Pierre Basile

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Rue Pierre Basile leads from the municipality of Châlus up to Châlus-Chabrol Castle

Pierre Basile († April 6, 1199 ) is accepted in the historical literature as the name of the crossbowman who fired the shot down from Châlus-Chabrol Castle on March 25, 1199 , which wounded its besiegers Richard the Lionheart , so that the victim hit the then resulting gangrene on April 6, 1199 died. These circumstances surrounding the death of Richard the Lionheart and the name of the Sagittarius were handed down in his Chronica by the chronicler Roger von Hoveden .

It should be taken into account that Roger von Hoveden regularly decorated his reports about his hero king Richard the Lionheart romantically, tending to exaggerations and contradictions. In the same work he named an alternative name to the shooter, Bertrannus de Gurdon , who was captured by Richard's men when the castle was taken and brought before the wounded king. As a motive for his aimed shot, he stated retribution for his father and two brothers, who were once killed in the fight against Richard the Lionheart. King Richard then forgave the shooter in a final act of Christian forgiveness and ordered his release. Died when the king, whose mercenary captain had Mercadier disregarded this last will and conscious shooters Bertran alive skin and hanged.

The name "Gurdon" is confirmed as "Gurdo" by Wilhelm the Breton in his Verschronik Philippidos . The name "Pierre Basile", however, is used by Bernard Itier in a note made by him (here "Petrus Basilii") to an entry in the chronicle of Geoffroy du Breuil for the year 1184 and by Radulfus de Diceto in his Ymagines historiarum (here " Petro Basilii ”) confirmed. However, none of them give any details about the fate of the rifleman, who, according to Bernard Itier, only defended the castle with another man named "Petrus Bru". Even Roger of Wendover ( Flores Historiarum ) and its continuer Matthew Paris ( Chronica Majora ) call the shooter "Petro Basillii" who was pardoned by the king.

The English chronicler Gervasius of Canterbury , who called the shooter Johannes Sabraz , provides a completely different name . He shot his arrow after a quick prayer to God when Richard the Lionheart was about to give the order for the final attack on the castle. The king could still hear the approaching missile, but jumped into cover too late and was still hit. After the shooter was captured, the king forgave him and ordered his men not to harm him. This information should be viewed with caution, however, as Gervase identified the castle in question as that of Nontron , which belonged to the Count of Angoulême . In fact, Richard the Lionheart had besieged Châlus Castle, which was owned by Vice Count Adémar V of Limoges .

literature

  • John Gillingham: The unromantic Death of Richard I , in: Speculum 54 (1979), pp. 18-41

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Hovedene , ed. by William Stubbs in: Rolls Series 51 (1868-1871), Vol. 4, pp. 30 and 35
  2. ↑ Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Hovedene , ed. by William Stubbs in: Rolls Series 51 (1868-1871), Vol. 4, pp. 82-84
  3. ↑ A person by the name of Bertrand de Gurdon took part in the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 and 1218 , see Guilhem de Tudèla , Canso de la crozada . Another person with this name took the oath of fief to King Philip II August in Évreux in December 1211, see Catalog des actes de Philippe Auguste , ed. by Léopold Delisle (1856), no. 1319, pp. 302-303.
  4. ↑ Philippidos , ed. by HF Delaborde in: Œuvres de Rigord et de Guillaume le Breton 2 (1882/95), book 5, line 577
  5. ↑ Chronica Gaufredi coenobitæ monasterii D. Martialis Lemovicensis ac prioris Voisiensis coenobii , ed. by Philippe Labbe in Nova bibliotheca manuscriptorum (1657), Vol. 2, p. 317
  6. ↑ The Historical Works of Ralph of Diss , ed. by William Stubbs in: Rolls Series 68 (1876), Vol. 2, p. 166
  7. ↑ Chronica Majora , ed. by Henry R. Luard in: Rolls Series 57 (1872-1884), Vol. 2, p. 451
  8. ^ The Historical Work of Gervase of Canterbury , ed. by William Stubbs in: Rolls Series 73 (1879-1880), Vol. 1, pp. 592-593
personal data
SURNAME Pierre Basile
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bertrannus de Gurdon; Bertran de Gourdon; Johannes Sabraz; John Sabraz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Defender of Châlus-Chabrol, fatally wounded Richard the Lionheart
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 1199