Alain Chartier
Encyclopedia
Alain Chartier was a French
poet
and political writer
.
He was born at Bayeux
, into a family marked by considerable ability. His eldest brother Guillaume became bishop of Paris; and Thomas became notary to the king. Jean Chartier, a monk of St Denis, whose history of Charles VII
is printed in vol. III. of Les Grands Chroniques de Saint-Denis (1477), was not, as is sometimes stated, also a brother of the poet.
Alain studied, as his elder brother had done, at the University of Paris
. His earliest poem is the Livre des quatre dames (1416), written after the battle of Agincourt
. This was followed by the Débat du reveille-matin (1422-26?), La Belle Dame sans mercy
(1424), and others. None of these poems show any very patriotic feeling, though Chartier's prose is evidence that he was not indifferent to the misfortunes of his country.
He followed the fortunes of the dauphin, afterwards Charles VII
, acting in the triple capacity of clerk, notary, and financial secretary.
In 1422 he wrote the famous Quadrilogue invectif. The interlocutors in this dialogue are France herself and the three orders of the state. Chartier lays bare the abuses of the feudal army and the sufferings of the peasants. He rendered an immense service to his country by maintaining that the cause of France, though desperate to all appearance, was not yet lost if the contending factions could lay aside their differences in the face of the common enemy.
In 1424 Chartier was sent on an embassy to Germany
, and three years later he accompanied to Scotland
the mission sent to negotiate the marriage of James I's
daughter, Margaret, then not four years old, with the dauphin, afterwards Louis XI
. In 1429 he wrote the Livre d'esperance, which contains a fierce attack on the nobility and clergy. He was the author of a diatribe on the courtiers of Charles VII. entitled Le Curial, translated into English by William Caxton
about 1484.
The date of his death is to be placed about 1430. A Latin epitaph
, discovered in the 18th century, says, however, that he was Archdeacon
of Paris
, and declares that he died in the city of Avignon
in 1449. This is obviously not authentic, for Alain described himself as a simple clerc and certainly died long before 1449.
The story of the famous kiss bestowed by Margaret of Scotland on la précieuse bouche de laquelle sont issus et sortis tant de bons mots et vertueuses paroles ('The invaluable mouth from which issued and which left so many witty remarks and virtuous words') is mythical, for Margaret did not come to France till 1436, after the poet's death; but the story, first told by Guillaume Bouchet in his Annales d'Aquitaine (1524), is interesting, if only as a proof of the high degree of estimation in which the ugliest man of his day was held. Jean de Masies, who annotated a portion of his verse, has recorded how the pages and young gentlemen of that epoch were required daily to learn by heart passages of his Breviaire des nobles. John Lydgate
studied him affectionately. His Belle Dame sans mercy was translated into English in the 15th century by Sir Richard Ros
, with an introduction of his own; and Clement Marot
and Octavien de Saint-Gelais
, writing fifty years after his death, find many fair words for the old poet, their master and predecessor.
The English Romantic poet John Keats
famously wrote the ballad 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci', using the title from Alain Chartier.
See Mancel, Alain Chartier, étude bibliographique et littéraire, 8vo (Paris, 1849); Didier Delaunay's Étude sur Alain Chartier (1876), with considerable extracts from his writings. His works were edited by A. Duchesne
(Paris, 1617). On Jean Chartier see Vallet de Viriville, Essais critiques sur les historiens originaux du règne de Charles VIII, in the Bibl. de l'Ecole des Chartes 1857).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and political writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
He was born at Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
, into a family marked by considerable ability. His eldest brother Guillaume became bishop of Paris; and Thomas became notary to the king. Jean Chartier, a monk of St Denis, whose history of Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
is printed in vol. III. of Les Grands Chroniques de Saint-Denis (1477), was not, as is sometimes stated, also a brother of the poet.
Alain studied, as his elder brother had done, at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. His earliest poem is the Livre des quatre dames (1416), written after the battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. This was followed by the Débat du reveille-matin (1422-26?), La Belle Dame sans mercy
La Belle Dame sans Mercy
Assumed to have been written in 1424, La Belle Dame sans Mercy is a French poem on courtly love written by Alain Chartier.-Versification:...
(1424), and others. None of these poems show any very patriotic feeling, though Chartier's prose is evidence that he was not indifferent to the misfortunes of his country.
He followed the fortunes of the dauphin, afterwards Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, acting in the triple capacity of clerk, notary, and financial secretary.
In 1422 he wrote the famous Quadrilogue invectif. The interlocutors in this dialogue are France herself and the three orders of the state. Chartier lays bare the abuses of the feudal army and the sufferings of the peasants. He rendered an immense service to his country by maintaining that the cause of France, though desperate to all appearance, was not yet lost if the contending factions could lay aside their differences in the face of the common enemy.
In 1424 Chartier was sent on an embassy to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and three years later he accompanied to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
the mission sent to negotiate the marriage of James I's
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
daughter, Margaret, then not four years old, with the dauphin, afterwards Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
. In 1429 he wrote the Livre d'esperance, which contains a fierce attack on the nobility and clergy. He was the author of a diatribe on the courtiers of Charles VII. entitled Le Curial, translated into English by William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
about 1484.
The date of his death is to be placed about 1430. A Latin epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
, discovered in the 18th century, says, however, that he was Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and declares that he died in the city of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
in 1449. This is obviously not authentic, for Alain described himself as a simple clerc and certainly died long before 1449.
John Lydgate
John Lydgate of Bury was a monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England.Lydgate is at once a greater and a lesser poet than John Gower. He is a greater poet because of his greater range and force; he has a much more powerful machine at his command. The sheer bulk of Lydgate's poetic output is...
studied him affectionately. His Belle Dame sans mercy was translated into English in the 15th century by Sir Richard Ros
Richard Ros
Sir Richard Ros , English poet, was the son of Sir Thomas Ros, lord of Hamlake in Yorkshire and of Belvoir in Leicestershire.In Harl. manuscript 372 the poem of "La Belle Dame sanz Mercy," first printed in W...
, with an introduction of his own; and Clement Marot
Clément Marot
Clément Marot was a French poet of the Renaissance period.-Youth:Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496-1497. His father, Jean Marot , whose more correct name appears to have been des Mares, Marais or Marets, was a Norman from the Caen...
and Octavien de Saint-Gelais
Octavien de Saint-Gelais
Octavien de Saint-Gelais was a French churchman, poet, and translator. He translated the Aeneid into French, as well as Ovid's Heroides....
, writing fifty years after his death, find many fair words for the old poet, their master and predecessor.
The English Romantic poet John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
famously wrote the ballad 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci', using the title from Alain Chartier.
See Mancel, Alain Chartier, étude bibliographique et littéraire, 8vo (Paris, 1849); Didier Delaunay's Étude sur Alain Chartier (1876), with considerable extracts from his writings. His works were edited by A. Duchesne
André Duchesne
André Duchesne was a French geographer and historian, generally styled the father of French history. He was educated at Loudun and afterwards at Paris...
(Paris, 1617). On Jean Chartier see Vallet de Viriville, Essais critiques sur les historiens originaux du règne de Charles VIII, in the Bibl. de l'Ecole des Chartes 1857).