The Castle of Randon and Bertrand Du Guesclin

Before the 12th century, Châteauneuf-de-Randon was ruled by the Counts of Barcelona; one of them, Raymond Berenger, entrusted it as a fief to the brothers Guarin and Odilon in 1126, whose successors founded the abbey of Mercoire between 1187 and 1223. Later, one of its lords engaged in violent disputes with Guillaume de Peyre, the bishop of Mende, who reproached him for oppressing the peasants, his vassals.

Guillaume subsequently invaded his domains and forced him to seek peace. Odilon Guarin ultimately submitted to King Louis VIII in 1226. From 1233 to 1243, the lords of Randon, finding themselves in open war with the Polignacs, eventually became their allies thanks to the mediation of Bernard de Montaigne, bishop of Puy-en-Velay, and eventually merged completely into this noble house.

Châteauneuf-de-Randon, having become one of the primary strongholds of Gévaudan, fell in 1361 under the control of the great free companies. One of their leaders, Séguin de Badifol, a Gascon knight, roamed the countryside at the head of 3,000 pillagers. Twenty years later, in 1380, others seized it. These rogue companies—half English, half Gascon—had settled in several strongholds across Auvergne and Languedoc as a result of the ongoing wars between France and England.

But the castle of Randon remains especially famous for the siege that the English endured there against Bertrand Du Guesclin that very same year. "Sir Bertrand," as the chronicler Froissart notes, "swore that he would not leave until he had the castle to his liking; but an illness took him, and he was bedridden; thus, the siege was not lifted, but his men became more bitter than before."

Sensing his impending end, Du Guesclin embraced the old captains gathered around his bed and, before taking his last breath, urged them never to forget that in whatever country they waged war, the clergy, women, children, and the poor populace were never their enemies. He died the following day. Meanwhile, the English governor had promised to surrender in fifteen days if he was not relieved by reinforcements. The Marshal of Sancerre advanced to the edge of the besieged city's ditch and summoned the governor to surrender. The governor replied that he had given his word to Du Guesclin alone, and would surrender only to him.

It was then that Sancerre admitted the Constable was no more. "Well then," the governor replied, "I will carry the keys of the city to his tomb." Sancerre returned to prepare for this extraordinary ceremony. Everything mournful was removed from the fallen hero's tent, and his coffin was placed on a table covered with flowers. Soon, the governor of Châteauneuf-de-Randon was seen leaving the stronghold at the head of his garrison. He crossed the French encampment to the sound of trumpets and arrived at Du Guesclin's tent, where the principal officers of the army stood gathered in solemn silence. The governor knelt before the Constable's body and gently laid the keys upon his coffin.

To this account, often embellished by historians, we can add two passages from the Chronicle of Du Guesclin, published by Francisque Michel:

"Sir Bertrand did not stay long in Paris; but by the King's accord, Sir Bertrand assembled a very large army and entered the duchy of Guienne, conquering towns and castles until he arrived before Châteauneuf-de-Randon. There were English soldiers guarding the castle, and it was heavily stocked with provisions and artillery. The castle was strong and well-fortified. Sir Bertrand laid siege to it and launched assaults several times, but accomplished little."

Sir Bertrand vowed to maintain the siege and pressed the English so hard that they were completely cut off from provisions. Thus, the English requested a day of truce and sent their captain to Sir Bertrand, negotiating that on a certain day they would surrender the place if they were not aided by the English king. This was promised, and hostages were given to Sir Bertrand, granting them a truce until the day they were required to surrender the castle.

During the truce taken by the English to surrender Châteauneuf-de-Randon, Sir Bertrand, who led the siege, fell sick in bed. When he saw death approaching so closely, he devoutly received the sacraments and called for the Marshal of Sancerre, whom he held in high regard, Sir Olivier de Mauny, and the chivalry of his siege camp, to whom he said: "Lords, I must soon leave your company for death, which is common to all. By your valor and not by my own, fortune has kept me in great honor throughout France in my lifetime, and you truly deserve the honor. My soul recommends itself to you."

"Certainly, lords, I intended to swiftly finish the wars in France by your valor and restore all his kingdom to King Charles; but my company can no longer be held. And yet, I ask God, my Creator, to give you courage always toward the King; so that through you, Lord Marshal, and through your valor and all the chivalry who have always loyally and valiantly stood by him, his wars may be finished."

"My Lord Marshal and you other lords who are here, I wish to ask of you one thing, which would give great peace to my soul if it could be done. And I will tell you what it is: you know, lords, that the English have demanded of me a day for their castle to surrender. Thus, in my heart, I greatly desire that, before my death, the English would surrender the castle."

At Sir Bertrand's words, all the chivalry felt a great pity that no one could fully express. They looked at one another in tears, grieving with a sorrow unlike any ever seen, saying: "Alas! We lose our good father and captain, our leader who nourished us so sweetly and securely guided us. If we possess wealth and honor, it is entirely through him."

"Oh honor and chivalry, you will lose so much when this man passes away!" And many others lamented among the army, so much so that those within the castle caught wind of it, though they knew not why. Thus the day passed, and no aid came to the castle from the English king.

The next day, the Marshal of Sancerre came before the castle and summoned the castle's captain, who soon appeared. Very gently, the Marshal of Sancerre said to him: "Captain and friend, on behalf of my lord the Constable, I come to request that the castle and its keys be surrendered, along with your hostages, according to your promises." Courteously, the captain replied: "Sir, it is true that we have agreements with Sir Bertrand, which we will keep when we see him, and to no other."

"Friends," said the Marshal, "if he were able to come, I would not be asking. Certainly, sir, I will act as your messenger and consult with the companions of the garrison about your words, then I will return with a response, if you please, after dinner." To this, Marshal Loys de Sancerre agreed. He went to Sir Bertrand and relayed what he had discussed with the English.

Then Sir Bertrand faced his end and recognized it clearly. He sent for the royal sword, which was brought to him. He took it in his hand and said to all present: "Lords, with whom I have shared the honor of worldly valor, for which I am indeed worthy, I must now pay the due of death, which none can escape."

"First, I ask that you have the kindness to commend my soul to God. And you, Loys de Sancerre, who are Marshal of France and have indeed deserved much honor, please recommend my soul, my wife, and all my kin."

"To King Charles of France, my sovereign lord, I commend you. And this sword, under which France is governed, I return to him on my behalf, for in the hands of no more loyal subject could I place it under guard." After these words, he made the sign of the cross upon himself.

And thus passed from this world the valiant Sir Bertrand Du Guesclin, whose worth in his days was so immense that he was known, during the reign of his loyalty, as the Tenth of the Worthies (the Tenth of gallant men)...

In another manuscript, that of Lancelot, a slightly different account can be found, presenting a more plausible version of the much-praised conduct of the governor of Châteauneuf-de-Randon:

"At the passing of Sir Bertrand, there was a great cry of mourning throughout the French army; consequently, the English refused to surrender the castle. Therefore, Marshal Loys ordered the hostages to be brought to the ditches to have their heads cut off. Seeing this, they apparently lowered their drawbridge and the captain came to the Marshal to offer the keys, which the Marshal refused, saying:

'Friends, you have agreements with Sir Bertrand, and you will return them to him.' — 'By God, sir!' said the captain, 'you know very well that Sir Bertrand is dead. He was worth so much, but how is it that we would surrender this castle to a dead man?' — 'Certainly, Mr. Marshal, you seek our dishonor if you would have us surrender ourselves and our castle to a deceased knight.' — 'I cannot debate this,' said Marshal Loys, 'but do it immediately: for if you hold parley any longer, go back to your castle to conduct the service for your hostages, for shortly their lives will end.'"

The English clearly saw that there could be no other outcome. Therefore, they all exited the castle, their captain walking before them, and came to Marshal Loys, who led them to the tent where Sir Bertrand lay. He made them surrender their keys and place them upon the body of Sir Bertrand, all weeping. Let it be known to all that neither French knights nor squires, nor the English ones, could hold their grief back. In this solemn manner, Sir Bertrand Du Guesclin, who was worth so much, departed this world.

Within Châteauneuf-de-Randon, Marshal Loys stationed a garrison of men-at-arms and crossbowmen. He then departed with his great chivalry and made arrangements for the body of Sir Bertrand to be embalmed and transported for burial in Brittany at Gisgand...

But before arriving in Brittany, the funeral procession had to turn back by order of King Charles V, who commanded that the remains of the Constable be laid to rest in the royal tombs of Saint-Denis. The church of the Jacobins in Le Puy kept his entrails, while the church of the Dominicans preserved his heart.

Châteauneuf-de-Randon originally belonged to the Polignac family and was eventually returned to them. But at the beginning of the 15th century (1426), an adventurer named André Ribes, taking advantage of a succession dispute among the Polignacs, forcibly seized the castle. He entrusted its guard to a detachment of brigands of which he had made himself chief, and with their help, he plundered the seneschalries of Beaucaire and Toulouse.

André Ribes audaciously claimed the title of Bastard of Armagnac, although he had no right to it. He was undoubtedly encouraged by the protection of the Count of Armagnac, who heavily favored his criminal enterprises.

Later on, Claude-Armand de Polignac became deeply irritated with his father, François-Armand, who wanted to force him into the ecclesiastical state in order to leave his possessions to a younger son, Louis, born of another marriage. Seeking revenge, Claude-Armand allied with the Calvinists and led their troops against his own family's domains. He seized Châteauneuf-de-Randon and, as master of the place, turned it into a stronghold from which he ravaged all the surrounding areas.

At the particular estates of Gévaudan, held at Mende in 1605, the Count of Polignac, acting as Baron of Randon, violently contested precedence with the Count of Apcher. When the latter prevailed, Villefort, the brother of the Count of Polignac and a man of violent temperament, could not bear the affront. Aided by devoted men, he assassinated d'Apcher in the middle of mass inside the church of Mende. He paid for this heinous crime and was subsequently beheaded in Toulouse.
The castle of Randon was finally destroyed under the reign of Louis XIII, following the pacification of the region. At the foot of the mountain on which the small town is located runs the road from Mende to Puy-en-Velay. It is on this very road, in the hamlet of L'Habitarelle, that a monument to Du Guesclin was erected in 1820, placed on the presumed site of the tent in which the great hero died.
By Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun, work of 1882