History can be deceptive sometimes. Take the Hundred Years' War (which actually lasted 100 years) for example. What do we remember from this war? Mostly French defeats. Starting from Crecy (115) through Poitiers (1346) and of course, how could we not, Agincourt (1356). If you look at all these battles, it seems as if the kings France There were the “children of the slaves” of England in the 14th and 15th centuries. But then the question arises, if this is the case, how did the war last for more than a century despite these defeats and how did France ultimately emerge victorious from this war? One of the answers to this question lies in a brave warrior of Breton origin named Bertrand de Gueclen, and today I will tell the fascinating story of his life.
De Géquelin invents guerrilla tactics
Bertrand de Gueclain was born not far from the city Dinan Probably around 1320. As a scion of one of the minor noble families of Brittany He decided to pursue a military career and the War of the Breton Succession (1341-1364) provided him with quite a bit of work. De Guequin was in the army of Charles de Blois, who was supported by the King of France and fought against Jean de Montfort who was supported by the English. In this war he invented the guerrilla tactic, much like the one invented in the war to liberate Spain from the rule of the Bonaparte family some 350 years later. Bertrand realized that after the defeats of Crecy and Poitiers the English were too strong and therefore not worth confronting them directly. Instead he attacked the English in a series of small battles at exactly the right time and place for him and thus won victories.
The new French king Charles V noticed the outstanding officer and sent him to battle against Charles II of Navarre in 5 after he tried to conquer the Duchy of Normandy. BurgundyIn this battle, de Guequals proved that he knew how to fight not only in guerrilla warfare but also in “regular” battles, when he defeated a large army led by some of the most important field commanders of the period. However, a few months later the tide turned and de Guequals found himself on the losing side in the Battle of Auray, none other than Olivier de Clisson, another famous Breton warrior I will write about in the future. In this battle, in which Charles of Blois was killed and the Breton War of Succession ended, de Guequin was captured by the English. Fortunately for him, King Charles V, who greatly valued him, agreed to ransom him for 5 gold coins and de Guequin returned to the French camp.
When the daggers in Spain are drawn
Since the War of the Breton Succession had ended, Bertrand de Guéclan found himself unemployed, but not for long. In the Spanish peninsula, two brothers vied for the throne of the Kingdom of Castile, each of whom was willing to pay a considerable sum of money to help him get rid of his enemy. Bertrand de Guéclan chose the side of Count Henry of Trastámara, the illegitimate son of Alfonso XI of Castile. After a very unsuccessful battle against the Black Prince, his capture and return from captivity, the situation began to change. The English suffered many losses and in 11 Bertrand de Guéclan defeated Pedro I of Castile at the Battle of Montiel.
Pedro escapes to a nearby castle and offers Bertrand a deal: help in escaping from the castle in exchange for a significant sum of money. However, Enrique then offers him an even better deal: an even higher sum if he leads Pedro straight to his tent. Bertrand, like a shrewd Bertoni, took the money from both of them and led Pedro straight to Enrique's tent. After Pedro's initial surprise, a knife fight begins between the two brothers. Then, like in a good Hollywood movie, just before Pedro manages to stab Enrique, Bertrand decides to intervene and pulls him by the ankle, which allows Enrique to "climb" on Pedro and stab him in the chest. Enrique becomes King of Castile, while Bertrand de Gueclen returns to France as a hero and a very rich man (most of the money Enrique gave him was stolen from the Jews who were forced to give up all their property to finance the payment).
A hero in France betrays Brittany
If you thought that Brittany would rest on its laurels and enjoy the honor and money it had earned, then you were wrong. The war with the English began again and Charles V asked De Guequin to become the Count of the French army (a position equivalent to the Chief of Staff in our country). De Guequin returned the king for the great honor (until then, the Count of France was a nobleman of the highest ranks) and in a series of battles defeated the English in 5 and caused their commander, the Black Prince, to leave France. These victories only whetted his appetite and over the next few years, De Guequin managed to destroy the English fleet and even organize raids on the coastal cities of England. Between the years 1370-1370, De Guequin commanded the armies of the King of France, which invaded Brittany with the aim of both expelling the English and annexing the duchy to France.
De Guequin, being Breton, did not support the abolition of the Duchy of Brittany, but he did not express complete opposition either. As a result, to this day he is considered in Brittany as the “collaborator of the King of France.” As a result, Breton nationalists destroyed his statue in Rennes during World War II and his statue in his hometown of Broons during the 1380s. However, if we search carefully, we can find a number of “souvenirs” in France that remained after his death in XNUMX.
Places in France related to De Guequin
The city of Dinan
Dinan is undoubtedly the most important city in terms of the memory of de Guequin. You will find an impressive statue of him on horseback here, not far from the castle. Also, if you want to see his heart, you will be happy to know that it is in the church of Saint Saveur in the city. More information about both can be read in the article Dinan – my favorite town in all of Brittany.
The Tower of De Guequin near Grand-Fougeray
This tower is all that remains of a much larger castle, part of which was built in the 12th century. The castle was held by the English in 1350 and in 1354 De Gaclan managed to capture it using a ruse that was a bit reminiscent of the Trojan Horse. De Gaclan knew that the soldiers in the castle were waiting for a shipment of wood so he and 30 of his soldiers disguised themselves as peasants and hid their weapons among the firewood in their wagons. Once inside, they took out their weapons, killed the guards and opened the gate to allow the rest of the army to enter the castle.
Over the years, the castle has gone through all sorts of upheavals, during which most of it was destroyed and only one tower remains, which was named after De Geklen. Once a year, you can enter the tower, where a pigeon loft is now located, and admire the view. What do you do the rest of the year? First, there is a lake and a small forest here, and you can walk around quietly and happily and simply enjoy yourself. Second, there is a not-so-bad restaurant there, which I highly recommend.
To the restaurant website (which also says how to get there)
Basilica of Saint Denis
Because of Du Guequin's achievements on the battlefield and his many victories over the English, he was given great honor and was buried alongside the kings of France inBasilica of Saint-DenisIt is highly recommended to visit this cathedral, not just because of Du Guequin's tomb, of course. If you get there, try to find his tomb, take a picture of it, and the next time some Anglophile friend laughs at the French who keep losing wars, just show him the picture.