Jean de Joinville

Joinville was a native of a noble family of champagne . He entered the service of the king of Navarre Thibault I of Champagne and was his seneschal ; joined the seventh crusade undertaken in 1245 by Louis IX . To cover the costs of armament, Joinville mortgaged part of his estates; on the island of Cyprus , where they landed, Joinville entered the service of the king with his small army, consisting of 11 knights, including two “famous” ones. Bravely fought; in 1250 , together with the king, was captured by the Mamelukes near Mansoura ( Egypt ); participated in negotiations with the enemy, organized the collection of necessary for the release of the ransom among the Templars ; supported the king in difficult times - in particular, after the death of his brother, Robert d'Artois . It was on the advice of Joinville and contrary to the opinion of his other close associates, the monarch lingered on the Holy Land for several years.

Louis IX , who became his closest adviser and selflessly devoted to him, Joinville returned in 1254 ; since then, Joinville remained at court and was in fact the regent of Champagne until reaching adulthood by the daughter of Thibault I, John I of Navarre .

In the last, eighth in a row crusade (in Tunisia ), which cost the monarch ( 1270 ), he did not participate, as if anticipating his unkind end. In relation to King Philip the Beautiful was hostile.

He lived an unusually long life, in comparison with his contemporaries, died at the age of 93, having survived almost half a century after St. King Louis . He was buried in the chapel of his own family castle (currently destroyed).

Adele de Granpre became the first wife of Jean de Joinville in 1244. In this marriage were born:

• Geoffrey (died before 1290);
• Jean (died about 1304).

After the death of his first wife, Jean married Alix de Renel. She was born:

• Margarita
• Jean (died 1301), Senor de Renell;
• Anso (died 1343), seigneur de Joinville, Marshal of France;
• Gauthier (died before 1308);
• Andre, seigneur de Beaupre;
• Alix, wife of (1) Jean IV de Arsis-sur-Ob and de Chassin and (2) John of Lancaster, seigneur de Beaufort

Biography of St. Louis

His “Book of pious sayings and good deeds of our holy king Louis” ( Livre des saintes paroles et des bons faiz nostre roy saint Looys ) is one of the most significant works of historical literature of the Middle Ages . The book was commissioned by Joanna of Navarre , who was the grandniece of the monarch; however, in the year of her death ( 1305 ), work on the book was not yet completed. Most likely, it was created between 1305 and 1309 . Equipped with dedication to the son of John of Navarre, Louis the Sarlivny . It consists of 149 chapters, additionally divided into paragraphs (769 in total). The first part of the book is devoted to the pious utterances of the monarch, the history of his life and government; special emphasis is placed on an episode of Louis's disease and on his decision to go on a crusade ( 1244 ). The second part tells about overseas campaigns and is more accurate and detailed (a sketch about the life of the Bedouins is especially interesting).

The book of Joinville is not a dispassionate chronicle of events; she lacks Villarduen's inherent rigor of presentation; the book contains repetitions, it is full of author's digressions and reasoning. Paragraphs 119–666 resemble memoirs , narrate about events in which Joinville himself participated (they are not necessarily associated with the monarch). Information on the death of the king is given from the words of an eyewitness, Pierre Alansonsky, one of the sons of Louis. The narrative concludes the story of the beatification of the monarch in 1298 and of a dream in which the deceased Saint Louis appeared to Joinville. The book was written at a time when the cult of St. Louis was already fully formed; the eighty-year-old Joinville considered it necessary to strengthen it with his work.

Juanville and St. Louis on wine drinking

§ 23
“He (the monarch ) diluted the wine, because he realized that undiluted could cause harm. In Cyprus, he asked me why I do not add water to wine; and I told him what the doctors told me, who assured me that I had a large head and a strong stomach and I won’t get drunk. And he answered me that they misled me, because if I don’t get used to it in my youth and want to dilute wine in old age, I will be overcome by gout and stomach illness, which I will never get rid of; and if in my old age I will drink pure wine, I will be drunk every evening, and it will be a shame to get drunk by a respectable person ”(Per. G. F. Tsybulko )

Other works

In the years 1250 - 1251, Joinville wrote a small book of pious content, “An Exposition of the Pillars of Our Faith, with Pictures” ( Li romans as ymages des poinz de nostre foi ). It is a miniature commentary on the Creed .

• Garnier R. Joinville, l'ami de Saint Louis. - Paris: Perrin. - 1983.
• Jean de Joinville: de la Champagne aux royaumes d'outre-mer. Etudes réunies par D. Quéruel. - Langres: Dominique Guéniot, 1998.
• Joinville, Jean // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• Joinville Jean de. Book of pious utterances and good deeds of our holy king Louis / Ed. preparation. G.F. Tsybulko, Yu.P. Malinin, A. Yu. Karachinsky. - St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2007 .-- 400 p. - ISBN 978-5-8071-0228-2 .

• JOINVILLE, JOHN DE. Memoirs of Louis IX, King of France