ossess him, he had been left undisturbed. Count
Louis, however, had been violently attacked by Count Guillaume de Vergy,
who had instigated during the Burgundian wars, the seizure of Aubonne
and the invasion of Gruyere, while during the short reign of his son
Francois raids of undisciplined marauders sent out by the same family
only too plainly announced their hostile intentions. With the rapidly
succeeding deaths of the young Francois II and his uncle Francois III,
the astute Guillaume de Vergy--a very great noble, head of his family
and marechal of Burgundy--saw an opportunity of grasping the long
coveted succession for his son Claude by means of a marriage with Helene
of Gruyere. But he reckoned without the well founded claims and stout
opposition of Jean de Montsalvens, between whom and his son on one side
and Helene and her mother on the other side such a contest arose as
nearly plunged Switzerland into civil war. While Berne was on Helene's
side, Fribourg supported Jean de Montsalvens. The duke of Savoy
supported the two ladies, but could find no better solution of their
difficulties than to ask them to receive the rival pretendant as a
guest in the chateau. When finally their friends the Bernois and their
enemies of Fribourg proposed to install Jean provisionally at Gruyere
under the protection of an armed force, the countess thought prudent to
retire, leaving the chateau to the management of her chatelain. But
while the duke of Savoy and the two cities were temporizing and
hesitating between the rival claimants, the mountaineers of Gessenay,
leaders of the German-Swiss people of Gruyere, and who were violently
opposed to the marriage of Mdlle. de Gruyere with the detested family of
de Vergy, formally acknowledged Jean de Montsalvens as their ruler. In
spite of the popular opposition, Helene's marriage was duly celebrated
and her rival soon after installed himself at the chateau. Whereupon,
the duke of Savoy indignant at the disregard of his futile propositions,
sent a messenger to Berne commanding their intervention in favor of
Helene, and another to Jean himself with a mandate immediately to
evacuate the chateau. Berne informed the men of Gessenay of its
intention to support Helene, and commanded them to keep the peace. The
prospect of a general war seemed so imminent that the king of France
sent his ambassador, the Cardinal d'Amboise, to investigate the matter,
and the marechal of Burgundy so influenced the empe