fbpx
Wikipedia

Aliénor de Poitiers

December 18, 2023

Aliénor de Poitiers or Eleanor de Poitiers (1444/1446–1509) was a Burgundian courtier and writer, noted for writing Les Honneurs de la Cour, an account of precedence and ceremony at Burgundian Court, and based on her own experiences of court-life.

Biography edit

Aliénor was the daughter of the nobleman, Jean de Poitiers of Champagne and Isabel de Sousa, a member of an illegitimate line of the royal house of Portugal. Her parents were both members of the court of the Duke Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy. Her mother had come to Flanders in 1429 as part of Isabella's retinue and was acutely aware of the differences between the Portuguese Court and the Burgundian Court.[1]

Aliénor was raised in the court and from the age of 7, served alongside her mother who at the time was the highest ranked ladies in waiting to Isabella.[2] Aliénor became a demoiselle d'honneur to Isabella of Bourbon in 1458.[3]

In 1462, she married Guillame de Stavele, the Vicount of Veurne (d. 1469).[4] She and Guillame had three children; a boy, Guillaume (1465-1474), and two daughters Adrienne (1467-1525) and Antoine (1469- 1494). She became a widow at around the age of 25 years, just nine years after her marriage. She never remarried. In 1496, she was appointed dame d'honneur to the new duchess of Burgundy, Joan I of Navarre, following her marriage to Phillip the Fair.[5] She died on 14 March 1509, at the age of around 65 years, and was buried at her husband's side in the Stavele Parish Church.[6]

Writing edit

An acute observer, and stickler for protocol, Aliénor de Poitiers committed matters of court etiquette to writing between 1484 and 1491. Her work was later published as Les Honneurs de la Cour (Honors of the Court) [4] The book gives the structures and rules of court ritual and the etiquette appropriate to different social classes and situations.[7] She was particularly interested in the conventions observed when ladies of various ranks were lying in the birthing chamber.[8] The book gives a description of the court life of the Duchy of Burgundy, at the time renowned as the most developed and refined in all Europe outside of Italy. A notable feature of the work is its account of the importance of women in memory and transmitting ritual conduct in court-life. Although she originally intended her publication to be used as an instructional manual, it has become a valuable historical source.[9]

Written during the political vacuum following the death of Duke Phillip's successor, Aliénor was aware that strict court protocols were changing. She feared that the younger generation were forgetting court rules and wanted to preserve the rigid Burgundian arrangements of perfect courtesy, where everyone knew their place.[10] She lamented that the "old rules have been changed in certain places...but that cannot degrade or abolish such ancient honours and estates, which were made and formed after much thought and for good reason."[11]

The book was based on her first-hand observations of courtly life at the Burgundian court. However, she also drew on her mother's experience as lady-in-waiting to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy.[12] In addition to her own observations, she gives those of her mother, and those of another noble lady, Jeanne d'Harcourt, married in 1391 to the Count William de Namur.[7] She had been considered the best authority on court etiquette in the kingdom of France. The resulting collection of the customs of the court forms a kind of family diary embracing three generations, and extending back over more than a century.

The book should not be confused with the similarly titled fr:Honneurs de la Cour, a peerage-book established in France in the 18th century to decide a noble's rank.

References edit

  1. ^ Hicks, C., Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait, Random House, 2012, p.67
  2. ^ Dresvina, J. and Sparks, N., Authority and Gender in Medieval and Renaissance Chronicles,Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012, pp 346-347
  3. ^ Broomhall, S. and Tarbin, S., Women, Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe, Ashgate Publishing, 2008, pp 181-182; Note that Aliénor's date of birth is not certain and historians have inferred it from Aliénor's own claim that she entered court at the age of 7 years
  4. ^ a b Hall, James (2008). The sinister side: how left-right symbolism shaped Western art. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 215. ISBN 9780199230860.
  5. ^ Spinks, J. and Broomhall, S., Early Modern Women in the Low Countries: Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past, Ashgate Publishing, 2013, pp 24-25
  6. ^ Jacques Paviot, "Les honneurs de la cour d’Eléonore de Poitiers", dans Geneviève et Philippe Contamine (dir.), Autour de Marguerite d’Ecosse. Reines, princesses et dames du XVe siècle, Paris, Champion, 1999. Article édité en ligne sur Cour de France.fr le 4 avril 2009 (http://cour-de-france.fr/article961.html).
  7. ^ a b Jacob, P. L (1874). Manners, customs, and dress during the middle ages and during the renaissance period. London: Chapman and Hall. p. 497.
  8. ^ Morewedge, Rosmarie Thee, ed. (1975). The Role of woman in the Middle Ages : papers of the sixth annual conference of the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton, 6-7 May 1972. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780873952743.
  9. ^ Spinks, J. and Broomhall, S., Early Modern Women in the Low Countries: Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past, Ashgate Publishing, 2013, pp 25-32
  10. ^ Broomhall, S., "Gendering the Culture of Honour at the Fifteenth-Century Burgundian Court," in: Broomhall, S. and Tarbin, S., Women, Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe, Ashgage Publishing, 2008, pp 185-186
  11. ^ Cited in: Hicks, C., Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait, Random House, 2012, p.67; Broomhall, S., "Gendering the Culture of Honour at the Fifteenth-Century Burgundian Court," in: Broomhall, S. and Tarbin, S., Women, Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe, Ashgage Publishing, 2008, p. 186
  12. ^ Scott, Margaret (2006). Morrison, Elizabeth; Kren, Thomas (eds.). Flemish manuscript painting in context: recent research; based on symposia held at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (September 5-6, 2003), and at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London (February 21, 2004) ; [in conjunction with the Exhibition Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe, held at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, from June 17 to September 7, 2003, and at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, from November 25, 2003 to February 22, 2004]. Los Angeles, Calif.: J. Paul Getty Museum. p. 51. ISBN 9780892368525.

Parts of this article include material translated from "Aliénor de Poitiers" on fr:Aliénor de Poitiers

Further reading edit

  • Susan Broomhall & Stephanie Tarbin: Women, Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe, Routledge, 2008
  • L. Campbell, National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Schools, London, 1998 p. 187.
  • Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Paul LaCroix. ArcaMax Publishing Section 41. Accessed August 2007.

December 18, 2023
aliénor, poitiers, eleanor, poitiers, 1444, 1446, 1509, burgundian, courtier, writer, noted, writing, honneurs, cour, account, precedence, ceremony, burgundian, court, based, experiences, court, life, contents, biography, writing, references, further, readingb. Alienor de Poitiers or Eleanor de Poitiers 1444 1446 1509 was a Burgundian courtier and writer noted for writing Les Honneurs de la Cour an account of precedence and ceremony at Burgundian Court and based on her own experiences of court life Contents 1 Biography 2 Writing 3 References 4 Further readingBiography editAlienor was the daughter of the nobleman Jean de Poitiers of Champagne and Isabel de Sousa a member of an illegitimate line of the royal house of Portugal Her parents were both members of the court of the Duke Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal Duchess of Burgundy Her mother had come to Flanders in 1429 as part of Isabella s retinue and was acutely aware of the differences between the Portuguese Court and the Burgundian Court 1 Alienor was raised in the court and from the age of 7 served alongside her mother who at the time was the highest ranked ladies in waiting to Isabella 2 Alienor became a demoiselle d honneur to Isabella of Bourbon in 1458 3 In 1462 she married Guillame de Stavele the Vicount of Veurne d 1469 4 She and Guillame had three children a boy Guillaume 1465 1474 and two daughters Adrienne 1467 1525 and Antoine 1469 1494 She became a widow at around the age of 25 years just nine years after her marriage She never remarried In 1496 she was appointed dame d honneur to the new duchess of Burgundy Joan I of Navarre following her marriage to Phillip the Fair 5 She died on 14 March 1509 at the age of around 65 years and was buried at her husband s side in the Stavele Parish Church 6 Writing editAn acute observer and stickler for protocol Alienor de Poitiers committed matters of court etiquette to writing between 1484 and 1491 Her work was later published as Les Honneurs de la Cour Honors of the Court 4 The book gives the structures and rules of court ritual and the etiquette appropriate to different social classes and situations 7 She was particularly interested in the conventions observed when ladies of various ranks were lying in the birthing chamber 8 The book gives a description of the court life of the Duchy of Burgundy at the time renowned as the most developed and refined in all Europe outside of Italy A notable feature of the work is its account of the importance of women in memory and transmitting ritual conduct in court life Although she originally intended her publication to be used as an instructional manual it has become a valuable historical source 9 Written during the political vacuum following the death of Duke Phillip s successor Alienor was aware that strict court protocols were changing She feared that the younger generation were forgetting court rules and wanted to preserve the rigid Burgundian arrangements of perfect courtesy where everyone knew their place 10 She lamented that the old rules have been changed in certain places but that cannot degrade or abolish such ancient honours and estates which were made and formed after much thought and for good reason 11 The book was based on her first hand observations of courtly life at the Burgundian court However she also drew on her mother s experience as lady in waiting to Isabella of Portugal Duchess of Burgundy 12 In addition to her own observations she gives those of her mother and those of another noble lady Jeanne d Harcourt married in 1391 to the Count William de Namur 7 She had been considered the best authority on court etiquette in the kingdom of France The resulting collection of the customs of the court forms a kind of family diary embracing three generations and extending back over more than a century The book should not be confused with the similarly titled fr Honneurs de la Cour a peerage book established in France in the 18th century to decide a noble s rank References edit Hicks C Girl in a Green Gown The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait Random House 2012 p 67 Dresvina J and Sparks N Authority and Gender in Medieval and Renaissance Chronicles Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2012 pp 346 347 Broomhall S and Tarbin S Women Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe Ashgate Publishing 2008 pp 181 182 Note that Alienor s date of birth is not certain and historians have inferred it from Alienor s own claim that she entered court at the age of 7 years a b Hall James 2008 The sinister side how left right symbolism shaped Western art Oxford Oxford University Press p 215 ISBN 9780199230860 Spinks J and Broomhall S Early Modern Women in the Low Countries Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past Ashgate Publishing 2013 pp 24 25 Jacques Paviot Les honneurs de la cour d Eleonore de Poitiers dans Genevieve et Philippe Contamine dir Autour de Marguerite d Ecosse Reines princesses et dames du XVe siecle Paris Champion 1999 Article edite en ligne sur Cour de France fr le 4 avril 2009 http cour de france fr article961 html a b Jacob P L 1874 Manners customs and dress during the middle ages and during the renaissance period London Chapman and Hall p 497 Morewedge Rosmarie Thee ed 1975 The Role of woman in the Middle Ages papers of the sixth annual conference of the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies State University of New York at Binghamton 6 7 May 1972 Albany State University of New York Press p 108 ISBN 9780873952743 Spinks J and Broomhall S Early Modern Women in the Low Countries Feminizing Sources and Interpretations of the Past Ashgate Publishing 2013 pp 25 32 Broomhall S Gendering the Culture of Honour at the Fifteenth Century Burgundian Court in Broomhall S and Tarbin S Women Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe Ashgage Publishing 2008 pp 185 186 Cited in Hicks C Girl in a Green Gown The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait Random House 2012 p 67 Broomhall S Gendering the Culture of Honour at the Fifteenth Century Burgundian Court in Broomhall S and Tarbin S Women Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe Ashgage Publishing 2008 p 186 Scott Margaret 2006 Morrison Elizabeth Kren Thomas eds Flemish manuscript painting in context recent research based on symposia held at the J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles September 5 6 2003 and at the Courtauld Institute of Art London February 21 2004 in conjunction with the Exhibition Illuminating the Renaissance The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe held at the J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles from June 17 to September 7 2003 and at the Royal Academy of Arts London from November 25 2003 to February 22 2004 Los Angeles Calif J Paul Getty Museum p 51 ISBN 9780892368525 Parts of this article include material translated from Alienor de Poitiers on fr Alienor de PoitiersFurther reading editSusan Broomhall amp Stephanie Tarbin Women Identities and Communities in Early Modern Europe Routledge 2008 L Campbell National Gallery Catalogues The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Schools London 1998 p 187 Manners Customs and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Paul LaCroix ArcaMax Publishing Section 41 Accessed August 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alienor de Poitiers amp oldid 1150933603, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.