Jean de Joinville (1224 - December 24, 1317) was one of the great chroniclers of medieval France. // Events Foundation of the University of Naples Livonian Brothers of the Sword conquers Latgallians Last of Arabs expelled from Sicily Births Deaths Cathal Crobdearg Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht (born 1153) Hojo Yoshitoki, regent of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan (born 1163) Monarchs/Presidents Aragon - James I King of Aragon... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... Events The Great Famine of 1315-1317. ... Generally a chronicle (Latin chronica) is historical account of facts and events in chronological order. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Son of Simon de Joinville and Beatrice d'Auxonne, he belonged to a great noble family from Champagne. He received an education befitting a young noble at the court of Theobald IV, count of Champagne: reading, writing, and the rudiments of Latin. On the death of his father, he became seneschal of Champagne (and was therefore personally connected to Theobald IV). He was a very pious man and was concerned with the proper administration of the region. Joinville is a commune of the Haute-Marne département, in France. ... Theobald IV of Champagne (1201–1253), known as the Troubadour, the Chansonnier, and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne and the King of Navarre from 1235. ... The Counts of Champagne ruled the region of Champagne, France from 1022 to 1314. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. ...

In 1241, he accompanied Theobald to the court of the king of France, Louis IX (the future Saint Louis). In 1244, when Louis organized the Seventh Crusade, Joinville decided to abandon his family to join with the Christian knights just as his father had done 35 years earlier against the Albigensians. At the time of the crusade, Joinville placed himself in the service of the king and became his counsellor and confidant. In 1250, when the king and his troops were captured by the Mameluks in al-Mansourah, Joinville, among the captives, participated in the negotiations and the collection of the ransom. Joinville probably brought himself even closer to the king in the difficult times that followed the failure of the crusade (including the death of his brother Robert). It was Joinville who advised the king to stay in the Holy Land instead of returning immediately to France as the other lords had wanted; the king followed Joinville's advice. During the following four years, spent in the Holy Land, Joinville was the constant advisor to the king. who knew that he count on Joinville's absolute devotion and his frankness. Events April 5 - Mongols of Golden Horde under the command of Subotai defeat feudal Polish nobility, including Knights Templar, in the battle of Liegnitz April 27 - Mongols defeat Bela IV of Hungary in the battle of Sajo. ... Kings ruled in France from the Middle Ages to 1848. ... Only representation of Saint Louis known to be true to life - Early 14th century statue from the church of Mainneville, Eure, France King Louis IX of France or Saint Louis (April 25, 1214/1215 – August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. ... Events Sultan Malik al-Muattam razes city walls. ... The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. ... Albigensians are the inhabitants of Albi, France. ... Events December 13 - Death of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IX of France is captured by Muslims and has to ransom himself Mabinogion appears Albertus Magnus isolates the element arsenic Vincent of Beauvais writes proto-encyclopedic The Greater Mirror City of Stockholm founded Alphonso III of Portugal takes Algarve... An Ottoman Mamluk, from 1810 Mamluks (or Mameluks) (the Arabic word usually translates as owned, singular: مملوك plural: مماليك) comprised slave soldiers used by the Muslim Caliphs and the Ottoman Empire, and who on more than one occasion seized power for themselves. ... Al Mansurah (Arabic منصورة) is considered to be Egyptian fourth city after Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. ... The term ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property extorted to secure their release, or to the sum of money involved. ...

In 1270, Louis IX, although very weakened physically, undertook a new crusade with his three sons. Any enthusiasm Joinville had for the previous crusade had been knocked out of him, and he refused to follow Louis, recognizing the uselessness of the enterprise and convinced that the duty of the king was not to leave the kingdom that needed him. In fact, the expedition was a disaster and the king died outside Tunis on August 25, 1270. The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France, (who was by now in his mid-fifties) in 1270. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ...

From 1271, the papacy carried out a long inquest on the subject of Louis IX, which ended with his canonization, announced in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. As Joinville had been a close friend of the king, his counselor and his confidant, his testimony was invaluable to the inquest, where he appeared as a witness in 1282. For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ... Canonization is the process of declaring someone a saint and involves proving that a candidate has lived in such a way that he or she is worthy of sainthood. ... Events 8 January - Monaco gains independence. ... Boniface VIII, né Benedetto Caetani (Anagni, ca. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ...

At the request of Jeanne of Navarre, the queen, he began work on the Histoire de Saint Louis, which he completed in 1309. Joinville died on December 24, 1317, over 93 years old, nearly fifty years after the death of Louis. Jeanne (or Joan or Johanna) of Navarre (c. ... Events August 15 - The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. ...

Life of Saint Louis

Commissioning of the work

Jeanne of Navarre, wife of Philip IV of France, asked Joinville to write Louis' biography. He then put himself to the task of writing livre des saintes paroles et des bons faiz de nostre saint roy Looÿs (as he himself called it), today known as the Life of Saint Louis. Jeanne of Navarre died on April 2, 1305, while the work was not yet completed. Joinville dedicated it in 1309 to her son, Louis, king of Navarre and count of Champagne, the future Louis X of France. Jeanne (or Joan or Johanna) of Navarre (c. ... Philippe IV, recumbent statue on his tomb, Royal Necropolis, Saint Denis Basilica Philip IV the Fair (French: Philippe IV le Bel) (1268 – November 29, 1314) was King of France from 1285 until his death. ... 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Events August 5 - English troops capture William Wallace Wenceslas III becomes king of Bohemia The Papacy removed to France following riots in the Papal State. ... Events August 15 - The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. ... This is a list of the kings of Navarre. ... Louis X the Quarreller, also called the Headstrong or the Stubborn, (French: Louis X le Hutin, Spanish: Luis el Obstinado) (October 4, 1289 – June 5, 1316), King of France from 1314 to 1316, was a member of the Capetian Dynasty. ...

Composition and date

As noted, the book was not completed when Jeanne of Navarre died in 1305. In addition, the oldest existing manuscript ends with this note: " Ce fu escript en l'an de grace mil .CCC. et .IX. [1309], ou moys d’octovre ". This is not precisely the date of the writing of the manuscript, because it was obviously written later. Therefore it is either the date of the completion of the work by Joinville, or the date of the manuscript which served as the model to the surviving copies. The work was therefore written between 1305 and 1309. By other evidence, one can equally argue that a passage at the very end of the book, relating a dream of Joinville, could not have been written before 1308. Joinville therefore finished his work a short time before giving it to Louis. A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Events Henry VII is elected as king of the Holy Roman Empire. ...

Tradition of the text

The surviving manuscripts consist one old copy of the text and two later copies. The manuscript that was given to Louis does not survive.

The oldest manuscript is obviously very close to the original. It is found in the inventory of 1373 of the library of Charles V of France. Furthermore, according to the illuminations, it can be dated to the years 1330-1340, about 20 years after the original manuscript. This copy remained in the royal library and then passed to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, before reaching Brussels, where it was lost. It was rediscovered only in 1746, when Brussels was taken by French troops. This Brussels manuscript is now located in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. It is one volume of 391 pages in two columns. The first page is decorated with gold and illuminations, and with a painting representing Joinville presenting his book to Louis. The text is divided into paragraphs, each beginning with a gilded letter. Events Bristol is made an independent county. ... Charles V the Wise (French: Charles V le Sage) (January 31, 1338 – September 16, 1380) was king of France (1364 to 1380) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ... In the strictest definition of illuminated manuscript, only manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, like this miniature of Christ in Majesty from the Aberdeen Bestiary (folio 4v), would be considered illuminated. ... Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (Philip the Good or Philippe le Bon) (1396–1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. ... The Duchy of Burgundy, today Bourgogne, has its origin in the small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saone which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Balds kingdom of West Franks. ... Bold textItalic textBold text // Headline text Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (French: Bruxelles, Dutch: Brussel, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the French community of Belgium, the Flemish community and of the European Union. ... Events January 8 - Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling April 16 - Battle of Culloden brings an end to the Jacobite Risings October 22 - The College of New Jersey is founded (it becomes Princeton University in 1896) October 28 - An earthquake demolishes Lima and Callao, in Peru Catharine de Ricci (born 1522... The new buildings of the library. ...

Two editions have been created from one translation of Joinville's text (which does not survive itself), created by Antoine Pierre in 1547 and by Claude Ménard in 1617 respectively. Pierre's text is corrupted from the modifications of the original text and from fanciful additions, while Ménard's is an excellent scholarly work. Events January 16 - Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed I (1603-1617) to Mustafa I (1617-1623). ...

Finally, a third copy of the text comes from two manuscripts which appear to date from the second quarter of the 16th century. These are modernized transcriptions with systematic renovation of the language, from one older manuscript and the Brussels manuscript. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

General perspectives on the work

Joinville was a knight. He was neither a cleric skilled in composing books, nor a chronicler informed by researching written or oral information. Nevertheless, his writing is sincere and neutral. He wrote about everything he personally experienced during the reign of Saint Louis, essentially the crusade in Egypt and their stay in the Holy Land. His narrative is full of life, anecdotes and even humour. It is more of a personal testimony about the king than a history of his reign.

The freshness and precision of his memories are impressive, especially since he wrote his work some decades after the fact. Certain medievalists explain this by supposing that Joinville had often recounted his past orally or that he had previously committed it to writing before beginning his work.

Joinville speaks almost as much about himself as he does about the king, the subject of his book, but he does it in such a natural manner that he never gives the impression that he wants to place himself above the king. Thus we have an incomparable clarity about the ways of thinking of a 13th century man. For this reason, modern editors have sometimes said the work is more of a memoir than a history or a biography of Saint Louis. (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

The holy words

The first part of Joinville's work is dedicated to the holy words of the king. Joinville writes about the edifying words of the king and his Christian virtues.

Speeches are very important among Louis' court. His speech is moral and didactic, reflecting the speech of the preachers (Dominicans and Franciscans) who surround him. It transmits a moral and religious teaching and often aims to strengthen the faith of the recipient. An intimacy exists between the king and his followers (his family, confidants, and counselors, among whom are Joinville and Robert de Sorbon) who express themselves particularly in the conversation: the king invites his audience to respond to his questions, often with the aim of instructing them with moral and religious plans. This importance of the royal speech is particularly well rendered by Joinville, who often has his characters speak. He is one of the first memoirists to integrate reconstructed dialogue into a tale. He most often uses a direct style and marks the interventions of his characters with "he said" or "he did." And Joinville never has his characters speak in long monologues: the lessons are always shown from dialogue. The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Robert de Sorbon (October 9, 1201 – August 15, 1274) was a French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne college in Paris. ...

In addition, it is through the words of the king that his profound faith and sanctity are shown. For Joinville, Louis IX embodies the ideal prud'homme - pious, courageous, kind, intelligent and wise, a man who defends the Christian faith by his courage. And in fact, in Joinville's work he shows the king to have an ardent love of God, benevolent to his people, humble, moderate and courteous, wise and just, peaceful, loyal and generous. In some respects Joinville is sometimes not far from writing a hagiography. Hagiography is the study of saints. ...

Joinville, like his king, was obviously very attached to the Christian religion, to its doctrines, its morality and its practices. For proof of this there is a small work of edification, composed in 1250, titled li romans as ymages des poinz de nostre foi, where Joinville makes a brief commentary on the Credo. But his deep and sincere faith contrasts with the almost exalted Christian heroism of the king. The Christianity of Joinville is closer to that of the common people. In Latin, the word credo means I believe. ...

The crusade

Joinville recounts equally the high deeds of Saint Louis, in particular the unfolding of the Seventh Crusade and the following stay in the Holy Land, which occupies most of the book.

Value of the testimony of Joinville

If Joinville's work is not that of an historian, it is nevertheless completely sincere. When he must mention deeds which he did not witness, he expresses reservations about what he reports by hearsay and he recognizes the debt he owes to other chroniclers. Admittedly, when he talks about the beginning of the reign of Saint Louis, there is some confusion as he did not witness this period personally, but, from the departure of the crusade in 1248, there are few faults where Joinville's memory is concerned, except for a few errors in the particular details.

That being said, it can be asked if the general presentation of the facts is not conditioned by Joinville's own personality, by his conceptions and by his admiration for the king. Perhaps his position as a noble and his distrust for the government of Philip IV were able to amend Louis' memory to give Louis' governance an image closer to that which Joinville considered ideal. But the work does not serve as an organized lesson that envisions the diverse qualities and diverse duties of a sovereign. Joinville leaves the person of the king, the subject of his book, and explains clearly that the successors of the king would be well to follow Louis' example, but he goes no further; he is not writing a work of morality.

The work was influential on Capetian politics, as the Capetians were anxious to exploit the prestige of the king who had died on crusade. But the passage of time and, especially, the neutrality of Joinville and his naïve roughness give his memories an exceptional value. The direct Capetian Dynasty followed the Carolingian rulers of France from 987 to 1328. ...

External links

• The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, translated by Ethel Wedgwood (1906)