The Armour Archive

Now that I have decided upon the 14th century, and the late portion of the 14th century (1382 onward), I am undertaking a reading program to re-invest myself in the era. A have a BA in History and I had some undergraduate coursework in medieval history, but as you might guess these classes were general in nature and not overly well suited to the task. My essays were, for example:

Humanist Culture Characterizations-Valid or Invalid
Charlemagne's Empire
Women Warriors: Politics, Wishful Thinking, and Right History
Machiavelli and Hobbes: Libertas et Salus
Man and the Measure of His Worth: Materialism Examined
Machiavelli and Religion: Respect for the Past, Disdain for the Present
The Letters of Peter and Heloisise Abelard: Education and Love in the 12th Century

All typical undergrad drivel, usually B+ or A- first drafts written in a swirl of drunken-ness and lovesickness the night before they were due.

Currently, I am re-reading Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror" as a general survey, with Durant's books as another general survey. Also, I am working my way through Painter's French Chivalry to understand the chivalric mind, and going through Chaucer's Canterbury Tales again, always a good read. I have a list of some other books which are known to be good reads on the era, for example Chandos Herald, Froissart's Chronique, Charny's Book of Chivalry, and the like.

What I am really trying to get my grubby hands on is some hardcore 14th century porn, like Livre des Sainctes Medecines (mid 14th c., Duke of Lancaster), or Grandes Chroniques de France (1380), or the like, translated to English.

My question to the gallery here is: What'chu got? What other books do you consider highly in understanding the 14th century, both in terms of events but also in the social, technological, and economic aspects? Yes, yes, I am lazy, but at least I have the sense to bring my laziness here, where it will be best served. ; )

Jehan de Pelham, squire of Sir Vitus

+++

La Belle Compagnie has an expanded reading list that could keep most of us busy for many years; they portray 1382, English (mostly, with some French folks too, I think). Their list for art sources and clothing sources is quite solid, I can attest, but I can't speak as much to the other titles until I read a bunch of them. I'm guessing they've passed muster with the La Belle folks, though.

http://www.labelle.org/C_ReadAdv.html

-Tasha

Tasha,

Which of those have you read and consider highly?

The list has three primary sources, in terms of events:

Cantor's Medieval Reader: First Hand Accounts...
Froissart's Chronicles
Documents from Champagne

I've been through some secondary sources and want to delve into the words that were written by 14th century persons. I realize that many of these works are not translated, but some have. I'll start with those and work my way into the medieval French and Latin texts.

Jehan de Pelham, squire of Sir Vitus

Jehan, you may know these, but someone else may not:

Tales from Froissart

http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/his ... /tales.htm

Deeds of Arms

http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/his ... eedsch.htm

I don't know of a translation of the Henry of Grosmont's (the 1st Duke of Lancaster's) work.

It would be a good idea if someone would produce one!

I'm trying to restrict myself to recommending later 14th century literary works, though I'm also wanting to send along some of the earlier pieces that would have still been popular during the late 14th century. Must be good, must not overwhelm.

Must try not to overwhelm.

The Pearl
Piers Plowman
The Pistil of Swete Susan
The Pricke of Conscience (can't find it online, though)
Confessio Amantis by John Gower
Geoffrey Chaucer (beyond Canterbury Tales of course; The Legend of Good Women, Troilus and Criseyde, and The Book of the Duchesse)
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich; also The Shewings of Julian of Norwich
Some Continental stuff: Gotcher parn online, buddy -- Froissart's Chronicles in an English translation. (Maybe I also oughtta recommend reading the Decameron and Libro de Buen Amor.)
Also ran across Engelond: Resources for 14th Century English Studies, which looks interesting.

Edited, cos I thought of some more -- forgot about Arthurian stuff, some of which comes from around this period, including some of the Gawain stories, and the Alliterative Morte Arthure -- see The Camelot Project for these & others.

The Merchant of Prato, (The life of Francesco di Marco Datini) - Iris Origo
The Goodman of Paris (Le Menagier de Paris)- A treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy by a Bourgeois of Paris - 1393- Eileen Power
Le Livre du Chasse - Gaston Phoebus

Jehan de Pelham wrote:Tasha,

Which of those have you read and consider highly?

Not Tasha (can't even play her on TV) But, recommend you start with the Singman & McLean "Daily life in Chaucer's England". It provides a summation and frames the basic daily life material best before delving into the rest. If there were to be a 14th C. reenactor's manual - this would be it.

(btw, Singman is the honcho at the Higgins Museum and McLean is in LaBelle)

Singman is the honcho at the Higgins Museum

But you won't find Singman at the Higgins, you'll find Forgeng.....(he's changed his name since the book was published. Same guy, different name.)

Gwen

How queer. Very well, it sounds like good advice, and I thank you for it, Jeff.

Jehan de Pelham, squire of Sir Vitus