacy” of ordinary people, reach out to people, help them realize that an unsterilized cat at home is not a happy animal, grateful to its owner for the opportunity to realize its maternal instinct, but a potentially sick, unhappy creature that suffers every six months from painful heats and spending huge resources on replenishing the army of eyeless street kittens...

Over these seven years, we received only two small grants from the regional and city governments (more precisely: a grant of 200 thousand rubles and a subsidy of 70 thousand rubles). Over the course of seven years, we have come up with and successfully implemented several unique charity events, put things in order at foster care (now, on the one hand, we have no debts, and on the other, the animals are well-fed and healthy), at the very least, we have drilled into the heads of volunteers the understanding that euthanasia of spinal cords and hopelessly sick animals are not evil, but a humane way to solve a problem and/or a type of help; that if you take an animal under your supervision, you must make sure that under your supervision it becomes better, and not worse, than it was before... We have become a pain in the ass for officials who are trying to profit from the problem of stray animals, both among zoo-loving people and at the local “shelter”, in reality a concentration camp for dogs, cats and one person... We saved, cured, gave homes to several dozen cats and dogs (well, and several parrots, ferrets, turtles, owls, rabbits, and also one raccoon dog, one deer and one pig).

Three years ago we had a crisis. We gathered the most active volunteers, a few sponsors, representatives of the public organization and journalists in the assembly hall of the regional library. They gathered to say that we were exhausted, tired of fighting on two, or even all three, fronts. It was terribly difficult then, and we fell from fatigue and were constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We're burned out. And they asked for help. But in response they heard: “What did you expect when you registered a fund from scratch? They don’t do that! Funds are opened on the basis of an existing investor!” I will never forget what a revelation this remark was for me back then))) I couldn’t even find what to answer. They looked at us like we were idiots, and we felt like complete idiots...

Three years have passed. We haven't closed. We survived. We did it. Now I am submitting reports to the Ministry of Justice, tax and statistics for last year. I count, fill out and... Suddenly I realize that, it seems, we really managed to change something over these seven years. For the first time ever, I had the feeling of “Not in vain!” :)

Without government support, without grants and subsidies, we earned money last year (we actually earned money, because organizing events and promotions is work) and spent almost twice as much on sterilization, maintenance and treatment of animals as the year before (840 rubles. instead of 450 TR)! We sterilized two and a half times more animals (244 tails instead of 94) twice as many people who sought help (108 instead of 57, and these are only applications for sterilization, and there is also food, medicine, payment for operations and treatment, payment for maintenance animals in foster care and in the hospital...).

But the most important thing is that my phone almost never shuts up. People call asking for help in sterilizing animals. People have really changed over these seven years. And the more there are those who have realized and accepted the sterilization of animals as the norm, the faster those who are still resisting it are “infected” with this awareness. I see. And that's great!

Why am I writing all this here?)) I’m bragging, of course :)) And I share my joy with those who might be happy (this is how the owners of long-added animals sometimes share their joy with me, sending news and photos with happy faces).

Today I’m tired from filling out reports, but happy. It seems that for the last seven years of my life I have been smoking the sky not at all pointlessly.

Knight without fear and reproach from French: Le Chevalier suns peur et sans reproche-
a title granted by King Francis I of France to the French knight Pierre du Terrail Bayard, famous for his exploits in battle and victories in tournaments. In addition, the king appointed him commander of a company of his personal guard, thereby equating him to the princes of the blood, and also awarded him the honor of knighting the king himself, that is, Francis himself.

From the Military Encyclopedia 1911-1914 :

Pierre de Terail BAYARD, “Knight without fear and reproach” is one of the most popular historical figures of the knightly era so far and everywhere; his name became a household name, synonymous with honor, selflessness and high military valor.
However, from a modern point of view, much of what his contemporaries admired in B. is unable not only to arouse our admiration, but will sooner meet with condemnation. So, recognizing the enemy’s property as his booty, he took it for himself, although not in order to accumulate wealth, but in order to live it together with his comrades.
Deprived of any qualities of a military leader, he is only a hero of battles, tournaments and raids, a seeker of military adventures, unable to subordinate his thirst for exploits to the highest and general goals of war. B. gen. in 1476 in Grenoble and at the age of 10 he entered the Hertz. Savoysk. a page, and for 18 years he was the page of King Charles VIII.
Since 1494, when Charles VIII went on a campaign to Italy, B.'s military glory begins to grow. In the battle of Fournes, two horses are killed near B., but he, on foot, rushes into trouble. ranks, beats off the enemy’s banner and brings it to the feet of his king. As a reward for this feat, B. is knighted.

In the battle of Garigliano in 1503, he, with a handful of brave men, occupied the bridge and heroically defended it for several hours, thereby delaying the onslaught of the Spanish. troops against the retreating French. army After this, he and a small detachment fortified several castles in the vicinity of Venosa and began partisan activities. Cut off from his army, which had already returned to France, B., however, did not lay down his arms and, after a series of skirmishes and battles, “with glory and booty” he crossed all of Italy and returned to his fatherland.
In 1507-10 B. again participates in the conquest of Italy and is the defender of the population from the robberies of the French. soldier In 1513, luck changed the French. In the battle of Guinegato, when all the French. the army fled, only B. did not run, but attacked one English. knight, demanded his surrender. The confused knight handed B. his sword, but B., in turn, handed it back to the Englishman and declared himself his prisoner. The winners, having learned about B.'s new noble deed, immediately released him without any ransom.

The Battle of Marignano (13–14 September 1515) was a key battle in the War of the League of Cambrai for possession of the Duchy of Milan. Happened near the city of Marignano (now Melegnano, southeast of Milan)

In 1515, B. participated in a 2-day battle. the battle of Marignano and from its very beginning to the end fought hand-to-hand with unflagging courage. battle. B.'s horse was wounded, his armor was all chopped up by the blows of enemy swords, but victory still remained with the “knight without fear and reproach.” In 1521 B. was defended by the fortress. Mezières. In 1524, Milan was again occupied by the French, under the beginning. adm. Boniza. The latter, aware of his inability, transferred command of the troops that had fallen into disarray to B. “It’s too late for salvation,” said the latter, taking command, “but for honor and the fatherland I am ready to go to meet death.” He was indeed mortally wounded by a shot from an arquebus. Leaning against a tree, he looked with fading eyes at the enemy troops passing by him, and when Hertz. Karl Bourbon stopped in front of him and began to mourn the death of “a knight without fear and reproach,”


Schaeffer, Ari - Death of Gaston de Foix at the Battle of Ravenna on April 11, 1512

B. told him: “Don’t cry for me, cry for yourself; you are fighting against your fatherland.” After this, having kissed the cross-shaped hilt of his sword, B. passed away into eternity. In Grenoble in the church of St. Andrei, a marble bust was erected to him. (M. Moindron, Histoire du gentil seigneur de Baiart).

But with the death of the hero, his glory did not fade. Literally in the year of Bayard’s death, Symphorien Champier’s book “The Acts of the Valiant Knight Chevalier Bayard throughout his entire life” was published in Lyon, and 2 years later, Bayard’s squire, Jacques de Mai, anonymously published a knightly novel dedicated to “a knight without fear or reproach” - to his long-time patron. This book was called "The most pleasant, amusing and relaxing story of the glorious noble Lord Bayard." This novel was extremely popular and went through several reprints in subsequent years.

Bayard's name itself, as well as his nickname, became a household name. For many centuries, it was with him that the most valiant warriors were compared. For example, the French called “Russian Bayard” for his personal courage and contempt for the dangers of General Miloradovich during the War of 1812... Also, the name Bayard became a real brand - everyone heard of Fort Bayard, which became famous thanks to the television program.


Fort Bayard

No images of him were preserved during his lifetime, but judging by the oldest of his portraits, his appearance was by no means heroic, and his build apparently did not at all resemble Hercules. It’s simply amazing how he managed to wear many kilograms of knight’s armor, and even fight valiantly in them. However, artists and especially sculptors of subsequent centuries tried to give his image a truly heroic appearance. One can, however, forgive them for such liberty - Bayard, like many other heroes of world history, ceased to be just a man, turning into a symbol of courage and heroism. A true knight without fear or reproach, the last knight of a bygone era. "It was the time of giants."

Pierre Terrail de Bayard's motto: "Do what you must, and come what may"

Knight armour

De Bayard's own armor is now kept in a museum in Paris.

Many people are familiar with the motto of Pierre Terrail de Bayard: “Do what you must, and come what may.”

Among the heroes of the European knightly Middle Ages, Pierre Bayard remained in history with the most honorable title, which he received from friends and enemies during his lifetime. He entered it for his amazing feats, nobility of actions, generosity and unparalleled courage as “a knight without fear or reproach.”

It is believed that Bayard never broke his word, was faithful to his overlord (at that time this was not the most common phenomenon; overlords were betrayed with enviable regularity) and never used firearms, considering them a vile weapon and unworthy of a knight.

Pierre Terrail de Bayard came from an ancient French noble family, many of whom laid down their lives, fighting with honor for the king. Pierre prepared himself for military service from an early age (his three older brothers did not follow his example) and by the age of 14 he could say that “knightly armor became his second skin.”

The nobleman Pierre Bayard became a noble knight largely thanks to his mother’s upbringing. She never tired of instructing him like this: “Respect your peers, always tell the truth, protect widows and orphans.”

As a 14-year-old teenager, Pierre entered the service as a page to the Duke of Savoy, from whom he soon came to the court of King Charles VIII, who fell in love with him and became his tutor. Soon the young nobleman became a constant companion of his patron monarch on military campaigns. In that era, France and Spain waged incessant wars with each other for almost 60 years, and the knights had a place to demonstrate their own valor. In those years, the noble knightly traditions were still preserved, although they had already outlived their time.

The favorite of Charles VIII was distinguished by a scrupulousness in matters of honor that was amazing for his time. Such a case is known. Pierre Bayard once captured the enemy general Alonso de Sotomayor, who was a close relative of the Spanish commander Gonsalvo of Corduan and therefore could hope for ransom from French captivity. The ransom amount was stated at one thousand gold coins.

The noble captive was escorted to Monerville Castle. The Spaniard gave his word to Pierre Bayard, who was guarding him, not to attempt an escape and therefore received complete freedom of movement within the walls of the castle. However, General Alonso de Sotomayor did not keep his word of honor, bribed one of the guard soldiers and a week later fled from Monerville to Andria, where at that time the camp of the Spanish troops was located.

Outraged by this act of the prisoner, Pierre Bayard sent horsemen in pursuit of him. They overtook the fugitive and returned him to the castle. However, contrary to the Spaniard's expectations, he continued to be treated with the same courtesy, which, of course, he now did not deserve. When the ransom was delivered, General Alonso de Sotomayor was already reproached among his own for treachery, for having dishonored the rank of a Spanish nobleman. In response, he stated that one of the French knights had mistreated him in captivity.

When such rumors reached Bayard, he challenged the “scoundrel” to a knightly match with a letter, demanding otherwise that he abandon the slanderous words. The duel with swords and daggers took place two weeks later. The Frenchman, sick with fever, nevertheless managed to defeat the Spaniard to death, thereby proving the purity of his own knightly honor.

Soon Pierre Bayard had the opportunity to once again demonstrate his military skill. The warring parties once again concluded a truce among themselves, now for two months. Out of boredom, the Spanish and French nobles decided to organize a knightly tournament near the Monerville castle, in which thirteen people on each side must fight at the same time. The rules of the battle were agreed upon in advance; it could only end with the onset of darkness. The rider, having lost his horse, left the “battlefield”. Hitting animals with spears was prohibited.

The Spaniards immediately showed dishonesty. In the first skirmish, they wounded eleven horses with spears and their owners had to leave the knightly lists site. Now, against 13 Spaniards, only two French remained - Bayard and his friend Oroz. They did not allow the enemy knights to “dishorse” themselves. Moreover, the French knights knocked out seven Spaniards from the battle.

By nightfall, six enemies remained against Pierre Bayard and Oroz. The knightly tournament ended in a draw, although the moral victory undoubtedly went to the two valiant French knights, who withstood an unequal battle and glorified themselves.

However, he was still far from worldwide (or at least all-French) fame. And this is how she came to Pierre Terraille:

In 1503, the opposing troops camped near the Garigliano River, the French (more numerous) on its right bank, the Spaniards (12 thousand under the command of Gonzalo de Cordoba) on the left. The standoff lasted for quite a long time, and neither army dared to be the first to cross the river and begin the battle. But soon there was a shortage of food in the French camp, and their commander was forced to send almost all of his cavalry to replenish supplies.

Gonsalvo of Corduan learned about this through spies, who decided to take advantage of the favorable opportunity and defeat the French army piecemeal: first the infantry, and then the cavalry. He developed a seemingly flawless plan for the environment. One detachment of the Spanish army was supposed to attack the French from the front, another, of two hundred horsemen, was to complete the encirclement along the newly built bridge.

On November 8, 1503, the Spanish cavalry crossed the river without difficulty and turned around to attack the French positions. Here she encountered stubborn resistance, which was quite consistent with the wishes of Gonsalvo of Corduan. And he sent a second detachment to the rear of the enemy. At this moment the French gave the signal to retreat. To enable the infantry to break away from the advancing enemy cavalry, they organized small covering detachments with all the available cavalry. One of these detachments of fifteen people was commanded by Bayard.

The retreat proceeded in perfect order, and it seemed that the Spaniards' plan to encircle the enemy would completely fail. Gonsalvo of Corduan now pinned all his hopes on the outflanking maneuver of a detachment of two hundred knights. He was given the order to intercept the retreating infantry and destroy it. To do this, he had to cross the ridge of hills on the outskirts of Garigliano and cross the river along a narrow bridge. To the disappointment of Gonsalvo of Cordua, this maneuver did not go unnoticed. As soon as the Spaniards reached the heights adjacent to the bridge, they were immediately noticed by the French. Bayard correctly assessed the danger threatening the French army and, together with his squire Le Basco, rushed to cross them. The task of the two horsemen was not an easy one - to intercept the Spaniards before they crossed the river, and, without allowing them to turn around, force them to fight on the bridge.

But only having approached closer to the crossing, Bayard realized that it was impossible to hold the bridge together - the Spanish detachment numbered several dozen people. And then he turned to his squire with the words: “Run, run for help, while I deal with them here!” Now Bayard had to defend the bridge alone, and not only his life, but also the lives of many hundreds of infantrymen depended on it.

The Spaniards could not have imagined that only one person intended to seriously challenge the crossing of two hundred well-armed knights. And this self-confidence became their first mistake. The Spaniards did not realize that the narrow bridge completely deprived them of their main advantage - superiority in numbers. Only two or three could attack at the same time, pushing and interfering with each other. But now Bayard had a chance to hold out, turning what seemed a hopeless battle into several fights. And in this matter Bayard had vast experience. And he took full advantage of the unexpected gift from the Spaniards.

As soon as the first ranks of the Spaniards began to cross, he spurred his horse and, with a spear in his hand, rushed towards them. The blow was so powerful and unexpected that the first two Spaniards were knocked down and fell into the river. Two more were killed immediately. Then Bayard turned his horse across the passage, completely blocking the path across the bridge. Now the Spaniards had lost even the ghostly hope of pushing past the French knight to the opposite bank. Already in the first skirmish, Bayard’s spear broke, he pulled out his sword and began to strike with it right and left, covering himself and his horse’s head with a shield.

The Spaniards were unable to kill or wound the lone defender of the bridge. Exhausted or wounded, some Spaniards replaced others in this endless duel; they could not make their way to the shore. But it was clear that sooner or later the forces had to leave Bayard, the only question was how quickly.

And here the Spaniards made a second mistake, which became fatal for them. They stopped the attack and retreated to their shore, as if luring Bayard and inviting him to follow them into the field. But without wanting it, the Spaniards gave Bayard the opportunity to rest at a moment when his strength had already begun to fail him. Therefore, no matter how much the Spaniards called him, no matter how much they waved their arms, he did not move from his place and remained on his edge of the bridge. And the Spaniards had no choice but to resume attacks. They managed to wound Bayard, and he was forced to continue the fight with only one hand. The Spaniards anticipated a quick victory.

And at that moment the long-awaited help arrived. Le Basco brought with him a hundred knights. But they could not significantly alleviate Bayard’s situation. He could not leave the battle without fear that the Spaniards would break through to the French coast after him. And the tightness of the bridge now turned against the French, preventing them from attacking the Spanish detachment. Bayard resolved the stalemate. He turned his exhausted horse around and began to push the Spaniards ashore with his chest. One knight drove back two hundred! The rest followed him across. But numerical superiority remained on the side of the Spaniards. But they, broken morally, were no longer capable of resistance and retreated. The French pursued them for more than a mile. For this feat, King Louis XII of France gave Bayard the motto: “One has the strength of an army.”

We must pay tribute not only to Bayard, but also to his horse; you will agree that the merit of driving the knights off the bridge largely belongs to the four-legged warrior.

...During the siege of the fortified city of Teruana by the British, “a knight without fear or reproach” was captured. The enemy then so strongly attacked the French cavalry, which was rushing to the aid of the besieged garrison of Terouana, that it put it to shameful flight. Only Pierre Bayard and a handful of knights survived, who fought bravely, but could not avoid death or captivity. The English king, as a sign of respect for the exploits known to him, released Bayard from captivity without ransom and even invited him to his service. But he, naturally, refused such an honor.

...The new king of France, Francis I, bowing before. Pierre Bayard, during the Battle of Marignano, asked him to knight himself. Out of modesty, he initially refused, but the king insisted on his request. Bayard knighted the monarch with the traditional three blows of the sword flat on the shoulder, saying:

- God grant, Your Majesty, that you do not know how to escape!

An interesting legend about Bayard's death:

“The knight without fear and reproach” died on Italian soil in 1524. Then the incompetent royal commander-in-chief, Admiral Bonivet, was defeated and began to retreat to the Alps. Bayard commanded the rearguard, covering the French retreat. When the admiral received a mortal wound, he handed over command to Pierre, begging him to save the army. During the battle, one of the Spanish soldiers shot him in the back with a musket.

The Duke of Bourbon stopped in front of the wounded man, saddened by the death of his heroic enemy. Bayard replied to Bourbon: “Don’t cry for me, mourn yourself; you are fighting against your fatherland,” after which, according to legend, he kissed his sword and died.

According to another version, the knight, dying, asked his subordinates to lay him under a tree facing his enemies:

“I have always looked them in the face and, dying, I don’t want to show my back!”

De Bayard's own armor is now kept in a museum in Paris. I wonder if there is a hole on the back plate of the cuirass from the bullet that ended the life of the famous knight in the Battle of Romagnano?

Let’s take this opportunity and at the same time consider this castle:

Chateau Bayard is a castle located in the commune of Pontcharra in the Isère department (Rhône-Alpes, France) in the Grésivaudan valley, Dauphine Alps.

Since 1915, Bayard Castle has been included in the list of historical monuments of the French Ministry of Culture.

Since 1975, the castle has become the Bayard House Museum, which presents the life and myths of Pierre Terrail, Seigneur de Bayard, the famous “knight without fear or reproach.”

Story

Initially, Chateau Bayard was simply a fortified feudal mansion. During the feudal era, only lords could own a castle. Pierre Terrail, first of all (the family was also called LeVieux - "the old") and great-great-grandfather of the famous knight, was vice-lord of the Lord of Avalon.

Beginning in 1404, Pierre Terrail rebuilt his residence into a palace called Bayard near Pontcharres. Even if it was a strong house, the building he made was hardly all that insignificant: 19th-century illustrations show the residence protected by four round towers rising on three levels of mullioned mullioned windows.

The terrace overlooks the Grévisaudan valley, where there is a stunning view of the vast territory of the Jura Mountains, the Vercors plateau, the Belledonne massif and the Chartreuse mountains.

Pierre II, the son of Pierre Terrail, received the title of Lord Bayard, thanks to which the powerful building was officially renamed a castle.

After the death of Pierre II Terrail in 1465 at Montlhéry, his son Aymon (1420-1496) received the title of Lord Bayard and lived in the castle. Like his father and grandfather, he devoted most of his life to fighting for the King of France.

The castle then passed to Pierre III Terrail, his son, a famous knight of Bayard. He was born and spent his childhood in the castle and occupied it even without participating in the campaign, and also when he received the rank of Lieutenant General of the Dauphiné and governed the province.

After the king's death, the castle was inherited by his brother Georges, and then by Georges' daughter, Françoise Copier. She had no children and sold the castle and titles in 1559 to the d'Avançon family. The property then passed, after marriage, to Simiane de Gordes (1581), then to Simiane de la Costa, Lords of Montbiev (1677), and ultimately to the Noinvilles (1735).

Louis-Alphonse de Noinville - an emigrant of the French Revolution, was the last Lord of Bayard. His property was confiscated and sold in 1795. For a long time the castle lay in ruins (since the time of Françoise Copier). The stones were even used as building materials for neighboring houses, despite the protests of scientists from Dauphiné.

In 1865, Jean-Baptiste Bertrand, priest of Grignon, upon his retirement, converted the remains of the castle into his residence, repairing the masonry as much as possible with the participation of the legal owner.

Now the castle belongs to the local notary.

After the revolution, Chateau Bayard was reduced to ruins. Since 1890, the castle has been restored and is constantly a private property, and since 1975, its rooms have housed a museum telling the story of the hero. The museum is supported by the Friends of Bayard Association; since 1938, the association has published regular publications and held annual meetings to restore historical accuracy.

A 3-story residence was added to the feudal building with four towers, of which only two floors have survived, now occupied by the museum. During the period of the French religious wars and wars over the borders between Dauphiné and Savoy, as well as subsequent abandonment, the castle suffered greatly.