The Four Aymon Sons

Legend: Renaud, Allard, Guichard and Richard are the 4 sons of Duke Aymon, friend and vassal of Charlemagne. In order to become knights, they go to the emperor's court to be knighted. The next day, Renaud played a game of chess with Charlemagne's nephew, Bertolai. The tone rises between the two players, Bertolai being a very bad player. Renaud demands reparation, but Bertolai does not hear it that way. Renaud took a piece of the chessboard and threw it in the cheater's face, killing him instantly. Fearing the wrath of Charlemagne, the four brothers fled on the back of the fairy horse Bayard. Bayard, given to them by their cousin, the enchanter Maugis, is endowed with magical powers that allow him to carry the four brothers and cross rivers in a single bound. Reaching the forest of Ardenne where Maugis could help them, the four brothers, with the help of Bayard, managed to lose their pursuers and built a castle in the forest. But Charlemagne eventually found them. He laid siege to the castle, and the four brothers were forced to flee despite fierce resistance. They left their castle through an underground passage. The Aymon brothers stayed hidden in the forest, and eventually returned to their father's house. They then left for Gascony, where they helped King Yvon fight the emir Beges. Renaud, thanks to the sword Froberge offered by Maugis, fought heroically. Following their victory, King Yvon rewarded them by giving them the castle of Montauban, and he offered the hand of his sister to Renaud, now called Renaud de Montauban. But Charlemagne did not forget them! He fixes a meeting to make peace, but it is only a trap! The Aymon sons fall into the ambush, and are seriously wounded. But Maugis and his men come to their rescue, and the enchanter heals their wounds. Following this battle, Maugis decides to retire to the depths of the forest to live as a hermit and to meditate on the uselessness of violence. Charlemagne, tired of the fighting, finally makes peace with the four brothers, but dictates his conditions. Bayard was sentenced to death. He is thrown into the Meuse, a large millstone around his neck. But his magical strength allows him to escape, and he flees into the forest. Even today, he can be heard neighing on Saint John's Day. As for Renaud, he has to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On his return, he learns of the death of his wife, and decides to go and help build the cathedral in Cologne. There, the masons will kill him and throw him into the Rhine. Access : From the tourist office, take the direction of Bogny-sur-Meuse, after the station of Monthermé, take the street Léon Bosquet on the left, then the street of the castle again on the left. You will reach the parking lot, then the steps and the plate of the 4 Fils Aymon.