Jean le Fèvre de Saint-Remy or Jean Lefebvre de Saint-Remy (c. 1394 – 16 June 1468) born in

Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

, was a Burgundian chronicler during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

and lord (''

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

'') of Saint Remy, la Vacquerie, Avesnes and Morienne. He is also known by the formal title of authority '' Toison d'or'' ( Golden Fleece) because he served as the King of Arms to the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

.Françoise de Gruben ''Les chapitres de la Toison d'or à l'époque bourguignonne (1430-1477)'' 1997 Page 36 "Jean Le Fevre de Saint-Remy Le premier roi d'armes de la Toison d'Or fut le fameux Jean Le Fevre de Saint-Remy, connu grâce à sa ..."

Biography

Of noble birth, he adopted the profession of

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and with other Burgundians fought in the English ranks at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

. Following the foundation of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1430 by Philip the Good,

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

, at the Order's chapter meeting in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

(November 1431) Le Fèvre was appointed its king of arms and he soon became a very influential person at the Burgundian court. As counsellor to the duke of Burgundy, he frequently assisted Philip III in conducting

negotiation Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or Collective bargaining, collective, or craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. The parties aspire to agree on m ...

s with foreign powers, and he was an arbiter in tournaments and authority on all questions of

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...

, where his wide

expert An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field or area of study. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized ...

knowledge of

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

was highly respected. Recognition of distinction for his services in the form '' adoubement'' and ''

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

hood'' ensued late in Le Fèvre's life: the medieval chronicler Georges Chastellain describes a moving scene at the occasion of the Order's chapter meeting in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

in May 1468, where the King of Arms Le Fèvre retired from service on the grounds of old age. Shortly after the Order's tribute in his honour, Le Fèvre died at Bruges of natural causes on 16 June 1468. Le Fèvre also wrote a chronicle or history of

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...

. The greater part of this chronicle is a resumption of the work of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, but Le Fèvre is an original authority for the years between 1428 and 1436 and makes some valuable additions to our knowledge, especially about the chivalry of the Burgundian court. He is more concise than Monstrelet, but is equally partial to the dukes of Burgundy. The chronicle has been edited by F. Morand for the Société de l'histoire de France (Paris, 1876): ''Chronique de Jean le Fèvre Seigneur de Saint Rémy''. Le Fèvre is usually regarded as the author of ''Livre des Faits de Jacques Lalaing'', a chronicle biography on the events of the Burgundian knight Jacques de Lalaing.

Biography

References

Further reading