Théâtres de chevalerie : tournois et politique à la cour de France au XVIe siècle

Abstract

In Renaissance France, tournaments were still among the most important court festivals. Most marriages, christenings, royal entries, coronations, and other major courtly celebrations were followed with these military games inherited from the chivalric tradition. In addition to being greatly appreciated by both the audience and the participants, these spectacles gathered the nobility in celebration of common values, and therefore played an important social role. At court, the king of France, considered as “the first among knights”, often took part in these events, either as participant or supreme judge. By showing himself as a fighting sovereign, he actually embodied the military power of his kingdom. Throughout the sixteenth century, tournaments served the king’s political interests both in domestic affairs and international matters. Political statements were also conveyed through the tournaments’ artistic environment. How were the large ephemeral settings and occasional texts, designed by artists and court poets, used to communicate royal statements during Renaissance tournaments? And how did they even progressively override the combats themselves, transforming the last tournaments into mere shows whose ending was predetermined?

Keywords

• Tournaments
• jousts
• French court
• politics
• chivalry
• poetry