Tapestry in France

Hospices de Beaune, a former almshouse of the 15th century, is now a museum, one of the buildings in a complex that has grown since its early beginning.
Although the Hundred Years War officially ended with the Treaty of Arras in 1435, massacres continued, initiated by roving bands of misfits who roamed the countryside.
Burgundy was then rules by Philip the Good. His Chancellor, Nicolas Rolin, alarmed by the plight of the people in Beaune, decided to create a hospital for the destitute.
Together with his wife, Guigone de Salins, they opened the doors and admitted the first patient in January of 1452. Even now, patients are still being treated there, although in modern medical facilities on the grounds.
Guigone de Salins, the Chancellor’s wife and foundress of the hospital, commissioned 140 square meters of tapestries for the chapel and to cover the beds of the main sickroom. One of these is seen in the picture to the right. These tapestries from the 15th century are still in the old hospital, and three of them are exhibited in the museum. Grateful patients and families in neighboring villages have contributed gifts through the centuries, and the Hospices de Beaune has grown into a Burgundian institution welcoming visitors by the thousands to the museum.

Valois tapestries

As evident in my web design, I am fond of tapestries, and sat for a few hours to look at the Bayeux Tapestries in that dimly lit, cold room in France. I guess others have done the same thing, as there are bleachers to sit on while taking in the enormity of all that art.
This tapestry, adjacent, is part of the Valois Tapestries, one of a series of eight tapestries depicting events in the French court during the 16th century. It was possibly owned at one time by Catherine de’Medici, but was not listed as a possession in the inventory of her belongings after her death.
The tapestry was based on designs by Antoine Caron, a 15th c. artist, and a second artist, possibly Lucas de Heere, who altered Caron's designs. Some historians believe that the presence of Turks alongside the Huguenots (Calvinists, or French protestants), indicates that both groups were considered to be infidels by the Valois rulers. This tapestry depicts the meeting of the Valois and Habsburg courts at Bayonne. The whale is spouting red wine.

Women in the Crusades

Perhaps the most notable of crusading women was that formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine (1120-1204), who took the cross with her first husband, Louis VII. Along with 300 of her women and hundreds of her knights, she took part in the Second Crusade, insisting the women were only there to tend to the wounded. Chroniclers, however, wrote that she took an active part in decision-making, and insisted on being included in strategy sessions.
In later crusades, women from all levels of society joined the crusade. The Church, however, took a dim view of this, and from pulpits throughout France, discouraged women from taking vows to crusade. An exception was made for washerwomen, deemed a necessary element so that clothes could be kept clean, a precaution to eliminate lice. Besides, washerwomen were sometimes older, widows and the unmarried, who were thought to be less tempting to men who had left their families behind.
Muslim chroniclers specifically mention Christian women’s involvement in the crusades, not only as camp followers and supportive wives and mothers, but also as participants for purely religious reasons.
Constance Rousseau, in Gendering the Crusades, stated that by the thirteenth century, liturgical, penitential and financial support which involved both sexes had become an established feature in the crusading movement.

Robert II of Artois

Robert II, Count of Artois, lived during the thirteenth century, and a few years into the 14th century. Robert was the nephew of Louis IX, later known as Saint Louis.
During Robert’s youth in the city of Arras, he had a reputation for initiating boyish pranks, such as bringing a falcon into church, or turning farm animals loose to cause mischief.
As he grew into manhood, he became an experienced soldier. He also participated in the Aragonese Crusade, a part of the War of the Sicilian Vespers. His shield probably blazed with the Coat of Arms on the right, that of Artois.
During Robert’s lifetime, he married three times, always to women of nobility. He was a patron of the arts, and as such, continued the family practice of supporting numerous French artists and musicians. It is generally believed that he was the patron of Adam de la Halle, on whose life my October release, The Tapestry Shop, is based. Thus, Robert and his French court figure prominently in the book.

Courtly Love

I could not resist turning my thoughts to love, on this, the day set aside in popular culture to celebrate love and lovers. On my overloaded bookshelves is a small book, titled, The Book of Courtly Love: The Passionate Code of the Troubadours, written by Andrea Hopkins. Through the classic tales of the troubadours and other literary and artistic works, the author brings us into the courts of the Middle Ages, the time of star-crossed lovers. Even from ancient Rome, we have evidence of literature that celebrated the joy and pain of love. Ballads of wandering minstrels, singing their poems as they go from court to court, have come to us through the ages. Not to be overlooked are the courtly ladies, known as troubaritz, who also composed courtly songs of love.
From my little book, I have selected ten “rules of love”, taken from a longer list found in the writings of Andreas Capellanus, a twelfth century author who wrote a treatise on love. Ms. Hopkins quoted these rules in the Introduction to her book.

1. The state of marriage does not properly excuse anyone from loving.
2. He who does not feel jealousy is not capable of loving.
3. A mourning period of two years for a deceased lover is required of the surviving partner.
4. No one should be prevented from loving except by reason of his own death.
5. It is unseemly to love anyone whom you would be ashamed to marry.
6. Love that is made public rarely lasts.
7. Love easily obtained is of little value; difficulty in obtaining it makes it precious.
8. Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved.
9. On suddenly catching sight of his beloved, the heart of the lover beings to palpitate.
10.A man tormented by the thought of love eats and sleeps very little.

The Book of Courtly Love, besides for being an investigation of love in the Middle Ages, has much to recommend it. The illustrations document clothing and leisure time activities, even showing a marriage bed, and on another page, two lovers playing a game of chess. The book is rich with historical detail, and I heartily recommend it for your bookshelves.

The Magic Flute and Freemasonry

In a follow-up to my blogs about the Templars and their demise, I could not resist blogging about Mozart, a member of the Freemasons. That there is a tie between the Templars and Freemasonry is debatable, but there are so many elements of Masonry that were found in the Templars that one wonders, if there is no connection, how did that come to be?
Setting that controversy aside, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s tie to the Masons is evident. Mozart, a musician of the Classical period, belonged to a Masonic Lodge in Vienna, and visited several other lodges in his travels. He brought his father into the lodge, and many believe he was responsible for Haydn joining the Freemasons.
One of Mozart’s most popular operas, The Magic Flute, reflects the philosophy of Enlightenment (freedom of speech, the right of citizens to own private property, and tolerance for other religions). Masonic symbolism appears in The Magic Flute as well (i.e., the number three, three ‘knocks’, three temples). Mozart composed several pieces for Masonic events such as funerals and initiation rites. It may surprise modern readers that Mozart may have been an early proponent of admitting women into the Freemasons, as in The Magic Flute, the hero and heroine are initiated together. Opponents would say, however, that because he wrote the music and not the libretto, that proposal carries no weight. I prefer to think Mozart would have enjoyed eighteenth century women to be in his lodge, considering the elegance of the gowns which women of that era wore.
Mozart’s ties with Freemasonry make for interesting reading. Besides, he was in good company, with the likes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.

Demise of the Knights Templar

From the vast wealth of literature on the Templars, sometimes weighed heavily with prejudice and opinion, it becomes obvious that myths and controversy surround the Knights Templar. Depending on the source, the Templars could be practitioners of black magic, or men of noble deeds. I leave it to my readers to delve further into the subject, and to decide for themselves the strength of the connection between the Templars and the Freemasons of today. This blog is merely intended as a starting point, to lay a background of the order, hopefully encouraging more research.
What we do know is that, after the failed crusades, the Templars evolved into a more worldly order, and became a target for their evident wealth and the needs of the secular world. Philip IV (the Fair), short of money to finance a war, began a systematic persecution of the Templars. Members were arrested and imprisoned over a period of years. Torture brought confessions of sacrilegious practices, which in turn doomed the Templars to condemnation and the confiscation of their possessions. Jacques de Molay, pictured here, was the last Grand Master of the Templars. He was burned at the stake, on an island in the Seine. It is said that, as the flames leapt around his feet, he put a curse on both the pope and the king, predicting their deaths would follow his own. Both the pope and Philip IV died within a year of de Molay’s death.
For further reading, see C. G. Addison’s, The History of the Knights Templars, or the studies by E. Simon (1959) and T. W. Parker (1963).