Contenu du sommaire

In locis vaste solitudinis. Depicting the environment of the early Middle Ages : The case of the Upper Ardenne (Belgium) in the 7th century The documents recalling the foundation of the Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy by Saint Remacle in the 7th century have been examined in numerous studies aiming to describe the natural environment of the Ardennes in the early Middle Ages. The historical analysis of these documents shows that the interpretation of the sources changed fundamentally from the beginning of the 20th century to recent years. This realization calls for a redefinition of the tools used to analyze the discourse describing the natural environment of the early centuries of the Middle Ages. Recent historical writings have suggested several approaches, stressing inheritance, identity, and harmony with the physical environment. Interpreting the charters of the foundation of the Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy makes it possible to reach a provisional synthesis while also introducing the question of power and the social system as factors structuring the descriptions.

Vox Dei, Vox Poetæ. The Bible in le Quadrilogue invectif Starting from the observation that Maistre Alain Chartier's clerical authority was based partly on classical erudition and partly on biblical wisdom, this article concentrates on the exploration of the second” voice” by identifying ways in which biblical discourse is reinvested in le Quadrilogue invectif (1422). Chartier creates for himself a persona of prophet and preacher for both patriotic and polemical ends. Biblical intertextuality also resonates to varying degrees through the voices of the characters involved in the debate : France, the People, the Knight, and the Clergy. The Bible and the examples within it help Chartier and his characters understand the difficulties of the present (and potentially to overcome them) at a critical time in the Hundred Years' War. In short, this Biblical intertextuality heightens Chartier's oratorical eloquence, strengthening his persuasive authority and his status as a committed writer.

The writing context of the Annales of Flodoard of Reims (919-966), Part 1 : A critical re-reading of the opening of the Annales in light of recent work In his Annales, Flodoard records year by year the events of his lifetime from 919 to 966. Yet a careful analysis of the opening – yearly – paragraphs reveals that the author, who both witnessed and participated in a significant number of the events he recorded, in all likelihood only began writing in 922 and 923. Indeed, the fact that he may have begun writing at this time is probably not accidental : when he witnessed the deposition and imprisonment of King Charles the Simple as well as the royal coronations of Counts Robert and Raoul, Flodoard clearly realized that he was living through extraordinary and historic events. These exceptional circumstances may have awakened his curiosity and driven him to undertake the writing of his opus. Thus it is possible to examine the context of Flodoard's writing and the state of mind of the Rheims cleric at the moment when he first takes up his quill.

The chronicler, the hagiographer, and the sea : On La prise d'Alexandrie by Guillaume de Machaut Guillaume de Machaut's last work, La prise d'Alexandrie takes the form of a verse chronicle of the life of Peter I of Lusignan, King of Cyprus. It focuses on the Battle of Alexandria in 1365, which concluded with a Christian victory and the – admittedly very short-lived – occupation of the town by Lusignan and his armies. In this article, I will start from the hypothesis that La prise d'Alexandrie is a hybrid text, the result of a kind of literary syncretism buttressed by three traditions : hagiographic, epic, and historical. From this perspective, I propose to analyze the place occupied by the maritime element in Machaut's writing by positioning it in relation to the concerns of the Rheims poet and the models that might have influenced his historical narrative.

Why was one of the feudal Jurisdictions of the Prince- Bishop of Liège called the Anneau du Palais ? A study of the name given to one of the feudal jurisdictions of the Bishop of Liège in his capacity as feudal lord has made it possible to illustrate the exceptional nature of these jurisdictions. At the back of the episcopal palace, the door leading to the garden – a focal location where the feudal lord metes out justice – has a metal ring, which the person to be tried strikes to request the gatekeeper to let him know where the Bishop is and to make him witness to a request for deferment. Since the feudal lord is bound to denounce this as an assault on his sovereign rights, he orders a sergeant to issue a proclamation at the rear of his residence and to ring the public bell to summon his vassals. Through a metonymic process, the “Palace Ring” thus becomes a par excellence designation for the institution through which the Bishop of Liège, by crystallizing his personal power as feudal lord, preserves his rights as the supreme upholder of the law. Seeking to shed light on the prerogatives of this jurisdiction and on how it operated, the authors describe the singular procedure of the request for deferment, known as a paroffre. They then analyze the punishment at the core of the coercive mechanism, the forjugement (an ancient term designating the loss of all rights and privileges), established to assure the cohesion of the feudal group.