. The story of Bayard : the good knight without fear and without reproach . CHAPTER IX How Charles VIII., King of France, prepared to set forthfor the Conquest of the Kingdom of Naples, and howBayard the Good Knight went with him—How Napleswas conquered and lost—The Battle of Fornovo and theGallant Deeds of Bayard—Death of Charles VIII. DURING two years Bayard remained with thegarrison at Aire, and made great progress in allwarlike training. At the end of this time, inthe year 1494, Charles VIII. undertook his firstexpedition to Italy, and as the company of theCount de Ligny was commanded to j
. The story of Bayard : the good knight without fear and without reproach . CHAPTER IX How Charles VIII., King of France, prepared to set forthfor the Conquest of the Kingdom of Naples, and howBayard the Good Knight went with him—How Napleswas conquered and lost—The Battle of Fornovo and theGallant Deeds of Bayard—Death of Charles VIII. DURING two years Bayard remained with thegarrison at Aire, and made great progress in allwarlike training. At the end of this time, inthe year 1494, Charles VIII. undertook his firstexpedition to Italy, and as the company of theCount de Ligny was commanded to join him,young Bayard looked forward with great delightto his first taste of real warfare. The young King of France, in his eager desirefor military glory, forsook the wise policy of hisfather, Louis XL, and resolved to claim thekingdom of Naples, in assertion of the rightsbequeathed to him by Rene of Anjou. In order to prevent any opposition from Spain he yielded 60 THE BATTLE OF FORNOVO. 25ayard,figfiting on foot, captures the standard oftfie enemy- THE STORY OF BAYARD 61 to King Ferdinand the provinces of Roussillonand Cerdagne, and on the same principle gaveup to the Emperor Maximilian, Artois andFranche-Comte. Having made these real sacri-fices as the price of a doubtful neutrality, heset forth on his wild dreams of conquest at adistance, which could be of no permanentadvantage to him. He thought himself anotherCharlemagne, and the French nobles, longing forforeign adventure, were delighted to play the partof his paladins. In the divided state of Italyhe was offered the support of Lodovico Sforza,ruler of Milan, of the rebellious subjects of theKing ot Aragon, and of the Cardinals who wereopposed to Pope Alexander VI. Charles VIII. had soon collected a magnificent o army and crossed the Alps in August 1494 » ^was composed of 3600 lances (or men-at-arms,each with five other mounted men), 6000 archersfrom Brittany, the same number of cross-bowmen, a number of Swiss
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbayardpierreterrails
