Bonnivard, François de

Bonnivard or Bonivard, François de

(both: fräNswä` də bônēvär`), c.1493–1570, Swiss patriot and historian. The prior of St. Victor, near Geneva, he supported the revolt of GenevaGeneva
, Fr. Genève, canton (1990 pop. 373,019), 109 sq mi (282 sq km), SW Switzerland, surrounding the southwest tip of the Lake of Geneva. One of the smallest cantons, Geneva is in the plain between the Jura and the Alps. It borders on Vaud canton for 3.5 mi (5.
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 against Charles III of Savoy, who imprisoned him from 1519 to 1521. He was again imprisoned from 1530 to 1536 in the castle of Chillon, romanticized in Lord Byron's poem "Prisoner of Chillon." Released by the Bernese, he later became a Protestant. Geneva honored him with a pension. His chronicle of Geneva was first published in 1831.