Visions of medieval castles in fourteenth and fifteenth – century illuminations produced in France

The texts and images vehiculated by the medieval mind are profoundly symbolic and their symbolism can be manifest in various ways. When it comes to the image of the castle in visual representations we unavoidably come across the kind of symbolism of parts representing the whole (pars pro toto). In other words, the criterion of selecting the visual representations of castles was not dependent on the entirety of the castle shown in the picture, I included in the selection towers, fragments of walls, gates and other components of a medieval castle that were shown. As a consequence, my shortlist comprises large cities such as Constantinople. This selection generosity (that could be viewed as objectionable by some) is backed by Duby’s definition of the medieval city according to which the city is “a castle much stronger than the other castles.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. 5

PART I. INTRODUCTION.. 11

Substantiation: castles in illuminations in historiographic manuscripts of the fourteenth and fifteenth century France 11

What should be understood by “castle” 14

Castles and walled towns of the West and the East. The medieval city. 20

The question of ‘vision’ 24

Methodology and research questions 25

Primary sources: the writing of history and illuminations 37

Primary sources: medieval historians 39

Primary sources: examples of manuscripts 41

Textual primary sources 45

Secondary literature. 46

PART II. ILLUMINATED REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CASTLES OF FRANCE 51

Aigues-Mortes (Gard) 58

Alençon (Orne) 60

Amiens (Somme) 61

Angers (Maine-et-Loire) 64

Argentan (Orne) 64

Auray (Morbihan) 67

Avignon (Vaucluse) 69

Bayeux (Calvados) 72

Bayonne (Pyrénées Atlantiques) 73

Bellême (Orne) 75

Bergerac (Dordogne) 77

Bordeaux (Gironde) 78

The region around Bordeaux. 83

The region around Bordeaux. Blanquefort (Gironde) 86

The region around Bordeaux. Blaye (Gironde) 87

The region around Bordeaux. Bourg-sur-Gironde (Gironde) 90

The region around Bordeaux. Saint-Emilion (Gironde) 91

Bourges (Cher) 92

Bouvines (Nord) 95

Bricquebec and Valognes (Manche) 96

Caen (Calvados) 97

Calais (Pas-de-Calais) 100

Cambrai (Nord) 103

Châlons-sur-Marne (Châlons-en-Campagne, Marne) 106

Château-Gaillard (Eure) 108

Cherbourg (Manche) 109

Chinon (Indre-et-Loire) 110

Cocherel (Eure) 111

Compiègne (Oise) 112

Cravant (Yonne) 117

Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) 117

Evreux (Eure) 118

Falaise (Calvados) 123

Fougères (Ile-et-Vilaine) 125

Harfleur (Seine-Maritime) 128

Hennebont (Morbihan) 129

Honfleur (Calvados) 131

Jargeau (Loiret) 133

La Ferté-Alais (Seine-et-Oise) 135

La Réole (Gironde) 135

La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) 137

La Roche-au-Moine (Savennières, Maine-et-Loire) 141

La Roche-Guyon (Val-d’Oise) 142

Limoges (Haute-Vienne) 145

Lisieux (Calvados) 147

Mans (Sarthe) 148

Mantes (Yvelines) 152

Maupertuis (Vienne) 153

Meaux (Seine-et-Marne) 155

Melun (Seine-et-Marne) 158

Montargis (Loiret) 159

Montereau (Seine-et-Marne) 162

Montguyon (Charente-Maritime) 164

Muret (Haute-Garonne) 164

Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) 168

Orleans (Loiret) 170

Paris 174

Pontoise (Val-d’Oise) 180

Pont Saint-Esprit (Gard) 183

Pré-de-la-Bataille (near Rouen) 183

Quimperlé (Finistère) 184

Reims (Marne) 186

Rouen (Seine-Maritime) 190

Saint-Jean-d’Angély (Saintonge) 198

Sens (Yonne) 198

Soissons (Aisne) 200

Soubise (Charente Maritime) 203

Taillebourg (Charente-Maritime) 203

Tartas (Landes) 205

Tournai (nowadays in Belgium) 206

Tours (Indre-et-Loire) 207

Troyes (Aube) 211

Verneuil (Verneuil-sur-Avre) 213

Vézelay (Yonne) 215

Vire (Calvados) 217

Vouillé (Vouillé-la-Bataille) 217

PART III. ILLUMINATED REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CASTLES OF THE EAST 219

Jerusalem.. 223

Constantinople. 231

Means of transport to/from Constantinople. 234

The other castles of the Eastern Mediterranean. 237

Damietta. 238

Acre. 246

Travellers to/from Acre. 249

Crusader Castles and the Transfer of Ideas 250

Castle Networks of the East 252

Castles of south-eastern Europe. 253

Nicopolis 253

Nissa/Nish. 257

Belgrade and Sûr 258

The Near East 258

The networks proper 260

The Greek Isles 270

Cyprus – Limassol and Nicosia. 270

The Dodecanese – Rhodes 271

Networks of faith (religious networks) 274

Episcopal cities 274

Monk-knights tying the knots of castles networks 275

CONCLUSIONS. 277

Illuminated castles and their documentary relevance. 277

Architectural realism as military realism.. 278

The architectural style and structure of French medieval castles 278

Weaponry and armour realism.. 284

Other buildings inside the curtain walls 285

Clothing realism.. 285

Poor documentary relevance. 285

Realism and scenes of domestic life. 285

Stereotypical representations of castles 286

Illuminated castles and ideology. 287

Castles as reinforcement of authority. 289

Castles and coronations 290

Castles and territoriality dominance. 294

The social function of castles 295

Castle building policy. 296

Castles as war background. 298

Castles, communes and states 301

Castles and politics 303

Castles and royalty. Castles and famous people. 305

Ideology and prestige: from castles to illuminated manuscripts 307

LIST OF PRIMARY SOURCES. 315

PRIMARY SOURCES (MANUSCRIPTS) 315

ILLUMINATIONS CONTAINING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CASTLES OF FRANCE 318

ILLUMINATIONS CONTAINING REPRESENTATIONS OF CASTLES OF THE EAST 322

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 325

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 329