MOVEMENTS FOR THE ATTACK AND DEFENCE OF GENEVA—FAITH AND HEROISM.
(FROM THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER 1535 TO THE END OF JANUARY 1536.)
[Sidenote: GENEVA BLOCKADED.]
A reverse is not always an evil; it may sometimes lead to a decisive
victory. There were few regular troops among those who had been beaten
at Gingins, which made the defeat a lesson by which the duke of Savoy
might profit. He resolved, in effect, to benefit by it, to bring up
veteran soldiers, to place a distinguished general at their head, and
thus to crush that rebellious city which presumed to set up a religion
unknown at Rome. But as these troops were not ready, Charles III.
ordered the chiefs of the great valley of the Leman to exact of their
vassals the military service which they owed. The nobles of that
district were persuaded that they would easily triumph over Geneva, if
the Swiss did not come to their help; and as that was not likely, the
hatred felt against the city, and the hope of enriching themselves with
its spoil, induced a great number of liegemen to rally round the banners
of their lords. About the end of October the Sire de Lullin took his
measures for blockading Geneva. Mangerot, baron of La Sarraz, a prompt,
violent, obstinate man, filled with contempt for the reformation of the
Church and the liberty of the citizens, was placed at the head of the
attack. On the 1st of November these armed bands occupied certain
villages and small towns which formed a kind of circle round the city,
and began to plunder, burn, and kill all who fell into their hands.
Famine and the cold, which was very severe that year, soon caused
distress in the city. The churches were filled with old men, women and
children, and even armed men. 'There is no resource and refuge left but
God alone,' said Farel from the pulpit, and voices were heard responding
to him from the midst of the congregation, 'In Him alone we place our
trust.' If a musket-shot was heard, or shouts, or the drum, the armed
men left immediately, but 'without noise or confusion; nobody else moved
from the sermon,' and the service was not interrupted. As the firing
grew hotter without, those who had remained in the temple cried to God
that 'not to man's arm did they look for deliverance, but to His great
faithfulness.' One night, the Genevans, startled out of their sleep and
rising hastily, found the city surrounded by fires kindled by the
men-at-arms of Savoy, with the intention of giving them light for the
assault, and heard the bells of the convents and chapels all round
ringing as loud as possible to increase their terror. The citizens
fought valiantly, and the enemy was once more repulsed.[675]
Yet the blockade was still maintained round the city, and no one could
tell whence succor would arrive. One day a messenger coming from France
succeeded in making his way through the troops which surrounded Geneva:
he was the bearer of a letter conceived in these terms:
'_You will certainly receive some mule loads of good and salable
merchandise, and they will be there one of these days._
'PIERRE CROQUET.'[676]
The letter was handed to Maigrot the Magnificent. ''Tis good,' he said,
'salvation comes to us from France.'
[Sidenote: VOLUNTEERS FROM FRANCE.]
At that moment certain evolutions were taking place in the policy of the
great powers of Europe, which might favor the deliverance of Geneva. 'If
you desire Milan, take Turin,' said the crafty Clement VII. to the king
of France. As Sforza, the last duke of Milan, was dead, Francis I., in
order to follow up the pontiff's advice, had to seek some kind of
pretext for declaring war against his uncle, the duke of Savoy. There
was one which presented itself quite naturally. 'Charles IV. oppresses
Geneva,' said some. 'Let France oppose his laying hands on it, and war
will be certain.' Francis I., who was then at Lyons and negotiating with
Charles V., saw that he could not support Geneva openly; but permitted
the Sieur de Vérey, a French nobleman, to raise a troop of volunteers.
Men, charmed with the new liberties, flocked with enthusiasm to his
banners. Many printers in particular joined the band. The printers in
those times remarked that the Reformation produced not only authors who
wrote for the people, but a people who read their books with eagerness;
and accordingly they were ready to fight for it. Francis I. was not
content to look on, but gave Vérey the company of Jean Paoli, son of the
Sieur de Ceri, the old captain of the Roman bands, consisting of
'excellent cavalry and valiant personages.'[677]
Meanwhile the city was going to ruin: there was no money to pay the
soldiers. What was to be done? In many old houses Genevan coins were
found, bearing the sun as a symbol with this device—_Post tenebras spero
lucem_.[678] These pieces proved that the city of Geneva had once
possessed the right of coining money—a right of which the prince-bishops
had deprived her. Claude Savoye received instructions to issue a new
coinage, and was forthwith supplied with silver crosses, chalices,
patens, and other sacred utensils. The coins he struck bore on one side
the key and eagle (the arms of Geneva), with the legend, _Deus noster
pugnat pro nobis_, 1535, 'Our God fighteth for us;' and on the reverse,
_Geneva civitas_. The following year another coinage was issued which,
in addition to the ordinary device, _Post tenebras lucem_, bore these
words of Isaiah and St. Paul, _Mihi sese flectet omne genu_, 'Unto me
every knee shall bow,' the monogram of Jesus, I. H. S., being in the
centre. Geneva did not believe in its own victory only, but in the
victory of God, whose glory, hidden until then, would be magnified among
all nations.
[Sidenote: CONFERENCE AT AOSTA.]
While Francis I. was stealthily aiding Geneva, the powerful republic of
Berne was negotiating in its favor. Some of its statesmen crossed the
Saint-Bernard on their way to the town of Aosta, where the duke of Savoy
was to meet them. Berthold Haller, the reformer, and the other Bernese
pastors, had gone in a body to the council and conjured them to make an
appeal to the people for the deliverance of Geneva. 'They are ready,'
said the ministers, 'to sacrifice their goods and their lives to uphold
the Reformation in that city.' The lords of Berne, desirous of taking at
least one step, sent a deputation to the duke, and commissioned their
general, Francis Nägueli, who was at its head, to support the cause of
Geneva. Son of one of the most distinguished chiefs of the Swiss bands,
Francis had grown up in the camp, and like Wildermuth, had made his
first campaign in the wars of Italy in 1511. 'He was a man at twenty,'
people said. His features bronzed by a southern sun presented a mixture
of energy, acuteness, and antique grandeur, and the Christian piety by
which he was animated imparted to them a great charm.[679] P. d'Erlach,
Rodolph of Diesbach, and the chancellor P. Zyro accompanied him.
Crossing the mountains with difficulty—it was in the latter half of
November—and braving rain, cold, and snow,[680] the ambassadors arrived
at last at the city of Aosta. The duke was not there; they were invited
to push on to Turin, but the lords of Berne replied that they would wait
for the duke at the foot of the glaciers. The Bernese and their suite
took advantage of this delay to enter into conversation with the
inhabitants, and spoke to them fearlessly of Holy Scripture and the
usurpations of the Roman bishop.
At last Charles III. arrived and the conference was opened. 'First of
all,' said the Bernese, 'we require you to leave the citizens of Geneva
at liberty to obey the Word of God, as the supreme authority of faith.'
The duke, surrounded by the servants of Rome and urged particularly by
Gazzini, bishop of Aosta, declared that he could not concede their
demand without the consent of the emperor, the permission of the pope,
and the decision of a general council. 'I ask you once more,' said
Nägueli, 'to leave the Genevans free to profess their faith.' 'Their
faith,' ejaculated Charles, 'what is their faith?' 'There are Bibles
enough, I think, in Savoy,' answered Nägueli; 'read them, and you will
discover their faith.' The duke asked for a truce of five or six months
to come to an understanding on the matter with the emperor and the pope.
The ambassadors, recrossing the snows of those lofty mountains, returned
to Berne and made their report.[681]
During this time the Savoyard troops had drawn closer round Geneva, and
on the 7th of December had attacked the city. Rodolph Nägueli, the
general's brother, communicated to the council the offer made by
Charles III. of a five months' truce. But the Genevese replied: 'How can
the duke observe a truce of five months, when he cannot keep one of
twenty days? He makes the proposal in order to starve us out. We will
negotiate no more with him, except at the sword's point. All delays are
war to us. Give us your assistance, honored lords. We ask it not only in
the name of our alliances, but in the name of the love you owe to your
poor brethren in Christ. Do what you may, the hour is come, and our God
will fight for us.' The herald was sent through the city, ordering every
citizen to get his arms ready and to muster round their captains.[682]
[Sidenote: MAISONNEUVE'S EXERTIONS.]
At the same time Baudichon de la Maisonneuve, who was then in
Switzerland, employed all his energies to awaken the sympathy of the
people in favor of Geneva. At Berne, he sought support among the middle
classes, among those who loved the Gospel and liberty, feeling persuaded
that they would carry the magistrates with them. He was indefatigable
and pleaded the cause of his country in private houses, in society, and
in the council. He labored as if desirous of repairing the fault he had
committed in allowing himself to be outwitted at Coppet by the Savoyard
statesmen. The government of Lullin, being informed of the exertions of
the Genevese citizen, ordered him to be seized when he attempted to
cross the territory of Vaud on his return home. De la Maisonneuve was
filled with joy, for he was succeeding in his efforts; the good cause
was gradually gaining the upper hand in Berne; but one thing distressed
him: he received no news from Geneva, and could not go there to
communicate his great expectations to his fellow-countrymen. 'I have
received no news at all from you,' he wrote on the 9th of December to
the council, 'no more than if I were a Jew or a Saracen. If I could
pass, I would not remain here; but I am warned that I am watched on all
sides, as a mouse is watched by a cat. Know that those of Basle and
other cantons who belong to the Gospel are willing to employ all their
power to help us. In a short time you will see wonders and how God will
work.'[683]
Meanwhile the severity of the weather had become extreme; the nobles who
were blockading Geneva—the De Montforts, De Gingins, De Burchiez, and
others—determined to go into winter quarters with their men. The Sire
Mangerot de la Sarraz vainly conjured them to remain. 'We are compelled
to return,' they said. The Genevans began to breathe. Their enemies were
departing, and the refugee Maigrot kept telling them that friends from
France were about to 'arrive in numbers and full of courage.' The
citizens began thus to discern some gleams of light through the darkness
which surrounded them.
In effect the Sieur de Montbel de Vérey, with his seven hundred
foot-soldiers and four hundred horse, dispatched secretly by Francis I.,
with a personal object, to the support of Geneva, had arrived in the
valley of St Claude. This was in the middle of December. The intrepid
Mangerot, disgusted at the cowardice of his allies, had remained alone
at his post; and he had done so specially to oppose the French. Taking
four hundred men with him, he climbed the mountains, and found from ten
to twenty feet of snow in the upper valleys. De Vérey's Italian cavalry
could not advance and his foot-soldiers were almost frozen. All of a
sudden, at the turn of a road, a discharge of musketry spread terror and
disorder in that disorganized band. The intrepid De Vérey, accompanied
by seven horsemen, dashed through the enemy, and on the 14th of December
eight men, the only survivors of nearly twelve hundred, arrived at the
gates of Geneva.[684]
Nägueli, the Bernese deputy, fully comprehending the gravity of the
circumstances, departed the same day. They soon learnt with regret that
all the Sieur de Vérey's men-at-arms had either been cut to pieces or
dispersed in the snows and forests of the mountains; at the same time La
Sarraz, proud of his victory, once more beleaguered the city, and swore
that he would put an end to its independence and heresy. The fortunes of
Geneva were overcast, and some asked if this was how God saved those who
followed His Word. On the 17th of December, at the moment when the
frightful news arrived, William Farel went to the council and said:
'Most honored lords, the chief thing is that we should all be converted
to God, and that you should make arrangements that the people should
renounce sin and hear the Word of the Lord. It is because God knows that
it is of no use to entice by mildness those who sleep, that He now
strikes you with great blows of His hammer in order to arouse you.' That
holy exhortation made a deep impression on the council, and the same day
the officers of the state published throughout the city that 'all men
should go on the morrow and other days to the church of St. Pierre and
invoke the help of God.' The next morning, the Genevese, assembling
before the Most High, cried to Him by the voices of His servants.[685]
[Sidenote: CLAIMS OF FRANCIS I.]
A still greater danger threatened Geneva. The Frenchman, De Vérey,
although beaten, desired none the less to attain the end for which he
had been sent. He had very winning ways with the Genevese. 'The king of
France,' he said, 'takes your business to heart; he will send a stronger
force to save you, for he loves Geneva with a strong affection.[686]
Meantime, gentlemen, to give him occasion to expel your enemy, it would
be advisable that you should grant him some pre-eminence in your city.
The king asks for nothing but to be called the _Protector of your
liberties_. He desires to help you to become strong.'[687] The council
ruminated, discussed, and calculated all these matters well.[688] On the
one hand, they did not want the protection of France; on the other, they
felt the need of her support. They temporized. 'First expel our
enemies,' they said, 'and we will then see how to show our respect for
the king.' 'We had hoped to find you better disposed,' said De Vérey,
who was not satisfied with _respect_ for his master. 'Think upon it,
gentlemen, think upon it.' He went away very discontented. But the
citizens spoke out more frankly than the council. A despotic king, what
a protector for their liberty! A king who hangs and burns evangelical
Christians, what a protector for their faith! Bold tribunes, and
especially the brothers Bernard, stood forth, and demanded that if their
country must perish, it should perish free. Let us write to the king,
then said the council, that the Genevese offer him their humble
services, 'but _without any subjection_.' The little city, on the verge
of the abyss, rejected the hand of the powerful monarch which alone was
stretched out to save them. Six days later (December 23d) the duke of
Savoy ordered the commanders of his forces on this side of the mountains
'to do their duty.' It was resolved in Geneva that in case of assault
all the citizens, and even the old men, women, and children, should
repair to the walls.
[Sidenote: JESSE'S HEROIC DEFENCE.]
The year 1536 opened, and on the 3d of January the Savoyard garrisons of
Lancy, Confignon, Saconnex beyond the Arve, and Plan-les-Ouates, castles
situated between the Rhone and the Arve, as well as those of Gaillard
and Jussy, fortresses between the Arve and the lake, advanced
simultaneously against the city. At the head of the last troop was
Amblard de Gruyère, a fervent catholic and hot-headed feudalist, who
determined first to take possession of the church of our Lady of Grace
on the Arve, and thus acquire an important position a few minutes
distant from the city and the Savoyard territory. Pierre Jessé and three
other valiant huguenots had thrown themselves into the tower. Amblard
advanced, and standing at the foot of the wall, called to them:
'Surrender! on the honor of a gentleman your lives shall be spared.'
Jessé answered: 'I would sooner surrender to yon pig-drivers, for you
gentlemen have no honor.' Upon this Amblard de Gruyère opened a warm
fire upon his adversaries. The latter were not alarmed; they stood firm,
and believed, with Farel, that a man armed with divine strength is
equipped from head to foot. They threw down huge stones from the top of
the tower upon their assailants; they discharged their arquebuses and
killed several of the enemy. Amblard ordered an assault, broke down the
iron door which closed the staircase, and rushed up it, sword in hand;
but just as he reached the door which opened into the belfry, a ball
knocked him back upon the people behind him. Although reinforcements
came up one by one to the support of the assailants, the latter, seeing
their captain fall, 'had a great fright and fear.'[689] All night long
the four huguenots made fire-signals to their friends in the city, to
let them know that they would hold out until death. Meantime the
attacking party did not relax their hold. Climbing the narrow stairs,
they placed torches against the floor of the tower under the feet of the
four huguenots, and set the timbers on fire. The Savoyards, thinking
that the Genevans would be burnt to death, then retired, 'carrying off
the body of their captain and others who had fallen.' The undaunted
huguenots, already feeling the fire, rushed down the stairs through the
flames, and were saved, with nothing burnt but their beards.[690] Jessé
was afterwards made a member of the council.
Still, if one attack failed, it paved the way for others; and new troops
were moved up against the city. The council deliberated on the course to
be pursued, and two alternatives were proposed. Farel demanded, for the
preservation of the city, that the inhabitants should put their trust in
God, and that prayers should be offered from every heart for peace and
unity, not for Geneva only, but for all Christendom.[691] Balard
proposed another remedy: 'Let mass be publicly celebrated once more,' he
said; 'the mass is an expiation that will render God propitious to
us.'—'The mass is not worth a straw,' exclaimed a huguenot.—'If it is
so,' retorted a catholic, 'the death and passion of Jesus Christ are
good for nothing.' At these words the assembly became greatly excited.
'Blasphemy!' exclaimed some. 'Balard has spoken blasphemy! He is a
heretic. All who maintain the sacrifice of the host nullify the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ.' The council put an end to the discussion by
resolving 'that the priests should prove that the preachers spoke
falsely, or else that they should go to the sermons and convince
themselves that the ministers spoke the truth.'[692]
On the 12th of January the gates of the city were bricked up, the
openings in the walls were filled in, and the armed men held themselves
in readiness. The hostile force was advancing in three divisions—one
between the lake and the Arve, a second between the Arve and the Rhone,
and a third between the Rhone and the lake. About ten o'clock at night
cries of alarm were heard from the walls; the Savoyards were placing
their ladders on the southern side, while the Baron de la Sarraz and his
troop had already got into the fosse on the north-west side. The
Genevans hastened bravely to the defence, and threw down both ladders
and soldiers. The next day the agitated council ordered these words to
be entered in the minute-book of their meetings: '_They assaulted us
vigorously, but God, to whom belongs all the honor, repelled
them_.'[693] From that time the Savoyards, 'more inflamed than ever,
scarcely missed a night without making an attack.'[694] They desired to
do more.
On the 24th of January the garrisons of Jussy and Gaillard, amounting to
600 or 800 men, of whom 100 were horsemen, reinforced by a large number
of peasants, took up a position between Chene and Cologny, a little
above the ravine of Frontenex. A hundred footmen and forty horse made a
sortie from Geneva, and a great number of boys from fourteen to sixteen
years old accompanied them. This small body at once attacked the large
one, and in a short time the wide plain between Frontenex and Ambilly
was covered with fugitives and corpses. Not less than two hundred had
fallen. The victors returned in triumph from the _War of Cologny_,
through a crowd of citizens, who went out to meet them and welcome them
with shouts of joy.[695]
But if the weak people of Geneva repulsed little armies, how would they
resist when the grand army came?
[675] Registres du Conseil des 9 et 12 Novembre 1535.—Froment, _Gestes
de Genève_, pp. 179-184.
[676] 'Vos recevrez certainement charge de mullets, de bonne et mettable
marchandise, et seront là un de ces jours.'
[677] Registres du Conseil du 17 Décembre.—Chron. MSC. de Roset,
liv. iii. ch. 11.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 187-191.
[678] Taken from the Vulgate, Job xvii. 12.
[679] Dictionnaire de Len. Journal de Nägueli.—Vulliemin, _Continuation
de l'Histoire Suisse de Müller_.
[680] 'Bei Kalter Winterzeit, in Schnee und Regen.'—Stettler, _Chronik_,
p. 72.
[681] Stettler, _Chronik_, p. 73.—MSC. de Roset, liv. iii. ch. 46.
[682] Registres du Conseil des 8 et 10 Décembre.—Chron. MSC. de Roset,
liv. iii. ch. 49 to 51.—Collection Galiffe dans Roget, _Les Suisses et
la Genève_.—Stettler, _Chronik_, p. 73.
[683] 'Vous verrez merveilles en bref et comme Dieu besognera.'—
Collection Galiffe dans Roget, _Les Suisses et Genève_.
[684] Stettler, _Chronik_, p. 73.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p.
201.—Chron. MSC. de Roset, liv. iii. ch. 52.—Mémoires de Pierre-Fleur,
p. 118.
[685] Registres du Conseil du 17 Décembre 1535.—Chron. MSC. de Roset,
liv. iii. ch. 53.
[686] 'Fortiorem bendam . . . . Genevam ingenti amore prosequitur.'—
Registres du Conseil du 17 Décembre 1535.
[687] _Ibid._—Chron. MSC. de Roset, liv. iii. ch. 53.
[688] 'Omnibus bene ruminatis, discussis, et calculatis, fuit solutum
respondendi.'—Registres du Conseil, du 17 Décembre.
[689] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 184, 185.
[690] _Ibid._
[691] 'Farellus exhortavit eos de uniendo populum, et fidendo in Deum,'
etc.—Registres du Conseil du 10 Janvier 1536.
[692] Registres du Conseil du 10 Janvier 1536.
[693] 'Ils nous ont assaillis vigoureusement; mais Dieu, à qui en est
tout honneur, les a repoussés.'—Registres du Conseil du 13 Janvier
1536.—Chron. MSC. de Roset, liv. iii. ch. 56.
[694] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 186, 187.
[695] Registres da Conseil du 24 Janvier 1536.—Chron. MSC. de Roset,
liv. iii. ch. 58.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 204-206.