La Hire
Encyclopedia
Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire, (born 1390 - died 11 January 1443) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 military commander during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...

. His nickname of La Hire would be that the English had nicknamed "the Hire-God" (Ira Dei: the wrath of God). He fought alongside Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...

 in the campaigns of 1429. His most significant action was to lead the vanguard in the important victory at Patay
Battle of Patay
The Battle of Patay was the culminating engagement of the Loire Campaign of the Hundred Years' War between the French and English in north-central France. It was a decisive victory for the French and turned the tide of the war. This victory was to the French what Agincourt was to the English...

.

La Hire joined Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...

 in 1418, when the English army invaded France. Three years later, in 1421 he fought at the Battle of Baugé
Battle of Baugé
The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and the Franco-Scots on 21 March 1421 in Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War...

.

He held the titles of Lord of Montmorillon
Montmorillon
Montmorillon is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.The clay mineral montmorillonite was named after Montmorillon after its discovery there in 1847.-External links:*...

 and chatelaine of Longueville.

He was a close comrade of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...

, and as the King's captain he commanded the advance guard at the Battle of Patay
Battle of Patay
The Battle of Patay was the culminating engagement of the Loire Campaign of the Hundred Years' War between the French and English in north-central France. It was a decisive victory for the French and turned the tide of the war. This victory was to the French what Agincourt was to the English...

, a French victory. He was imprisoned in Dourdan in the spring of 1431. He won the Battle of Gerbevoy
Battle of Gerbevoy
The Battle of Gerberoy was fought in 1435 between French and English forces. The French were led by La Hire and Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, and they were victorious. La Hire was made captain general of Normandy in 1438 and died at Montauban on 11 January 1443 of an unknown illness. The French won....

 in 1435 and was made Captain General of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 in 1438. He died at Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....

 on 11 January 1443, of an unknown illness.

In popular culture

La Hire is commemorated as the face of the Jack of Hearts
Jack (playing card)
A Jack, also Knave, is a playing card with a picture of a man on it. The usual rank of a jack, within its suit, is as if it were an 11 ....

 in French playing cards. His name remains a byword for a choleric disposition.

In 1999, two films concerning Joan of Arc were released. In Joan of Arc, a television mini-series, la Hire was played by Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...

. La Hire also appeared in the feature film The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a French/American historical drama film directed by Luc Besson. The screenplay was written by Besson and Andrew Birkin, and the original music score was composed by Éric Serra....

, portrayed by actor Richard Ridings
Richard Ridings
Richard Ridings is a British actor and is best known for his portrayal of Allan Ashburn in the ITV television drama Fat Friends, and for playing Bernard Green in the BBC1 comedy-drama Common as Muck. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.Ridings was born in...

. La Hire was also played by veteran John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...

 "stock company" member Ward Bond
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...

 in the classic 1948 Technicolor film "Joan of Arc"
Joan of Arc (1948 film)
Joan of Arc is a 1948 Technicolor film directed by Victor Fleming; starring Ingrid Bergman as the French religious icon and war heroine. It was produced by Walter Wanger. It is based on Maxwell Anderson's successful Broadway play Joan of Lorraine, which also starred Bergman, and was adapted for the...

, starring Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...

 and directed by Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...

.

In the Czech Republic musical Johanna z Arku [2003], La Hire was portrayed by Petr Kolar, and in the two part French film Jeanne la Pucelle [1994], by Stephane Boucher.

In Otto Preminger's
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...

 1957 version of Saint Joan, La Hire was portrayed by Patrick Barr.
Further back in time,in Cecil B. De Mille's version of the story, called Joan the Woman, La Hire was played by Hobart Bosworth
Hobart Bosworth
Hobart Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.-Early life:Born Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth, he was a direct descendant of Miles Standish and John and Priscilla Alden on his father's side and of New York's Van Zandt family, the first Dutch settlers to land in the New...

. In 1929, in the French film La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc, he was played by Fernand Mailly.

On British television, in BBC's Play of the Month version of Saint Joan, La Hire was portrayed by Jack Watson
Jack Watson (actor)
Jack Watson , was an English actor who appeared in many British films and television dramas from the 1950s onwards....

. In the USA, Hallmark Hall of Fame did two versions of the story - The Lark in 1957, La Hire being played by Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon may refer to:* Bruce Gordon , Canadian bassist and member of I Mother Earth* Bruce L. Gordon, American philosopher and Intelligent Design proponent* Bruce S...

, and in 1967 Saint Joan, in which the character was played by Dana Elcar
Dana Elcar
Dana Elcar was an American television and movie character actor. Although he appeared in about 40 films, his most memorable role was on the 1980s and 1990s television series MacGyver as Peter Thornton, an administrator working for the Phoenix Foundation...

.

In the game Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc
Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc
Wars & Warriors: Joan of Arc is a historically-based computer game. Developed and published by Enlight, it was released in 2004. The player assumes the persona of Joan of Arc and leads the French in their attempt to win the Hundred Year's War...

, La Hire is a playable character who is portrayed as a giant with stunning strength. He fights with a massive club.

La Hire appears in Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings in the Joan of Arc campaign. A powerful "Champion"-class infantry unit, he is portrayed as an Incredible Hulk-esque brute that refers to himself in the third person. His remarks include "La Hire wishes to kill something", "The blood on La Hire's sword is almost dry", and "La Hire's sword is not bloody enough!".

More recently, La Hire is featured as a character in the tactical roleplaying video game Jeanne D'Arc
Jeanne d'Arc (video game)
is a tactical role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable . The game was first released in Japan on November 22, 2006 and was then localized in North America on August 21, 2007. It was never released in PAL regions...

. In the game, La Hire is depicted as a lion beastman warrior and mercenary, known for his overwhelming strength.

La Hire is also a character in Koei's video game Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War is a historical fantasy video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It was published by Koei and developed by Omega Force....

.

In Armored Core for Answer, one of the featured mechs are designated TYPE-LAHIRE, although it is contracted into one word.

See also

  • Siege of Orleans
    Siege of Orléans
    The Siege of Orléans marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England. This was Joan of Arc's first major military victory and the first major French success to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415. The outset of this siege marked the pinnacle of English power...

  • Battle of Jargeau
    Battle of Jargeau
    The Battle of Jargeau took place on June 11 - 12, 1429. It was Joan of Arc's first offensive battle. Shortly after relieving the siege at Orléans, French forces recaptured the neighboring district along the Loire river...

  • Battle of Meung-sur-Loire
    Battle of Meung-sur-Loire
    The Battle of Meung-sur-Loire took place on 15 June 1429. It was one of Joan of Arc's battles following relief of the siege at Orléans. This campaign was the first sustained French offensive in a generation in the Hundred Years' War.-Background:...

  • Battle of Beaugency
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