Hunting of Jean-Baptiste
Encyclopedia
The Hunting of Jean-Baptiste was a wolf-hunt that began in France and ended somewhere in the Duchy of Luxembourg
, and is notable not only for the detailed record of the chase that survived but as an excellent representative of modernized hunting in the medieval style
. The account describes a number of customs typical of the medieval hunt, and themes native to hunting episodes from medieval literature
, including the pursuit as a matter of honour and a respect for the quarry elevating it to near-human status, prevalent in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
, among other period
works. The greater social context of the hunt cannot be ignored. Not two decades earlier the Beast of Gévaudan
and other fierce wolves had engaged in rampages around the hamlets of France, and peasants feared that one could at any time become a loup-cervier, or man-eater
. Consequently the hunt was undertaken, as much a utilitarian service to the subjects of the French Crown
as an exhilarating pastime for the aristocrats involved.
In 1780 the wolf Jean-Baptiste had earned a reputation (and a name) in the commune of Nancy and surrounding Lorraine
as a sly trickster, whose activities put the locals at unease. Meanwhile, a wealthy fief-holder
from Lunéville
named Foudras had gathered five separate packs of hounds with the aid of the gendarmerie in preparation for a hunt. He invited his uncle, the Marquis de Bologne, to oversee his arrangements and inspect the packs. The Marquis arrived from Bassigny and, with his blessing, Foudras and three other nobles were bid to Nancy to hunt the semi-legendary Jean-Baptiste, though they did not yet know it. During the first day of hunting the wolf eluded them with preternatural speed, losing them in rough country, or se forpaysait. With their quarry in hiding the hunting party gathered at a Cistercian abbey
for the night, where the monks treated them to a fine meal with a moselle that "sang in the heads of those that drank it", according to chronicler François Bluche. When the subject of the hunt was brought up at the table, the Cistercians identified the wolf as Jean-Baptiste and compared it favourably to the Beast of Gévaudan, describing him as nothing more than a harmless prankster. Foudras and his companions were unconvinced, however, and left the abbey the following morning in renewed pursuit of Jean-Baptiste. A second day of the chase yielded nothing, and the huntsmen were obliged to spend the night in a comparatively more rustic setting with a charcoal-burner
in his hut.
Leaving the deep forest on the morning of the third day, they again caught sight of Jean-Baptiste. The wolf appeared to be exhausted after two successive days of pursuit but he fled as quickly as though the hunt had only just begun. Despite injury and fatigue having reduced the number of hounds to twenty, Foudras and company agreed that abandoning their task now would be a grave dishonor, and like Bercilak de Hautdesert
before them they continued after the wolf. At three o'clock that afternoon their party was stopped by a man dressed in strange livery wielding an old halberd, who emerged from the trees and barred their advance. The horses and hounds came to a crashing halt. He informed the hunters that they were trespassing into the Duchy of Luxembourg, whereupon the huntsman M. de la Tour-en-Voisvre called for his assistant Baliveau to sound the "Change of kingdom" on his horn
, the music invoking an ancient right that allows hunters to pursue their quarry across national boundaries without fear of repercussion. Such was the prestige of the hunt, even in the 18th century. Baliveau is noted to have performed the similar Changement de forêt instead.
The chase continued into Luxembourg. At last Foudrac and his companions cornered Jean-Baptiste by a riverbank, and the horn-calls and shouts of the hallali, or moment when the quarry is fighting for its life, rang out over the water. Yet the wolf, indomitable to the last, leaped into the river instead of submitting to the muskets of his pursuers where he drowned in the crossing. The entire episode of the hallali had lasted three-quarters of an hour. Foudras recovered the carcass of Jean-Baptiste and had it preserved for presentation to the natural history collection at Nancy, even as the Beast of Gévaudan had been submitted to the jardin du roi at Versailles
fifteen years earlier.
County, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The County, later Duchy of Luxembourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg.-History:...
, and is notable not only for the detailed record of the chase that survived but as an excellent representative of modernized hunting in the medieval style
Medieval hunting
Throughout Western Europe in the Middle Ages, men hunted wild animals. While game was at times an important source of food, it was rarely the principal source of nutrition. Hunting was engaged by all classes, but by the High Middle Ages, the necessity of hunting was transformed into a stylized...
. The account describes a number of customs typical of the medieval hunt, and themes native to hunting episodes from medieval literature
Medieval literature
Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
, including the pursuit as a matter of honour and a respect for the quarry elevating it to near-human status, prevalent in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
, among other period
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
works. The greater social context of the hunt cannot be ignored. Not two decades earlier the Beast of Gévaudan
Beast of Gévaudan
The Beast of Gévaudan is a name given to man-eating wolf-like animals alleged to have terrorized the former province of Gévaudan , in the Margeride Mountains in south-central France from 1764 to 1767 over an area stretching . The beasts were consistently described by eyewitnesses as having...
and other fierce wolves had engaged in rampages around the hamlets of France, and peasants feared that one could at any time become a loup-cervier, or man-eater
Man-eater
Man-eater is a colloquial term for an animal that preys upon humans. This does not include scavenging. Although human beings can be attacked by many kinds of animals, man-eaters are those that have incorporated human flesh into their usual diet...
. Consequently the hunt was undertaken, as much a utilitarian service to the subjects of the French Crown
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
as an exhilarating pastime for the aristocrats involved.
In 1780 the wolf Jean-Baptiste had earned a reputation (and a name) in the commune of Nancy and surrounding Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
as a sly trickster, whose activities put the locals at unease. Meanwhile, a wealthy fief-holder
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
from Lunéville
Lunéville
Lunéville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department and lies on the Meurthe River.-History:...
named Foudras had gathered five separate packs of hounds with the aid of the gendarmerie in preparation for a hunt. He invited his uncle, the Marquis de Bologne, to oversee his arrangements and inspect the packs. The Marquis arrived from Bassigny and, with his blessing, Foudras and three other nobles were bid to Nancy to hunt the semi-legendary Jean-Baptiste, though they did not yet know it. During the first day of hunting the wolf eluded them with preternatural speed, losing them in rough country, or se forpaysait. With their quarry in hiding the hunting party gathered at a Cistercian abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
for the night, where the monks treated them to a fine meal with a moselle that "sang in the heads of those that drank it", according to chronicler François Bluche. When the subject of the hunt was brought up at the table, the Cistercians identified the wolf as Jean-Baptiste and compared it favourably to the Beast of Gévaudan, describing him as nothing more than a harmless prankster. Foudras and his companions were unconvinced, however, and left the abbey the following morning in renewed pursuit of Jean-Baptiste. A second day of the chase yielded nothing, and the huntsmen were obliged to spend the night in a comparatively more rustic setting with a charcoal-burner
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
in his hut.
Leaving the deep forest on the morning of the third day, they again caught sight of Jean-Baptiste. The wolf appeared to be exhausted after two successive days of pursuit but he fled as quickly as though the hunt had only just begun. Despite injury and fatigue having reduced the number of hounds to twenty, Foudras and company agreed that abandoning their task now would be a grave dishonor, and like Bercilak de Hautdesert
Green Knight
The Green Knight is a character in the 14th-century Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the related work The Greene Knight. His true name is revealed to be Bercilak de Hautdesert in Sir Gawain, while The Greene Knight names him "Bredbeddle"...
before them they continued after the wolf. At three o'clock that afternoon their party was stopped by a man dressed in strange livery wielding an old halberd, who emerged from the trees and barred their advance. The horses and hounds came to a crashing halt. He informed the hunters that they were trespassing into the Duchy of Luxembourg, whereupon the huntsman M. de la Tour-en-Voisvre called for his assistant Baliveau to sound the "Change of kingdom" on his horn
Natural horn
The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...
, the music invoking an ancient right that allows hunters to pursue their quarry across national boundaries without fear of repercussion. Such was the prestige of the hunt, even in the 18th century. Baliveau is noted to have performed the similar Changement de forêt instead.
The chase continued into Luxembourg. At last Foudrac and his companions cornered Jean-Baptiste by a riverbank, and the horn-calls and shouts of the hallali, or moment when the quarry is fighting for its life, rang out over the water. Yet the wolf, indomitable to the last, leaped into the river instead of submitting to the muskets of his pursuers where he drowned in the crossing. The entire episode of the hallali had lasted three-quarters of an hour. Foudras recovered the carcass of Jean-Baptiste and had it preserved for presentation to the natural history collection at Nancy, even as the Beast of Gévaudan had been submitted to the jardin du roi at Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
fifteen years earlier.