| Revision as of 03:28, 13 November 2011 editVictoriaearle (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers62,095 edits done for tonight← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:57, 13 November 2011 edit undoVictoriaearle (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers62,095 edits →Courtly theater and illustrations: ref for Gruuthus; partially in FrenchNext edit → | ||
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| The mythology of wildmen or forest men was closely associated with ] in the medieval period, and by the time of Isabeau's masque, the folkloric depiction of wildmen had become an acceptable theme in noble society.<ref>Heckscher, William. Review of ''Wild Men in the Middle Ages: A Study in Art, Sentiment, and Demonology'' by Richard Bernheimer. ''The Art Bulletin''. Vol. 35, No. 3, p. 241</ref> The masque itself is considered by scholars to be a form of courtly theater which may or may not have encouraged audience participation. The Duchess of Berry's actions have been described variously as participatory or not; she may have pulled the King away from the dance to speak with her or he may have chosen to move toward the audience. Froissart chronicles that "The King, who proceeded ahead of , departed from his companions...and went to the ladies to show himself to them...and so passed by the Queen and came near the Duchess of Berry"<ref>Stock, Lorraine Kochanske. Review of ''The Performance of Self: Ritual, Clothing, and Identity during the Hundred Years War'' by Susan Crane. ''Speculum'' , Vol. 79, No. 1 (Jan., 2004), pp. 159-160</ref> | The mythology of wildmen or forest men was closely associated with ] in the medieval period, and by the time of Isabeau's masque, the folkloric depiction of wildmen had become an acceptable theme in noble society.<ref>Heckscher, William. Review of ''Wild Men in the Middle Ages: A Study in Art, Sentiment, and Demonology'' by Richard Bernheimer. ''The Art Bulletin''. Vol. 35, No. 3, p. 241</ref> The masque itself is considered by scholars to be a form of courtly theater which may or may not have encouraged audience participation. The Duchess of Berry's actions have been described variously as participatory or not; she may have pulled the King away from the dance to speak with her or he may have chosen to move toward the audience. Froissart chronicles that "The King, who proceeded ahead of , departed from his companions...and went to the ladies to show himself to them...and so passed by the Queen and came near the Duchess of Berry"<ref>Stock, Lorraine Kochanske. Review of ''The Performance of Self: Ritual, Clothing, and Identity during the Hundred Years War'' by Susan Crane. ''Speculum'' , Vol. 79, No. 1 (Jan., 2004), pp. 159-160</ref> | ||
| The event was chronicled by ] in '']'' and has been illustrated in ] in various ] editions. The Harley edition in the ] illustrated c. 1470 to 1472, identifies the costumed dancers as ]s, and shows four dancers capering in the cleared hall; the Queen sits with two ladies on the ].<ref>Beadle, Richard. ''The Cambridge companion to medieval English theatre''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 68</ref> The ] housed at the ] shows the Bal des Ardents, illustrated by ], with the Queen in a standing position flanked by ladies-in-waiting, wearing high conical ]s. The King cowers beneath the Duchess' skirts and the dancers are in flames. | The event was chronicled by ] in '']'' and has been illustrated in ] in various ] editions. The Harley edition in the ] illustrated c. 1470 to 1472, identifies the costumed dancers as ]s, and shows four dancers capering in the cleared hall; the Queen sits with two ladies on the ].<ref>Beadle, Richard. ''The Cambridge companion to medieval English theatre''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 68</ref> The ] housed at the ] shows the Bal des Ardents, illustrated by ], with the Queen in a standing position flanked by ladies-in-waiting, wearing high conical ]s. The King cowers beneath the Duchess' skirts and the dancers are in flames.<ref>Kooper, Erik. ''The medieval chronicle II''. Volume 144, 2002. p. 78</ref> | ||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 05:57, 13 November 2011
The Bal des Ardents ( or Ball of the Burning Men) occurred on 28 January 1393 when the French king Charles VI of France was almost killed and four members of the French nobility were burned to death. At a celebratory masque held by the Queen for the remarriage of a lady-in-waiting, the dancers were accidentally set on fire. The dance, in which the knights were costumed as wild men, was characteristic of contemporary court theater and folkloric motifs adapted by the nobility. The incident resulted in a loss of confidence in Charles' capacity to rule. The citizens of Paris disapproved greatly of the incidence and courtly decadence to the point that they threatened to revolt. The King and his brother, who was considered responsible for the tragedy, were forced to seek penance.
The event was chronicled by Jean Froissart in Froissart's Chronicles, illustrated in 15th century illuminated manuscripts, and represents 14th century courtly theater.
The masque
On January 28, 1393, Charles' wife Queen Isabeau held a masquerade at the Hôtel Saint-Pol to celebrate the third marriage of one her ladies-in-waiting. Traditionally a woman's remarriage was an occasion for mockery and foolery, celebrated with masques or charivari characterized by discord and disguises. The idea for the costumed dance by was conceived by Huguet de Guisay who suggested that six high ranking knights perform at the event. The knights disguised themselves as wood savages, dressed in costumes made of linen soaked in resin to which flax was attached "so that they appeared shaggy and hairy from head to foot". Their faces were covered with masks made of similar materials, and the according to some reports they were chained together. Unknown to the audience, King Charles, also disguised, was one of the dancers. Orders were given to prevent torches from being lit in the hall during the dance to prevent the combustible costumes from catching fire.
After they were presented, musicians started to play. Guests began to dance on the sound of trumpets, flutes, chalumeaus and musical instruments. The men capered about, howled like wolves, spat obscenities as the audience of courtiers tried to guess the dancers' identities. Charles' brother Louis I, Duke of Orléans and Phillipe de Bar arriving late to the event, entered the hall carrying burning torches. A spark fell on the costume of the one of the dancers, causing it to burst into flames. According to one contemporary description, "the Duke of Orleance...put one of the Torches his servants held so neere the flax, that he set one of the Coates on fire, and so each of them set fire on to the other, and so they were all in a bright flame.
As the dancers became engulfed in flames, the Queen who knew her husband was among the dancers, fainted as the men burned. Charles had been standing at a distance from the other dancers, near the 15-year-old Duchesse de Berry, who saved his life by throwing her skirt over his costume. A second dancer, Sire de Nantouillet, survived by throwing himself in an open vat of wine. Many guests were burned severely as they rescued the dancers and extinguished the flames. One of the dancers, the Count de Joigny, died immediately; two more, Yvain de Foix and Aimery Poitiers, lingered painfully for two days. Huguet de Guisay lived for three days in near madness, ranting and raving.
The people of Paris, appalled at the event and the danger posed to their monarch, blamed Charles' advisors. Having previously suffered several episodes of madness, Charles was a pawn in a power struggle between his uncles Philip the Bold and the Duke of Berry, and his younger brother Louis. A "great commotion" swept through Paris and the citizens threatened to depose the uncles and to kill courtiers whom they considered dissolute and depraved. Greatly concerned at the popular outcry and chastened by the Maillotin revolt of the previous decade, the court sought penance at Notre Dame proceeded by an apologetic Royal progress through the city in which the uncles walked in humility behind the King on horseback. Louis de Orléans, who was blamed for the tragedy, built a chapel at the Celestine monastery in atonement.
Courtly theater and illustrations
The mythology of wildmen or forest men was closely associated with demonology in the medieval period, and by the time of Isabeau's masque, the folkloric depiction of wildmen had become an acceptable theme in noble society. The masque itself is considered by scholars to be a form of courtly theater which may or may not have encouraged audience participation. The Duchess of Berry's actions have been described variously as participatory or not; she may have pulled the King away from the dance to speak with her or he may have chosen to move toward the audience. Froissart chronicles that "The King, who proceeded ahead of , departed from his companions...and went to the ladies to show himself to them...and so passed by the Queen and came near the Duchess of Berry"
The event was chronicled by Jean Froissart in Froissart's Chronicles and has been illustrated in miniature in various illuminated editions. The Harley edition in the British Museum illustrated c. 1470 to 1472, identifies the costumed dancers as wodewoses, and shows four dancers capering in the cleared hall; the Queen sits with two ladies on the dais. The Gruuthus manuscript housed at the Bibliothèque nationale de France shows the Bal des Ardents, illustrated by Master of Anthony of Burgundy, with the Queen in a standing position flanked by ladies-in-waiting, wearing high conical hennins. The King cowers beneath the Duchess' skirts and the dancers are in flames.
See also
References
- ^ Tuchman, 504-505
- qtd in MacKay, Ellen. Persecution, Plague, and Fire. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011
- Heckscher, William. Review of Wild Men in the Middle Ages: A Study in Art, Sentiment, and Demonology by Richard Bernheimer. The Art Bulletin. Vol. 35, No. 3, p. 241
- Stock, Lorraine Kochanske. Review of The Performance of Self: Ritual, Clothing, and Identity during the Hundred Years War by Susan Crane. Speculum , Vol. 79, No. 1 (Jan., 2004), pp. 159-160
- Beadle, Richard. The Cambridge companion to medieval English theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 68
- Kooper, Erik. The medieval chronicle II. Volume 144, 2002. p. 78
Sources
- Tuchman, Barbara. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Ballantine, 1979.