Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

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Sean M
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Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Sean M »

Sydney Anglo found this other challenge in the same old book by an antiquarian. Because it is one column not 15 and does not have so many repetitive clauses about materials, I have copied it out.

Gui Alexis de Lobineau, Histoire de Bretagne (Paris 1707) vol. II column 1639
this part is proofread wrote:[1639.v] Ceste est la manere de l'estite au Viconte de
Rohan de la bataille jugée entre lui & Seignour
de Biaumanoir. Premierement ledit Viconte o l'ayde
de Dieux se deffandra par un homme autre que luy,
& sera à cheval ledit homme, & atorné son cors
[1639.x] en la manere que s'enseut: Il aura chemisse
de chartres
& bragues de breoul garnis souffisaument,
& aura pour ses chaimbres stivelez de plates garnis de
teles & de fer & d'acier, ou de l'un ou de l'autre, &
de bourre de saye & de coton a souffere, & greves de
[1639.xv] fer & d'acier garnis souffisaument, & esperons gar-
nis
soufissisaument comme à telle chausse, & quessons
de fer & d'acier à poullens de meymes
, à bragon-
nieres de maille
de haubert garnis de telles, de bor-
re, de saye, & de cendeux ou de samit, & de mailles
[1639.xx] de haubert à souffere; & aura hauqueton de cen-
drex, & de telles
, & de borre, de saye, & de coton;
& aura plates au cors de fer & de acier garnies de
bras & de pans de mailles
de haubert, & de telles
& de cendreux & de samit & de borre, de saye & de
[1639.xxv] coton à souffere, & goceons souffesans de mailles de
haubert; & aura bacim à visiere de fer & de acier,
garni de colerete de telles & de cendreux & de borre,
de saye, & de coton, & de colerete de fer & d'acier
souffesante; & de cameill copé de mailles de hau-
bert [1639.xxx] souffesante au bacim, & sera garni le bacim de
cerneliere souffesante; & aura gantelés de fer &
d'acier de plates
, garnis de telles & de cendreux
& de samit, & de borre, de saye, & de coton, & de
cuer, & de boucles à souffere; & aura tunicle de
[1639.xxxv] cendal; & aura escu de fuust & de cuers & de vers
garni souffesamment; & aura cheval ensellé d'une
selle souffesant à doux estriers; & sera garnie de
borrelez couverz de mailles de haubert & de cendal,
& estingoeres de cuir & de mailles de haubert gar-
nies [1639.xl] souffesament; & sera enfrené le cheval d'un
fren souffesant; & aura pour la selle & pour le che-
val cengles & pooles à souffere garnies souffesam-
ment; & sera le cheval couert de coureture de belu-
tiau & de telles & de cendreux, & de fer & d'acier,
[1639.xlv] & de borre, de saye, & de coton tant comme mestier
li sera; & aura le cheval chamfrain bon & souffesant,
garni si comme il siet à telle chousse; & à toutes ces
chousses dessus nommées, tant pour le cors, que
pour le cheval, aura pieces de haubert là où mestier
[1639.l] sera, & corde & correye, fil & aguille & poençons
à armer, & laz, & boucles, & aguillettes, ce que
li souffera, sans ce que il en pesse faire autre malice
couerte, outre la leste dessusditte, fors tansoulement
garnir de les chousses desusdites; & sera son cheval
[1639.lv] ferré & la porra fere ferrer & defferrer ou champ
se il veult, ou estreindre ou lachier, & le cheval,
& le cors deluy, avant que ils soient lesus aller
pour eux entre assaillir; & aura ledid homme une
espée à pointe dou lonc de ceste verge qui ci est à
[1639.lx] presant, à croez & à rondelle davint la mein, à
plom ront, & aura trois coustiaux à poente à plom
ront de la longour à ceste merche qui ci esten pre-
sant, lalemele dou plom lonc parsomet le haut, &
aura corde & correie & laz pour l'espée & pour les
[1639.lxv] coustiaux ce que li souffera, sans malice couerte
y ajoster environ les cordes & les courreyes; n'aura
ledit homme environ son corps ne environ son che-
val nulle chousse à pointe que pesse endomager,
fors celles qui sont en cette lettre devisées. Ce fut
[1639.lxx] fait le Lundi aprés Quasimondo, l'an de grace mil treys
cent & neuf. Verum est. Le sceau est rompu. Ibidem.
Observations:

Wasn't there a Beaumanoir in the Combat of the Thirty? Was there a whole dynasty of assholes in 14th century Brittany?

He wears a shirt and breeches with a breech-belt (de breoul from DMF "braieul") under his aketon

He wears a shirt of Chartres (man, every third loot drop in Brittany must have included one of those!)

Lots of things are stuffed with bourre de soie

He wears plates for his body garnished with sleeves and paunce of mail instead of a haubergeon

He wears bragonnieres de maille like Pierre Touremine in 1386. These have a padded lining. Does Tom line his breeches of mail?

One dictionary form of this word for "breeches of mail" is braconnière

He wears stivelez "lower leg armour, boots, leg wrappings" These are related to Latin tibiales, the 1266 inventory of Odo of Burgundy mentions trumelières "shin armour." But he also wears cuisses and greaves and poleyns, so are these foot-armour?

What is the goceons souffesans de mailles de haubert? I thought it was a mis-reading for "gorget" but he also wears a colerete de fer & d'acier
souffesante; & de cameill copé de mailles
? And is that the "little collar" a gorget of plates since it is iron not mail?
Last edited by Sean M on Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:09 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Sean M »

Here is a preliminary list of items with which the Viscount of Rohan shall be equipped:

a shirt of Chartres
breeches with a breech-belt
stivelez (sabatons?) of plates
greave (singular in the original)
spurs
cuisses with poleyns
bragonnieres (breeches) of mail
aketon of cendals and linen stuffed with bourre de soie and cotton
goceons souffesans de mailles???
plates for the body garnished with sleeves and paunces of mail
basin (ie. a big bascinet) with a visor
little collar of cloth and cendals stuffed with bourre de soie and cotton
little collar of iron or steel
fitted camail (cameil copé) of mail
cervelliere in the basin ie. a padded skullcap
gauntlets of plates
tunicle of cendal
shield of wood (fuust) and leathers
saddled horse
iron horseshoes for the horse
pointed sword. There are lots of details about the blade, the cross, and the pommel.
three pointed knives (coustiaux à point). There are details about the blade and the pommel.

My brain is not working very well right not but that is a rough list.
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Ernst »

Working from my phone, so I'll have to respond in bits and pieces. The ampersand in the catch phrases seems to be a legal shorthand for either/or. For examples, "You must have a bascinet with visor of iron/steel " All the mail should have an underlayment of "linen/cendal/samite stuffed with sufficient cotton/silk".

I am reminded of the near contemporary London Armourer's Ordinances from 1322 where the stuffing varies based on the covering fabric.
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Ernst »

He wears bragonnieres de maille like Pierre Touremine in 1386. These have a padded lining. Does Tom line his breeches of mail?

One dictionary form of this word for "breeches of mail" is braconnière.
Inventory of arms, Robert of Béthune,(Robert III), Count of Flanders, 7 Sept 1322, upon his death.


Item , unes braies de fier wambisiés.
Item, a brayette of iron, gamboissed.
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Ernst »

Merrick tackled the goceons in the Inquiry, where he considers it an aventail, without justification or explanation. A Google search for "goceons" brings back publications from 1707 onwards, though I can't read them on this screen. Perhaps it appears in another document for added context? Perhaps a peculiar spelling of jazerant/gesseron?
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Ernst »

If I am correct that this entire phrase belongs together, I think it limits the construction.

stivelez de plates garnis de
teles & de fer & d'acier, ou de l'un ou de l'autre, &
de bourre de saye & de coton a souffere


Boots of plates (complete with cloth) of iron/steel, either the one or the other, with sufficient stuffing of silk and/or cotton...

There is no call for a stuffed liner beneath most plate defenses, so this must be semi-flexible. Small plates riveted or sewn over, beneath, or between textile. Art has apparent examples of "panzerhose" construction in this period.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4080/13075/

An alternative would be plates riveted beneath a fabric cover, in the form of pairs of plates or the gauntlets of plate specified in the 1296 Paris Armourer's Ordinances.

A final possibility might be small plates sewn or riveted over the fabric boots, like the 1322 Inventory of goods of Roger Mortimer at Wigmore:

j. pari de botes plumetez de ferro;
1 pair of botes feathered with iron
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Re: Challenge of the Viscount of Rohan to Signeur of Beaumanoir, 1309

Post by Sean M »

I have finished proofreading my transcription of this text.

I think Ernst was right that the stivelez are a form of estival "boot" http://www.atilf.fr/dmf/definition/estival2 Apparently the Pilgrimage of the Life of Man uses that word.

Is the coureture de belutiau & de telles & de cendreux a "coverture of velvet and linens and cendals"? In 1309 velvet was incredibly luxurious beyond the Alps, but maybe the Viscout of Rohan was rich? It looks like this was Viscount Oliver II of Rohan (1271-1326) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Rohan
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