Pierre Taillard, chevalier de Bayard

Pierre Taillard, chevalier de Bayard (c. 1476 – 1524) was a French knight and military leader. He served many French kings, and even knighted Francis I of France himself. He lived in and was the protector of the town of Grenoble.

Biography

At some point prior to May 1519, Bayard met Leonardo da Vinci and became the artist's friend and ally. When Leonardo became afraid of possible interception of his research on havens, he contacted Bayard and gave him encoded information that he was to give to the Assassins who approached him or to destory it if none arrived within a month of Leonardo's death. In early 1519, Bayard undertook a fire inspection at the Tour de l'Isle. Around the same time, he suppressed a mutiny, having his right shoulder dislocated in the process, but kept on fighting, earning more respect from his troops.

In May 1519, the Assassins investigated Grenoble for leads to Leonardo's havens, and Bayard locked himself in the Crypte Saint-Oyand beneath the Église Saint-Laurent, where he awaited to test them. When an Assassin finally descended, Bayard lunged into combat before they could even speak. Exploiting Bayard's injured shoulder allowed the Assassin to keep up with the French military leader and he eventually stopped the fight, satisfied with their performance. Bayard revealed that though Leonardo had mentioned the Assassin was a worthy opponent, he believed that words should be proven with actions. Finally convinced, he then handed them the translucid sheet with a line Leonardo had given him for safe keeping.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci