Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay Bernard René Jourdan, marquis de Launay (1740–1789) was the French governor of the Bastille, the son of a previous governor, and commander of its garrison when the prison-fortress in Paris was stormed on 14 July 1789 ("see Storming of the Bastille"). The marquis Bernard-René Jordan de Launay was born on the night of 8/9 April 1740 in the Bastille where his father, René Jourdan de Launay, was governor. At the age of eight he was appointed to an honorary position in the King's Musketeers ("mousquetaires du roi"). He subsequently entered the French Guards ("gardes-françaises"), a regiment
Bernard de la Monnoye Bernard de la Monnoye Bernard de La Monnoye (15 June 1641, in Dijon – 15 October 1728) was a French lawyer, poet, philologue and critic, known chiefly for his carols "Noei borguignon" ("Borguignon Christmas"). La Monnoye began his studies in Jesuit schools, and attracted attention for his epigrams in Latin and essays in French. By his father's wish, he went to study law at Orléans. There, during the harsh study of jurisprudence, he gave way to his literary tastes by gathering curiosities about the authors and books that he read. He began legal practice at the Parlement de Dijon in