Godfried Croenen | University of Liverpool (original) (raw)
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Jean Froissart wrote and rewrote his Chroniques over a period of several decades. We can reconstr... more Jean Froissart wrote and rewrote his Chroniques over a period of several decades. We can reconstruct the genesis and development of the text from the surviving manuscript versions of each of the first three books of the Chroniques, although the chronology of these versions and their relationships to each other and to the underlying authorial texts are not yet fully understood. The recent identification of a manuscript containing Books II and III of the Chroniques in the library of the Seminary in Bruges (MS 468) now further complements this picture. Codicologically the Bruges manuscript is related to the famous 'Rome' manuscript, which contains the latest authorial version of Book I, and it may therefore belong to the same authorial revision campaign of the Chroniques. MS 468 contains versions of the Chroniques that have not been transmitted elsewhere, including an unrecorded version of Book II. While the text of Book III in MS 468 clearly represents the 'second' authorial redaction of Book III, comparison with the only other known witness of that version (Paris, BnF, fr. 2650) suggests that the state of the text in the latter reflects a further authorial revision of the text as it is recorded in Bruges 468.
![Research paper thumbnail of 'De oudste Antwerpse stadsprivileges' [The earliest charters granted to the city of Antwerp], in: HistoriANT, 10 (2022), 51-81](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/92528691/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](HistoriANT, 2022
In this essay the two earliest ducal charters granted to the burghers of Antwerp in 1220/1 are cr... more In this essay the two earliest ducal charters granted to the burghers of Antwerp in 1220/1 are critically reassessed. In many modern historians’ view the two documents are closely related; these scholars claim that duke Henry I of Brabant used both charters either to grant or to confirm the urban privileges of Antwerp. I demonstrate that both charters’ genesis was largely distinct and that their content was very different and much more limited than usually assumed. With the first charter the duke confirmed in 1221 new urban legislation adopted by the city authorities relating to transactions of real estate located outside the urban territory. This charter was drafted and copied outside the ducal chancery and was based on a record of the urban law written in the vernacular. Charter 2 was issued either in 1220 or 1221 and was drafted and written by the ducal chancery. With this charter the duke confirmed the burghers’ general freedom of ducal taxation, originally granted by Emperor Otto I c. 980 as a freedom from the tolls. The duke specified under which conditions the city nevertheless had to contribute to extraordinary taxation.
Book I of Jean Froissart’s Chroniques has been preserved in several authorial versions but the re... more Book I of Jean Froissart’s Chroniques has been preserved in several authorial versions but the relative and absolute chronology of these versions has never been satisfactorily determined. The theories proposed by Siméon Luce and the baron Kervyn de Lettenhove contradict each other in several respects. This essay argues that the authorial ‘A’ version has only survived in a fragmentary state but that it must be the first authorial version of the text, to be dated to the year 1381. The ‘Amiens’ version, which can be dated [1384-1391] is the second surviving authorial version, followed by the authorial abridgment, to be dated between the same dates. These are followed by respectively the ‘B’ and ‘C’ versions, both not later than 1399, and respectively after 1391 and 1395. The ‘Rome’ version is the final authorial version of Book I, to be dated after 1404 and not later than 1415. The textual evolution of the Chroniques and the modes of rewriting are illustrated with examples related to some of the military campaigns in Normandy, in particular Edward III’s Normandy campaign of 1346, the duke of Lancaster’s campaign of 1356, and the siege of Cherbourg in 1378-1379.
Most of the manuscripts produced in late medieval Paris, including the many with historiographica... more Most of the manuscripts produced in late medieval Paris, including the many with historiographical texts, contain a more or less complex system of textual divisions articulated partly by rubrics. Some of these texts include a stable set of rubrics that reappears in most surviving copies, but the textual traditions of others show a wide variety in their paratextual systems. Starting from an analysis of the rubrics in two of the best known historical narratives in Middle French that have survived in large numbers – the Grandes Chroniques de France and the Chroniques of Jean Froissart – this essay considers the functions rubrics had for authors and readers of late medieval French manuscripts in general and of historical texts in particular. As well as trying to understand why rubrics became a standard part of textual production in France in the 14th and 15th centuries, it also looks at the particular practices of the manuscript production processes concerned with rubrication.
The Online Froissart, Dec 2013
By the time copies of Froissart's Chronicles were produced in Paris at the start of the fifteenth... more By the time copies of Froissart's Chronicles were produced in Paris at the start of the fifteenth century, the book trade in the French capital had been a well-established industry for a good while. Clear legislative, organisational and financial structures shaped and regulated the production and sale of books in Paris at this time. Scholars like R. and M. Rouse, who have studied the Paris book trade during this period through a number of important case studies, have highlighted the central role played by the libraires in the whole system. 2 It is clear that many libraires made their way upwards in the trade, starting out as parchmenters, scribes, decorators or miniature painters before achieving the status of libraire or grand libraire. While their essential role as libraire was the sale of both new and second-hand books, and the organisation of the production of new manuscripts through a system of subcontracting, they probably often participated in the actual production of these books whenever they had the time and possessed the necessary skills to do so. 3
This essay discusses the commercial production of illustrated manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chr... more This essay discusses the commercial production of illustrated manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chronicles in the second decade of the 15th century in Paris, in particular by the libraire Pierre de Liffol.
The encyclopedia of the medieval chronicle, 2010
Discusses the illustration cycles found in the manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chronicles
![Research paper thumbnail of Jean Froissart, Chroniques [Amiens Version, Abridged Version, B/C Version], in Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries (eds.), The Battle of Crécy: a Casebook (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2015), pp. 252-297, 306-337, 396-405, 407-411](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/42768559/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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I argue that Froissart’s ‘Amiens’ redaction and the Abridgement of Book I are both to be dated 13... more I argue that Froissart’s ‘Amiens’ redaction and the Abridgement of Book I are both to be dated 1384–1391, but that the ‘Amiens’ redaction was written before the Abridgement. The ‘B’ and ‘C’ redactions are both to be dated 1391–1399, with the ‘B’ redaction being the earlier of the two, written closer to 1391 and the ‘C’ redaction after 1395. The notes on the dating of three of the earliest versions of Froissart’s Book I were written as the introduction to my new partial editions of the ‘Amiens’, ‘Abridged’ and ‘C’ redactions, published in Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries (eds.), The Battle of Crécy: A Casebook (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2015).
In Brabant the historical sources for the 13th and 14th centuries show the frequent occurrence of... more In Brabant the historical sources for the 13th and 14th centuries show the frequent occurrence of illegitimate children in noble lineages. Many of these children were born when their fathers were still unmarried. Brabantine customary law excluded illegitimate children from inheriting landed estates, but bastardy did not exclude the transmission of noble status, nor did it limit the reciprocal expectations created by blood relations between the illegitimate children and their natural family, in particular their fathers, who often looked after them through the purchase of pensions or by including financial provisions for them in their wills. In cases when legitimate offspring was limited, illegitimate offspring partly took over the functions of the extended family, as happened in the ducal family during the first half of the 14th century. The ascent of ducal bastards in this period may be a factor which led to the clause in the Joyous Entry of 1356 which barred illegitimate children from high public office.
Les Chroniques de Jean Froissart comptent parmi les plus importants textes en prose de la littéra... more Les Chroniques de Jean Froissart comptent parmi les plus importants textes en prose de la littérature en moyen français. Le Livre III des Chroniques, qui contient entre autre le compte-rendu du voyage entrepris par le chroniqueur afin de s'informer sur la situation en Languedoc et sur la péninsule ibérique, contient, lui seul, quelques 320.000 mots.
The Journal of the Early Book Society For the Study of Manuscripts and Printing History, 2008
Jean Froissart wrote and rewrote his Chroniques over a period of several decades. We can reconstr... more Jean Froissart wrote and rewrote his Chroniques over a period of several decades. We can reconstruct the genesis and development of the text from the surviving manuscript versions of each of the first three books of the Chroniques, although the chronology of these versions and their relationships to each other and to the underlying authorial texts are not yet fully understood. The recent identification of a manuscript containing Books II and III of the Chroniques in the library of the Seminary in Bruges (MS 468) now further complements this picture. Codicologically the Bruges manuscript is related to the famous 'Rome' manuscript, which contains the latest authorial version of Book I, and it may therefore belong to the same authorial revision campaign of the Chroniques. MS 468 contains versions of the Chroniques that have not been transmitted elsewhere, including an unrecorded version of Book II. While the text of Book III in MS 468 clearly represents the 'second' authorial redaction of Book III, comparison with the only other known witness of that version (Paris, BnF, fr. 2650) suggests that the state of the text in the latter reflects a further authorial revision of the text as it is recorded in Bruges 468.
HistoriANT, 2022
In this essay the two earliest ducal charters granted to the burghers of Antwerp in 1220/1 are cr... more In this essay the two earliest ducal charters granted to the burghers of Antwerp in 1220/1 are critically reassessed. In many modern historians’ view the two documents are closely related; these scholars claim that duke Henry I of Brabant used both charters either to grant or to confirm the urban privileges of Antwerp. I demonstrate that both charters’ genesis was largely distinct and that their content was very different and much more limited than usually assumed. With the first charter the duke confirmed in 1221 new urban legislation adopted by the city authorities relating to transactions of real estate located outside the urban territory. This charter was drafted and copied outside the ducal chancery and was based on a record of the urban law written in the vernacular. Charter 2 was issued either in 1220 or 1221 and was drafted and written by the ducal chancery. With this charter the duke confirmed the burghers’ general freedom of ducal taxation, originally granted by Emperor Otto I c. 980 as a freedom from the tolls. The duke specified under which conditions the city nevertheless had to contribute to extraordinary taxation.
Book I of Jean Froissart’s Chroniques has been preserved in several authorial versions but the re... more Book I of Jean Froissart’s Chroniques has been preserved in several authorial versions but the relative and absolute chronology of these versions has never been satisfactorily determined. The theories proposed by Siméon Luce and the baron Kervyn de Lettenhove contradict each other in several respects. This essay argues that the authorial ‘A’ version has only survived in a fragmentary state but that it must be the first authorial version of the text, to be dated to the year 1381. The ‘Amiens’ version, which can be dated [1384-1391] is the second surviving authorial version, followed by the authorial abridgment, to be dated between the same dates. These are followed by respectively the ‘B’ and ‘C’ versions, both not later than 1399, and respectively after 1391 and 1395. The ‘Rome’ version is the final authorial version of Book I, to be dated after 1404 and not later than 1415. The textual evolution of the Chroniques and the modes of rewriting are illustrated with examples related to some of the military campaigns in Normandy, in particular Edward III’s Normandy campaign of 1346, the duke of Lancaster’s campaign of 1356, and the siege of Cherbourg in 1378-1379.
Most of the manuscripts produced in late medieval Paris, including the many with historiographica... more Most of the manuscripts produced in late medieval Paris, including the many with historiographical texts, contain a more or less complex system of textual divisions articulated partly by rubrics. Some of these texts include a stable set of rubrics that reappears in most surviving copies, but the textual traditions of others show a wide variety in their paratextual systems. Starting from an analysis of the rubrics in two of the best known historical narratives in Middle French that have survived in large numbers – the Grandes Chroniques de France and the Chroniques of Jean Froissart – this essay considers the functions rubrics had for authors and readers of late medieval French manuscripts in general and of historical texts in particular. As well as trying to understand why rubrics became a standard part of textual production in France in the 14th and 15th centuries, it also looks at the particular practices of the manuscript production processes concerned with rubrication.
The Online Froissart, Dec 2013
By the time copies of Froissart's Chronicles were produced in Paris at the start of the fifteenth... more By the time copies of Froissart's Chronicles were produced in Paris at the start of the fifteenth century, the book trade in the French capital had been a well-established industry for a good while. Clear legislative, organisational and financial structures shaped and regulated the production and sale of books in Paris at this time. Scholars like R. and M. Rouse, who have studied the Paris book trade during this period through a number of important case studies, have highlighted the central role played by the libraires in the whole system. 2 It is clear that many libraires made their way upwards in the trade, starting out as parchmenters, scribes, decorators or miniature painters before achieving the status of libraire or grand libraire. While their essential role as libraire was the sale of both new and second-hand books, and the organisation of the production of new manuscripts through a system of subcontracting, they probably often participated in the actual production of these books whenever they had the time and possessed the necessary skills to do so. 3
This essay discusses the commercial production of illustrated manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chr... more This essay discusses the commercial production of illustrated manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chronicles in the second decade of the 15th century in Paris, in particular by the libraire Pierre de Liffol.
The encyclopedia of the medieval chronicle, 2010
Discusses the illustration cycles found in the manuscripts of Jean Froissart's Chronicles
I argue that Froissart’s ‘Amiens’ redaction and the Abridgement of Book I are both to be dated 13... more I argue that Froissart’s ‘Amiens’ redaction and the Abridgement of Book I are both to be dated 1384–1391, but that the ‘Amiens’ redaction was written before the Abridgement. The ‘B’ and ‘C’ redactions are both to be dated 1391–1399, with the ‘B’ redaction being the earlier of the two, written closer to 1391 and the ‘C’ redaction after 1395. The notes on the dating of three of the earliest versions of Froissart’s Book I were written as the introduction to my new partial editions of the ‘Amiens’, ‘Abridged’ and ‘C’ redactions, published in Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries (eds.), The Battle of Crécy: A Casebook (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2015).
In Brabant the historical sources for the 13th and 14th centuries show the frequent occurrence of... more In Brabant the historical sources for the 13th and 14th centuries show the frequent occurrence of illegitimate children in noble lineages. Many of these children were born when their fathers were still unmarried. Brabantine customary law excluded illegitimate children from inheriting landed estates, but bastardy did not exclude the transmission of noble status, nor did it limit the reciprocal expectations created by blood relations between the illegitimate children and their natural family, in particular their fathers, who often looked after them through the purchase of pensions or by including financial provisions for them in their wills. In cases when legitimate offspring was limited, illegitimate offspring partly took over the functions of the extended family, as happened in the ducal family during the first half of the 14th century. The ascent of ducal bastards in this period may be a factor which led to the clause in the Joyous Entry of 1356 which barred illegitimate children from high public office.
Les Chroniques de Jean Froissart comptent parmi les plus importants textes en prose de la littéra... more Les Chroniques de Jean Froissart comptent parmi les plus importants textes en prose de la littérature en moyen français. Le Livre III des Chroniques, qui contient entre autre le compte-rendu du voyage entrepris par le chroniqueur afin de s'informer sur la situation en Languedoc et sur la péninsule ibérique, contient, lui seul, quelques 320.000 mots.
The Journal of the Early Book Society For the Study of Manuscripts and Printing History, 2008
https://www.dhi.ac.uk/data/onlinefroissart The ‘Online Froissart Website v. 1.5’ dataset conta... more https://www.dhi.ac.uk/data/onlinefroissart
The ‘Online Froissart Website v. 1.5’ dataset contains all the core textual data underlying the Online Froissart website (version 1.5, https://www.dhi.ac.uk/onlinefroissart/), the online resource that allows users to analyse and study the manuscript transmission of the Middle French Chroniques written by the fourteenth-century author Jean Froissart.
Not included in the dataset are the manuscript images that can be interactively consulted on the Online Froissart website, the text of static information and help pages on the website, and the software tools that provide the interactive functionality of the website. Most of the manuscript images are now also available in higher resolutions from the holding libraries and some of them have been published as Open Data. Other libraries have now made available further digitised Froissart manuscripts that have already been partially transcribed by the project.
Most of the data files provided here contain transcriptions of 118 individual manuscripts that transmit parts of the text of Froissart’s Chroniques. The transcription files contain a total of 5,533,734 transcribed words. The other files in the dataset either contain metadata about the manuscripts and the transcriptions, or provide annotations on the text of the Chroniques or on particular aspects of the manuscripts transcribed.
Renaissance Studies, 2009
This edition is the result of a substantial work of reconstitution of the family archives of a me... more This edition is the result of a substantial work of reconstitution of the family archives of a medieval noble family from the southern Low Countries, the Berthout family, lords of the city of Mechelen as well as a number of rural lordships in the duchy of Brabant and in neighbouring Flanders, Hainault and Namur. The extensive introduction explains the reconstitution and traces the history of the records since the Middle Ages, bringing together originals and copies preserved in 50 archival repositories, located in six countries. All 354 texts are edited in full. They include a large number of charters; covering the period 1212-1425 and a number of accounts from the middle of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. Two supplements include all wills and testaments that have survived but were not part of the family records, as well as documents relating to marriages of members of the Berthout family in other archival collections.
Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het verkrijgen van de graad van Doctor in de Geschiedenis