Robert de Baudricourt (; ca. 1400-1454), ''

Seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

de Baudricourt, Blaise, Buxy and Sorcy'' was a minor figure of 15th-century

French nobility The French nobility () was an Aristocracy, aristocratic social class in France from the France in the Middle Ages, Middle Ages until its abolition on 23 June 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First French Empire, ...

. The son of the Chamberlain of the

Duke of Bar The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the '' pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the House of Montbéliard from the 11th century. Part of the county, ...

, he is notable for his association with

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

.Philippe Contamine, Olivier Bouzy et Xavier Hélary, Jeanne d'Arc. Histoire et dictionnaire, Paris, Robert Laffont, coll. ( Bouquins, 2012), p1214 . In 1429, Robert de Baudricourt's only title was captain of the royal garrison at Vaucouleurs. It was to him that Joan of Arc appealed to provide an escort to the court of Charles Valois,

Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' is French for dolphin and ...

. Initially, Baudricourt simply did not take the sixteen-year-old peasant girl seriously, but since Vaucouleurs was not a large town, he could hardly avoid her. Having cornered him in a public place, she began to lecture everyone present, holding them spellbound, and putting public pressure on Baudricourt to assist her. Finally, he relented, and provided an escort to visit the Dauphin. Baudricourt advanced during the war against the English and over the rest of his career, rising to

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...

, then

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, and finally was made a

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

In popular culture

He is played by George Coulouris in the 1948 film ''

'', and by

Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the televi ...

in the 1999 miniseries ''

''.

Family

He married Arléarde de Chambley and his son Jean de Baudricourt was

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

References

External links

Joan of Arc and Vaucouleurs
1400s births 1454 deaths 15th-century French nobility {{France-noble-stub