Martin le Franc ( – 1461) was a French poet of the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Life and career

He was born in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, and studied in Paris. He entered clerical orders, becoming an

apostolic prothonotary In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...

, and later becoming secretary to both

Antipope Felix V Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papac ...

and

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV, Po ...

. He was named provost at

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

in 1443, and became canon of the Church of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

in 1447. In 1451 he was employed by the Duke of

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

, and he became administrator of the abbey of Novalèse in 1459. Le Franc's most famous work was his huge, 24,000-verse composition ''Le Champion des Dames'' (The Champion of Women), dedicated to

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

and dating from 1440 or 1442 (first printed in Lyon in 1485 and again in Paris in 1530). It recounts the nobility and deeds of many women throughout history, including

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

, and also fiercely attacks corruption in government as well as the hedonistic luxury of the aristocratic class. It was

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also * Illuminate (disambi ...

Peronet Lamy Peronet Lamy (died before July 1453), called ''Perenet lenlumineur'' ("Peronet the Illuminator"), was a Gothic painting, Gothic painter and Illuminated manuscript, manuscript illuminator who spent his career in the employ of the House of Savoy. ...

. Martin le Franc is famous in music history for penning the phrase " la contenance angloise", the English countenance, a much-debated phrase referring to a characteristically English sound found in the music of composers such as

John Dunstaple John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, – 24 December 1453) was an English composer whose music helped inaugurate the transition from the Medieval music, medieval to the Renaissance music, Renaissance periods. The central proponent of the ''Contenance ...

. The "countenance" — probably consonant, sweet intervals (3rds and 6ths) which were predominant in the music of contemporary English composers — was massively influential on the music of the

Burgundian School The Burgundian School was a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The school inaugurated the music of Burgundy. The ...

during the period that Burgundy was allied with England. Another long poem by Le Franc is ''L'Estrif de Fortune et Vertu'' (1447–1448), which was also moralistic and didactic, presenting a debate between Fortune and Virtue.

Works

*Le Franc, Martin. ''The Trial of Womankind: A Rhyming Translation of Book IV of the Fifteenth-Century Le Champion des Dames.'' Ed. and trans. Steven Millen Taylor. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2005. *Le Franc, Martin. ''The Conception of Mary -- A Rhyming Translation of Book V of Le Champion des Dames by Martin Le Franc (1410-1461).'' Ed. and trans. Steven Millen Taylor. Lewiston, NY:

Edwin Mellen Press The Edwin Mellen Press or Mellen Press is an international Independent business, independent company and Academic publisher, academic publishing house with editorial offices in Lewiston (town), New York, Lewiston, New York, and Lampeter, Lampete ...

, 2010.

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Franc, Martin 1410 births 1461 deaths Writers from Normandy French poets Apostolic pronotaries