Contenu de l'article

Titre L'espace du cri à Paris aux XIVe et XVIe siècles : recherches sur les « lieux accoutumés »
Auteur Veronika Novák
Mir@bel Revue Revue historique
Numéro no 696, octobre 2020
Page 61-86
Résumé S'appuyant sur l'analyse de quelque 250 textes concernant le cri public dans les rues de Paris et enregistrés dans les Livres de Couleur du Châtelet, l'étude se propose de mettre en lumière les aspects spatiaux de ce rituel du pouvoir. Passant en revue d'abord les différents éléments du rituel et les modalités de sa mise en écrit, l'analyse se focalise avant tout sur les lieux du cri et les parcours du crieur. Cachés généralement derrière la désignation générique des « lieux accoutumés à faire cris et publications », ces éléments spatiaux sont pourtant présents dans quelques clauses exécutoires et mentions du déroulement de la publication. Loin d'être uniforme ou de suivre une coutume immuable, le parcours du cri semble varier selon la thématique de la publication mais aussi selon le « bricolage » du crieur. Cet officier est apparemment responsable du bon déroulement du rituel et également de sa mise en écrit. Le terme « lieux accoutumés », si fréquent dans les textes, a pour fonction d'assurer la validité du rituel, mais il recouvre en même temps une pluralité de déplacements. Le rituel du cri est un événement familier qui assure finalement la présence quotidienne du roi dans la ville.
Source : Éditeur (via Cairn.info)
Résumé anglais The paper analyses some 250 texts concerning the “cri public”, the publication of royal and local ordinances in Paris between the XIVth and the XVIth centuries by the crier of the king (crieur juré du roi). The publications are written down in the Livres de Couleur (Archives nationales et Archives de la Préfecture de Police). Besides a short description of the publication process and the conditions of the production of the texts, the study focuses on the spatial aspects of the ritual. In fact, due to the nature of the documentation, texts concerning the criers' activities generally limit themselves to declare that the publication was done “sufficiently”, at “accustomed places” or “lieux accoutumés a faire cris” and specify very rarely where exactly this happened. For some French communities, we know the list of these “accustomed places”, but not for Paris, and generally, researchers suppose that the encompassing denomination covers a fixed set of places. However, other studies point to a probable spatial flexibility of the ritual.If most of the texts concerning publication in the Livres de Couleur mention only the generic denomination of “accustomed places”, 46 texts contain more specific elements too. These elements appear on the one hand in the part ordering where to publish, or, on the other hand, in accounts on publications made and signed by the criers probably not long after the deeds.These detailed descriptions of publications highlight different types of itineraries with a variable number of stops, identified by street, square or crossroad names, mention of churches, cemeteries or royal buildings. The main part of the paper examines these detailed descriptions, comparing the spatial arrangements of the individual publications with their respective topics. Some publications were thus made on very special places, as the ones concerning the cleaning of the place de Grève were uttered on spots in and near the square itself. Publications regulating the working of specialised craftsmen or tradesmen show a double spatiality: the itineraries seem to focus on the places of production and trade, and, besides, cover more general locations without direct links with the craft. And finally, several publications, concerning the security of the city or regulating economic activities occurring in many urban sites, like selling bread or keeping tavern, are executed in crossroads and squares disseminated in urban space. These general itineraries include different number of stops and are almost never identical but seem to contain a set of 6-7 frequently occurring places among other, rarely mentioned ones. These places can constitute the basis of a list of accustomed places with some common characteristics: they are important marketplaces, squares and crossroads (Halles, Petit Pont, Maubert square, Porte de Paris, Porte Baudoyer, crossroad Saint-Séverin, crossroad Croix du Tirouer), they are situated within the old urban walls built around 1200. But they only constitute the frequent but non obligatory elements of a big variety of itineraries, constructed apparently by the crier. Thus, the most common allusion to the spatial aspects of the ritual, “accustomed places” seems to ensure the validity of the publication and masks a plurality of journeys. However, even if not unchanging, the activity of the crier constituted a familiar event in urban life and contributed to an everyday presence of the royal power in the city.
Source : Éditeur (via Cairn.info)
Article en ligne http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=RHIS_204_0061