Page 38 - DIVA_4_2006_No.27

LA MERE ROYAUME (15407-1605?)

master. Like many the old Julian calendar used
At the origin of the respectable businessmen, in those days, this was the
Pierre Royaume favoured longest night of the year.) A
famous marmites full of
the reformed form of the cooking cauldron is known
chocolate vegetables sold
Christian religion. In France, nowadays in French as une
during the Escalade each mate. This immediately
reformers were known as
December in Geneva is La
Huguenots and suffered presents a difficulty because
Mare Royaume. The
from religious persecution we are assiu'ed that the caul-
Escalade celebrates the
on the part of the Catholics. dron was made of pewter.
events of the night of 11/12 Pewter is a metal that has
In 1569, the Royauine fami-
December 1602 when the
ly had first sought refuge in been used throughout histo-
citizens of Geneva repulsed
Geneva, but soon retumed to ry for kitchen utensils-but it
the attempt by the soldiers of
Lyon. Finally, on 24 August cannot be used for cooking
Charles-Ernmanuel I, the
1572 the St Bartholomew because its melting point is
Duke of Savoy, to seize the
Massacre took place in Paris too low! Thus, the idea of a
city. The story as it is now pewter cauldron containing
when the Catholic members
told states that, from her
of the French court attempt- a hot rice and vegetable stew
window above the Passage
ed to annihilate the is impossible. A more plau-
de la Monnaie (i.e. a street
Huguenots. The massacre sible explanation is that she
within the city), Cath6rine
movement spread to other did indeed throw a pewter
Royaurne threw a cauldron pot at an adversary from the
towns and it became too
of hot soup over a Savoyard
dangerous to live in Lyon. window, not one that was
intent on opening the city
Three weeks later, on 16 being used for cooking but
gates. The aggressor was rather an empty one that her
September 1572, Pierre
killed. husband had made.
Royaume and his family
sought asylum in Geneva.
There is no way nowadays On the evening of Saturday,
of knowing exactly what 11 December 1602, some
Here, Pierre Royaiune
happened and disentangling
became a money engraver. 2,000 troops approached
myth from historical reality-
For this reason, the fainily Geneva on foot and horse-
as you will see. What we do the towns of
had an official residence back from
know is that Cath6rine Bonne and La Roche. They
above the Porte de la
Cheynel was born in Lyon
Monnaie at the lower end of had brought with them short
some time between 1540
the Rue de la Coiraterie. It lengths of ladder wrapped in
and 1545. Her father, Claude cloth to deaden the sound.
would seem that the
Cheynel, was a manufactur-
Royaume fainily had forir- These would be assembled
er of pewter pots. scale the city
teen children, many of together to
whom did not survive child- walls. Several Savoyard sol-
Before the year 1563, diers succeeded in climbing
hood. They were granted cit-
Cath6*e Clieynel had mar-
izenship of Geneva in 1598. the city wall without being
ried Pierre Royaume, anoth- observed. They killed one of
er manrifacturer of pewter the watchmen, Francois
Legend has it that Danie
pots, who also cai'ne from Bousezel. Once inside, they
Royauine was preparing a
Lyon. He was her second
tice and vegetable stew in a made their way towards the
husband, for she had previ-
carildron on the night of city gates with the intention
ously been married to a 11/12 December 1602. (In of opening them to let in the
maitre d'ai'ines or fencing
36 5 2006 Diva
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