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
André Launay André Launay André Joseph Launay is a novelist, essayist, humourist and dramatist of French descent who writes in English under the pen names André Launay, Drew Launay, Andrew Laurance and Drew Lamark. He is the author of family dramas, psychic thrillers, humour and travel books published in the United Kingdom and in the US. Launay lives in Nerja, in the south of Spain; He has three children: record producer Nick Launay, film director Matthew Launay, artist and illustrator Melissa Launay, and three grandchildren; Lee, Lana, Nicolas & Samuel. Visit the Drew Launay website at https://web.archive.org/web/20100924085552/http://www.drewlaunay.com/ where his best sellers are