Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Timeline
- Introduction
- 1 The Life of Jean II Le Meingre, Dit Boucicaut (1366–1421)
- 2 The Livre Des Fais Du Bon Messire Jehan Le Maingre
- 3 Defending the Marshal
- 4 A Flower of Knighthood
- 5 The Virtues, the Good Habits and the Good Disposition of the Marshal
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - The Virtues, the Good Habits and the Good Disposition of the Marshal
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 September 2020
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Timeline
- Introduction
- 1 The Life of Jean II Le Meingre, Dit Boucicaut (1366–1421)
- 2 The Livre Des Fais Du Bon Messire Jehan Le Maingre
- 3 Defending the Marshal
- 4 A Flower of Knighthood
- 5 The Virtues, the Good Habits and the Good Disposition of the Marshal
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The final part of the Livre des fais marked a fundamental shift from the main narrative of the life of Boucicaut. The biographer opened this new section by declaring that
I shall say no more, for the moment, as to [Boucicaut’s] deeds, but rather proceed to talk about his appearance and conduct; now that we have talked of the richness of the treasure, and although his deeds speak for themselves, we should rightly turn to the treasurechest itself.
The biographer had already expressed some discomfort about recounting stories of deeds of arms. He had noted that his lengthy accounts of the battles of Nicopolis and Modone were somewhat abridged, not just because it would have taken too long to report every detail of the encounters, but also because he preferred not to dwell too long on stories that might bore his readers or cause him to be accused of copying the overblown style of romance. So the final part of the Livre des fais represented a shift to more comfortable ground, in which the biographer abandoned narrative storytelling and instead offered an analysis of the virtues, morals and good habits of the marshal. This resolved the problem created by the fact that the marshal was still alive when the book was written, replacing the traditional conclusion that recounted the death of the subject with a review of Boucicaut's qualities that was unprecedented in the genre of chivalric biography.
The closest parallels for the fourth part of the biography of Boucicaut were found in the writings of Christine de Pizan, a celebrated figure at the French court who enjoyed the patronage of all of the great princes of the blood. She had examined the ideal qualities and virtues of a prince in Livre du chemin de long estude that was completed by 30 March 1403. Philippe duke of Burgundy had then commissioned Christine to write a life of his deceased brother Charles V, shortly before his own death on 27 April 1404. Christine completed this book, the Livre des fais et bonnes meurs du sage roy Charles V by 30 November 1404; it offered an extended analysis of the virtues and qualities of Charles V, rather than a traditional narrative account of his life.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A Virtuous KnightDefending Marshal Boucicaut (Jean II Le Meingre, 1366–1421), pp. 130 - 158Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2019