« Where is foy? Where is loyalty? Where is reason? Where is humanity? Where is the fear of God?
– Harangue by Ulrich Gallet (Grandgousier’s representative) to Picrochole
The Picrocholine war is reminiscent of the almost permanent war between Francis I and Charles V, even if the theatre of operations was in Chinon. Like Charles V, Plus oultre was Picrochole’s motto.
This matamore, listing his conquests, is a veritable repellent that lends even more lustre to the wisdom of Grandgousier’s wisdom, worthy of Solomon.
Twenty-six chapters out of fifty-eight – almost the half of Gargantua – deal with war. The story of this extraordinary conflict, the central panel of the triptych, framed by the story of Gargantua’s education and the abbey of Thélème.
After the chapters on education, the reader is plunged abruptly into war.
A quarrel breaks out between Picrochole’s fouaces merchants and Grandgousier’s shepherds over a simple refusal to sell fouaces (bread rolls).
Grandgousier over a simple refusal to sell fouaces (bread rolls). The fouaciers complained to their king: without bothering to find out the reasons for the quarrel, he flew into a violent rage.
he flew into a rage. His army invaded the country of Grandgousier. The monarch of Lerné thus unleashed a war that was disproportionate to the original futility of a refusal even though he found an initial act of resistance in the person of Brother Jean des Entommeurs at Seuilly Abbey; the va-t-en-guerre had no intention of stopping there and wanted to conquer the world. Picrochole takes La Roche-Clermault. Grandgousier laments at this attack, which broke an old friendship. He sought conciliation, but to no avail.
His ambassador Ulrich Gallet was received with insults.
It was not until the Picrocholine war that Gargantua was able to put his teaching to good use.
His father, Grandgousier, called him back to mobilise his knowledge to defend his kingdom against the invaders. To be useful, study must go hand in hand with practice.
« Useless is the study and advice which, at the proper time, by virtue is not carried out and its effect reduced ».
In the same way, the letter questions the legitimacy of war, which can only be justified by defence against aggressors. War must spare as many lives as possible: The exploit will be carried out with as little bloodshed as possible.
And if possible, we will use the most expedient devices and tricks of war to save all the souls and send them to the enemy.
