Étienne de Vignolles, Sieur de Montmorillon, Chatelain de Longueville (), also known as La Hire (; 1390 – 11 January 1443), was a French military commander during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

Nickname

One explanation for his nickname of La Hire would be that the English had nicknamed him "the Hire-God" (Ira Dei: the wrath of God). Alternatively, his name may simply come from the French "hedgehog" ("hérisson") because he had a prickly disposition.

Military career

La Hire joined Charles VII in 1418, when the English army invaded France. Although not a noble, La Hire was regarded a very capable military leader as well as an accomplished rider. Three years later, in 1421 he fought at the

Battle of Baugé The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and a Franco- Scots army on 22 March 1421 at Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War. The English army was led by the king's brother Thomas, ...

. Along with Jean de Dunois, La Hire was involved in scouting and skirmishing in the countryside as far north as Paris. In 1427, both La Hire and Dunois relieved the siege of Montargis. He was a close comrade of Joan of Arc. He was one of the few military leaders who believed in her and the inspiration she brought, and he fought alongside her at Orleans. At the Battle of Patay, La Hire commanded the vanguard and won a great victory for France. La Hire was also known for praying before going into battle, something that could be attributed to Joan's influence. In 1430, La Hire captured the English held fortification of Château Gaillard.DeVries, p. 188. He was imprisoned in Dourdan in the spring of 1431. He won the

Battle of Gerberoy The Battle of Gerberoy was fought in 1435 between French and English forces. The French were led by La Hire and Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, who were victorious. The English losses were heavy, which later included their commander, John FitzAlan, ...

in 1435 and was made Captain General of Normandy in 1438. His last two major military engagements occurred in 1440 at Pontoise where he assisted Dunois to capture it from the English; and in 1442 he assisted Charles of Orleans in capturing La Réole. He died at Montauban on 11 January 1443, of an unknown illness.

In popular culture

In French tradition, "La Hire" is used as a nickname for the knave of hearts.
His name remains a byword for a choleric disposition.

Literature

La Hire is a minor figure in the "Catherine" novels of Juliette Benzoni.

Film, theatre and TV

In Cecil B. DeMille's film '' Joan the Woman'', La Hire was played by Hobart Bosworth. In the French film ''La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc'' (1929), he was played by Fernand Mailly. La Hire was also played by veteran John Ford "stock company" member

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Ber ...

Victor Fleming Victor Lonzo Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best ...

's classic 1948 Technicolor film ''Joan of Arc'', which starred

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

. In Otto Preminger's 1957 version of ''Saint Joan'', La Hire was portrayed by Patrick Barr. On British television, in the BBC's '' Play of the Month'' (1968) version of ''Saint Joan'', La Hire was portrayed by Jack Watson. In the USA, ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' did two versions of the story - ''The Lark'' (1957), La Hire being played by Bruce Gordon, and ''Saint Joan'' (1967), in which the character was played by Dana Elcar. In the two-part French film ''Jeanne la Pucelle'' (1994), La Hire was portrayed by Stephane Boucher. In the television miniseries '' Joan of Arc'' (1999), La Hire was played by Peter Strauss. Also in 1999, La Hire appeared in the feature film '' The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'', portrayed by actor Richard Ridings. In the Czech musical ''Johanna z Arku'' (2003), La Hire was portrayed by Petr Kolar.

Computer games

La Hire appears in ''

Age of Empires II ''Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings'' is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh, it is the second game in the '' Age of Empires'' series. ...

'' (1999) in the Joan of Arc campaign. A powerful "Champion"-class infantry unit, he is portrayed as an accomplished and capable yet

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

-like brute that refers to himself in the third person. His remarks include "La Hire wishes to kill something", "The blood on La Hire's sword is almost dry", and "La Hire's sword is not bloody enough!". La Hire is featured as a character in the tactical roleplaying video game '' Jeanne d'Arc'' (2005). In the game, La Hire is depicted as an axe-wielding lion beastman warrior and mercenary, known for his overwhelming strength and a fiery temperament. In '' Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc'' (2004), La Hire is a playable character who is portrayed as a giant with stunning strength. He fights with a massive club. In '' Armored Core: For Answer'' (2008), one of the featured mechs is designated TYPE-LAHIRE. La Hire is also a character in

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...

's '' Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War'' (2015).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hire, La People of the Hundred Years' War French nobility 1390 births 1443 deaths