Bayard

Timeline

1. 1503–1513Garigliano River · LazioBayard was born at the Château de Bayard near Pontcharra; in his youth he accompanied Charles VIII into Italy and was knighted at Fornovo. In 1503 he defended the bridgehead at the Garigliano against superior Spanish forces, his fame reaching the papal court. He later fought at Agnadello and other battles, and in 1513 was captured by the English at Guinegate, where Henry VIII waived his ransom and released him.
2. 1515Marignano · LombardyAfter Francis I ascended the throne he appointed Bayard lieutenant-general of Dauphiné. At the Battle of Marignano in 1515 his cavalry charges in coordination with the artillery greatly contributed to defeating the Swiss pike squares. After the battle it was he who performed the knighting of the young king, a symbolic ceremony celebrated in the French court.
3. 1521Mezières · ArdennesWhen war with Charles V resumed, Mezières, judged indefensible, was held by Bayard with about a thousand men, forcing the superior imperial army to raise the siege. This blocked an incursion into the French heartland; the Parlement of Paris called him the savior of the kingdom, the king awarded him the Order of Saint Michael, and exceptionally allowed him to command a company of gendarmes in the king's name.
4. 1523–1524Sesia River crossing · PiedmontAfter Bonnivet was repulsed in Lombardy and wounded, he handed the remnants over to Bayard. On 30 April 1524, covering the crossing of the Sesia River, Bayard was struck by an arquebus ball and died among the enemy. The Spanish commander Pescara and the Duke of Bourbon Charles, then in imperial service, were both present; his body was later returned to the French and buried back in Dauphiné.