History of the Stewarts | Famous Stewarts
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Bernard was the grandson of Sir John Stewart of Darnley, who was given the lands of Aubigny-sur-Nere and Concressault by Charles VII of France for his service during the Hundred Years´ War. Stewart because of his family background was chosen as an envoy to James III of Scotland to announce the accession of King Charles VIII of France. He was also given the task of signing a treaty with the Scots renewing the Auld Alliance which was signed on 22nd March 1484.
Stewart was also the means of communication with the Scottish lords who favoured Henry Tudor, (the future Henry VII) in his rebellion against Richard III of England. Henry was still an exile living in France along with the chief supporters of the House of Lancaster, the experienced John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford and Henry´s uncle Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford. They relied heavily on the French king to finance the army and to be able to provide foot soldiers capable of fighting. In 1485 Bernard Stewart was chosen to command the French troops that accompanied the invasion and helped the Earl of Richmond become King Henry VII of England at the Battle of Bosworth which established the Tudor Dynasty.
In 1494 Charles VIII of France laid claim to the Kingdom of Naples and sent the Lord of Aubigny to Rome to press his claims to Pope Alexander VI. When Alexander refused to recognize Charles´ claim to Naples therefore the king raised an army of 25,000 men and began his descent into Italy. Stewart received orders from Charles VIII to lead a thousand of the king´s cavalry over the Alps and into Lombardy and after taking part with Charles in the conquest of Romagna accompanied him in the triumphal entry into Florence on 15th November 1494. After this victory Stewart was made governor of Calabria and lieutenant-general of the French army.
The French quickly overran the Italian peninsula and arrived in Naples in February 1495, King Ferdinand II of Naples having fled to Sicily at the arrival of the French army. There, in temporary exile, Ferdinand joined his cousin Ferdinand II of Aragon King of Spain and Sicily who offered him assistance to regain his kingdom. In response to Charles´ invasion the League of Venice was created which threatened to cut the invading army off in the south while the league occupied the north cutting the line of communications and supply. In late May 1495 Charles split his army taking half of his troops northward to fight their way back into France and leaving the rest to hold the recently conquered Neapolitan territories. After hard fighting at the Battle of Fornovo Charles and most of the French army made it safely back to France leaving Stewart and the rest of the army to fight off the expected Spanish invasion.
Stewart also took part in the 1499 campaign of King Louis XII of France and on its successful conclusion was made Governor of Milan with command of the French army that was left behind by the king to garrison the towns of northern Italy. In 1501 he completed the conquest of Naples and was appointed Governor. But after a few successes in Calabria he was defeated at the second Battle of Seminara (1503) and was taken prisoner at the Castel Nuovo in Naples until he was released by a truce signed on the 11th November 1503. For his part in the victory in 1505 over the Spanish forces at Terranuova he was made Duke of Terranuova and Marquis of Girace. In 1503 Berault set about writing a book on the art and conduct of warfare entitled A book and treatise to understand what measures a prince or commander must take to conquer a country or pass through or cross the country of his enemies, composed by Berault Stewart.
In 1508 he was sent as ambassador to consult King James IV of Scotland about the marriage of Princess Claude of France with the future King Francis I of France. Berault Stewart´s heraldic device, which he wore on his surcoat and standard, was the red lion of Scotland on a plain background strewn with buckles - this supposed to have been because he saw himself as the link between the Kings of Scotland and France. His motto was Distantia jungit, “It unites the distant. It was as a result of this mission that Aubigny became the subject of two ballads by William Dunbar, "The Ballad of Lord Bernard Stewart" and "Elegy on the Death of Lord Bernard Stewart".
In 1508, James IV made him a member of the Order of St Michael. Although he was born and brought up in France, Stewart considered himself to be Scottish. During this visit to Scotland a tournament was staged in honour of the French guests. Berault Stewart was made judge of the tournament and hailed as "the Father of War" by the King. Arrangements were made for Berault Stewart to accompany the king on pilgrimage to Whithorn; James IV had made a pilgrimage to Whithorn every year since 1491. However the planned pilgrimage of James IV and the Lord of Aubigny never took place. Berault Stewart fell ill and died at Corstorphine,(now a suburb of Edinburgh), on the 12th of June 1508. He was buried at the Blackfriars in the Cowgate in Edinburgh and his heart taken to the shrine of Saint Ninian at Whithorn, as stipulated in the will Berault made a few days before his death.
He married firstly Guillemette de Boucard, secondly Anne de Maumont (died after 1510), Countess of Beaumont-le-Roger, becoming Count (jure uxoris) of Beaumont-le-Roger. He was granted the titles of Count of Arena, Marquis of Squillace, Marquis of Girace and Duke of Terranuova in the Kingdom of Naples.
Aubigny left one child, a daughter named Anne. Anne married her first cousin, Robert Stewart, a future Marshal of France.