Du Guesclin's Destiny

Traces the fate of the young Frenchman Du Guesclin, from his idealism to his death in the prison camp.

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The Idealist

The Catholic warrior A failed crusade Du Guesclin crossed from France into Spain to fight for the Catholic cause. He was interned by the Catholic general and saw that the Franco camps were blessed by Rome. This disillusioned him deeply. The melancholy of faith He arrived in Africa, still melancholic. The sun and the camp did not distract him. He was a Du Guesclin type, a romantic figure of lost causes. He held fast to his faith, but it was a source of suffering.

The Prophet in the Camp

The call for a new pope A mad sermon One day, under a tent in the heat, Du Guesclin declared the need for a new pope, one who would live among the wretched. He asked who among them had the most failings. Clamence raised his hand as a joke. Du Guesclin proposed electing him. The election of the pope The others agreed, half in fun. Du Guesclin had impressed them. He was sincere, even if unhinged. He believed that a complete man, with vices and virtues, should lead them. This was his last attempt to find meaning in the suffering.

The Self-Sacrifice

The martyr's end Stinting himself Du Guesclin stinted himself, giving his water to others. He was already dead, Clamence later said. He died of exhaustion and self-denial. He had loved too much, perhaps. The legacy Clamence drank the water of a dying comrade, not Du Guesclin, but he felt the weight of Du Guesclin's example. The young man's death was a silent accusation. He was a true believer, unlike Clamence, and his fate was to be forgotten.

Before the camp, in Spain and France

During the internment near Tripoli

Weeks later, in the camp