the astute Guillaume de Vergy--a very great noble, head of his family and marechal of Burgundy--saw an opportunity of grasping the long coveted succession for his son Claude by means of a marriage with Helene of Gruyere. But he reckoned without the well founded claims and stout opposition of Jean de Montsalvens, between whom and his son on one side and Helene and her mother on the other side such a contest arose as nearly plunged Switzerland into civil war. While Berne was on Helene's side, Fribourg supported Jean de Montsalvens. The duke of Savoy supported the two ladies, but could find no better solution of their difficulties than to ask them to receive the rival pretendant as a guest in the chateau. When finally their friends the Bernois and their enemies of Fribourg proposed to install Jean provisionally at Gruyere under the protection of an armed force, the countess thought prudent to retire, leaving the chateau to the management of her chatelain. But while the duke of Savoy and the two cities were temporizing and hesitating between the rival claimants, the mountaineers of Gessenay, leaders of the German-Swiss people of Gruyere, and who were violently opposed to the marriage of Mdlle. de Gruyere with the detested family of de Vergy, formally acknowledged Jean de Montsalvens as their ruler. In spite of the popular opposition, Helene's marriage was duly celebrated and her rival soon after installed himself at the chateau. Whereupon, the duke of Savoy indignant at the disregard of his futile propositions, sent a messenger to Berne commanding their intervention in favor of Helene, and another to Jean himself with a mandate immediately to evacuate the chateau. Berne informed the men of Gessenay of its intention to support Helene, and commanded them to keep the peace. The prospect of a general war seemed so imminent that the king of France sent his ambassador, the Cardinal d'Amboise, to investigate the matter, and the marechal of Burgundy so influenced the emperor that he issued an imperial mandate recognizing Claude de Vergy as ruler of the disputed province. But Jean de Montsalvens, supported by his mountaineers, with an enrolled force of four thousand men, dismissed with calm politeness the messenger of Savoy, ignored the threats of the two cities as well as the mandate of the emperor, and preserved so bold a front against all his foes that he gained the assistance of Berne and the unanimous support of all his people, and was formally recognized as count of Gruyere. The duke of Savoy and the two cities now proposed a council of all the parties concerned by which the rival claims should be decided, but refusing at first to submit his rights to arbitration, Count Jean delayed until he was assured by popular consent of the success of his cause, and then appearing before the council at Geneva, was formally confirmed in his already established succession. [Illustration: TERRACE OF THE CHATEAU]