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Spotlight: Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
The Death of Chevalier Bayard by Benjamin West, oil on canvas, c. 1772, commissioned by King George III
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, remembered as ‘the knight without fear and without reproach’, was one of the most celebrated soldiers of Renaissance France. Born into a noble military family near Grenoble, he entered service as a page in the court of the Dukes of Savoy before joining the armies of the French kings. His career unfolded during the turbulent Italian Wars, where he fought under Kings Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I.
Bayard first gained fame at the Battle of Fornovo in 1495, where his courage earned him knighthood. Over the next three decades he became renowned for a combination of battlefield skill and personal honour. He distinguished himself in numerous campaigns, including actions at Garigliano, Brescia, Ravenna, and Marignano. One of his most famous achievements came in 1521 when, with a relatively small force, he helped defend Mézières against a vastly larger imperial army, buying valuable time for France to organize its defences. Military historians note that Bayard was not merely a brave warrior; he was also a capable commander who relied on reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and disciplined leadership.
His contemporaries admired him as a rare figure who united martial excellence with moral character. For that reason, he became a symbol of the fading medieval ideal of chivalry at the dawn of the modern age. (King Francis I admired Bayard so much that, in 1515, he famously asked Bayard himself to confer knighthood upon him.)
Bayard died in 1524 during a rearguard action at the Battle of the Sesia, reportedly facing the enemy rather than fleeing from them. His death elevated him from military hero to national legend.
Pierre Terrail is remembered not only for his military achievements but because he combined exceptional courage with integrity, humility, mercy, and a deep sense of duty. In an age often marked by brutality, he earned admiration for protecting civilians, treating enemies with respect, keeping his word, and leading from the front rather than seeking privilege or glory for its own sake. His chivalrous conduct was inspirational, and his life influenced later idealized portrayals of knights in shining armour across the West.
Bayard’s example demonstrates that true leadership comes from character as much as competence, and that strength is most admirable when tempered by self-discipline and compassion. Five centuries after he lived, le chevalier sans peur remains inspiring because he demonstrated that a person can be both highly effective and deeply honourable — a combination that is too often absent in our leaders today.
Verse: 'Song: To Celia’ by Ben Jonson
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I’ll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine:
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee,
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent’st it back to me;
Since when it grows and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
Ben Jonson was an influential dramatist in 17th century England. This song, written in 1616, has been popular pretty much ever since it was first written, though the music has changed over the centuries. Here’s a version from 1916 with music that sounds like it was pinched out of Hymns Ancient & Modern.
Pensées
Somewheres vs. anywheres — The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper in his book, Right Here, Right Now, writes that some people don’t mind not belonging to a particular place; he dubbed them ‘anywheres’. Anywheres are happy to live and work around the globe and become ‘citizens of the world’. Yet, anywheres don’t build schools or town halls; they’re not forced to contend with local economic forces or worry about what their neighbours think. In short, they’re detached.
Somewheres sow into their families and communities, while anywheres largely reap what others have sown in communities they didn’t build. This isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is a uniquely modern phenomenon, and society certainly can’t afford for everyone to be anywheres. Civilization requires somewheres.
Q: Sir Roger Scruton once wrote that ‘conservatism is the philosophy of attachment’. What people, places, and things are you attached to?
Diversions
Get to know Rembrandt in 10 paintings.
Plenty of school campouts turn into archaeological digs, but this one uncovered a 2nd century Roman villa.
Listen: a wide-ranging discussion between Dr. James Orr and Dr. Sebastian Morello on human flourishing, religion, and modernity.
The French film Victory or Death was recently released in the U.S. The story serves as an important reminder that the French Revolution was mostly terrible.
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