Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay permanently stationed in Paris except in time of war. In 1776 de Launay succeeded M. de Jumilhac as Governor of the Bastille. As was the custom with many senior positions under the Ancien Régime, the marquis purchased the office of governor from his predecessor as a form of investment. The thirteen years that he spent in this position were uneventful, though on 19 December 1778 he reportedly made the mistake of failing to fire the cannon of the Bastille as a salute on the birth of a daughter (Madame Royale) to King Louis XVI. In August 1785 he was given
Bernard de Montgaillard Bernard de Montgaillard Bernard de Montgaillard (1563–1628) was a French Cistercian preacher and abbot of Orval Abbey. Bernard was born the son of Bertrand de Percin, lord of Montgaillard, in 1563. In 1579 he joined the Congregation of the Feuillants and became a preacher. His eloquence brought him to royal notice and he was invited to preach in Paris. At the death of Henry III of France in 1589, he became a prominent figure in the Catholic League opposing the accession of Henri IV. He left Paris in 1593 and went into exile in the Spanish Netherlands. There he was