| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
A Medieval Story for Valentines Day, Bonne & Charles
The general word on the Internet is the first Valentine card was sent in 1415. It's not accurate and it's not true. The particular Valentine was written in mid-February of 1416; it was on vellum, not card stock; it's not the first Valentine card; and no one knows if it was sent. Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was in London, England, wrote the Valentine that all of the Internet declares, and that fact is true. He had a wife, Bonne, who was in Paris, France or somewhere in France. If it was sent to her, it traveled a far distance on foot and on horseback and on ship. Pagan Valentine's Day had been celebrated in Western Europe for centuries, and romantic, oftimes coded erotic, messages, had been exchanged for about 100 years by then between educated men and women who ran in the same crowd and lived in close proximity. So much for general information on the Internet...More specific information was found on special websites dealing with Medieval times. Here's what I found: It is possible that Charles was lonesome for Bonne, while he was in London. He had just been captured (on October 25, 1415 specifically) by the English on French soil and was being held prisoner in London or in the London countryside. Charles was one of the lucky ones. Just about every other French aristocrat was killed in the Battle of Agincourt during the 100 Year War between the English and the French for land in France dowered to Eleanor of Aquitaine (former Queen of France) when she married Henry II, the English King. Charles and Bonne hadn't been married long, about 5 years by 1415. He had been soldiering a lot during those five years, so they didn't see much of each other. A 100 Year War preoccupies a lot of generations of men folk. There are three curious things, though, about these two you should know: (1) It was an arranged marriage whose purpose was to avoid further bloodshed between their families; (2) Bonne was 11 when she was engaged to Charles, who was 16; and (3) his father-in-law, Bonne's father, had assassinated Charles' father, Louis. Maybe they loved each other; maybe not. I don't even know if they ever lived together as man and wife, for she was only 11 when they married, 16 at the time he wrote the verse. In any event, Charles penned a poem on Valentine's Day in 1416 and it has been retained for almost 600 years. You may not know that a Duke is a Prince, and noble, highborn prisoners were prized when captured in battle. They were 'cash cows,' held for ransom by the opposition, until their families could raise and pay the money for their release. At that time, although most men folk fought for the French King, France wasn't exactly a country, then, and the King didn't assume any responsibility for ransoming his patriotic nobles or aristocrats. (No one cared much for non-nobles or non-aristocrats, except their families. But, they were never captured and held for ransom. More often than not, they were killed. They're the enormous body counts in battles of old, the serfs and servants.) This ransom was up to the noble or aristocratic prisoner's family, if they wanted their relative back home. (And they did want their men folk back.) His ransom in today's money could be as much as $500,000 ($US). The actual amount in Medieval English crowns was 150,000 crowns. This sounds like an enormous sum. What with the French losing the war, their King's reoccurring madness, Joan of Arc's triumph, then ignominy, a subsequent economic depression, the Black Plague, and Charles' family having to pay his upkeep all those years, (plus lots of other things) it took his family 25 years to get the money and treaty agreement together to turn him over. Bonne died while Charles was held prisoner in England, and they had no children. (She falls from the written record because she did not produce progeny, and no one knows exactly when she died or where she was when she died. Actually, no one is exactly sure where she was living and with whom while she was married to her incarcerated husband, Charles. It's probable she was transferred to Charles' family estate at the time of the betrothal and raised by Charles' family until the wedding, remaining there until she died. There's one more tidbit about poor Bonne, and that is this: Bonne may not have been her name. It's really an adjective in Old French, and merely means "good girl.") A manuscript of the poem is in the British Library. I don't know if it's the original. It's named by the scribe, Harley, in the archive, and scribes' copies were often rewritten and rewritten and passed around for years and years amongst wealthy families. If it is the original, it was not unusual for scribes to assist in Valentines, for they made a living writing fancy script and making pretty pictures. (Apparently, Charles' family sent him enough money to pay the scribe, so he didn't live too badly while he was held prisoner.) How the manuscript got to the British Library after 600 years was by bequest, but I was unable to check out the provenance. The BL was willing to describe the manuscript: There's a Cupid image and a 3-part verse. The verse is in Old French, not English. There is no version of the poem on the Internet. I was able to find a description by A.E.B. Coldiron, who says it's an appeal to Cupid with Charles as a servant of Cupid (Lust imagery, I think.) but no one is named and there is no heading. Charles says he admires this person (Bonne?) and despairs of seeing her again. He is frustrated (which is what all noble men were required to express in Chivalric code), but Coldiron doesn't say what he's frustrated about. He promises to be faithful and praises her beauty, virtue, and honor. He may describe intimate moments they've shared, a custom in Valentines, but I suspect not. She was simply too young to have been expected to cohabit with her groom and when she was old enough to cohabit, he was away fighting battles, then captured. A non-academic source has published the following verse on a website, http://www.homespunpeddler.com and has attributed this verse to Charles in a collection called "Romantic Valentines." It doesn't read anything like Coldiron's description, so I doubt if it's the one he wrote to Bonne. I offer it to you, so you know what a translated from Medieval French into modern English 15th century Valentine would read like. "Wilt thou be mine? dear Love, reply -- Sweetly consent or else deny. Whisper softly, none shall know, Wilt thou be mine, Love? -- aye or no? Spite of Fortune, we may be Happy by one word from thee. Life flies swiftly -- ere it go Wilt thou be mine, Love? -- aye or no?" Frankly, the above verse is not that terrific, is it? I would call it doggerel. Maybe something is lost in the translation. If not, I think he could have done better. He had a lot of time on his hands. I'd like to believe that Charles and Bonne did love each other, but don't know for certain. (The glimmer of hope I entertain that Charles loved Bonne is an anecdote about him reading a love poem he composed to her at their wedding ceremony. Some scholars believe he was showing off his poem prowess, but some scholars are without a scrap of romance in their souls.) Things were different six hundred years ago: love and marriage didn't intersect amongst nobility and aristocrats. Children were pawns and shuffled around to do smart things for their families. Duty to family superceded love and children dutifully married other children. Romance was in the chivalrous code, hence, unrequited. Sexual congress was for procreation, a duty, and family lineage promulgation was its purpose. Lust was with wrenches, when they could be found. If Bonne and Charles loved each other, it's a sad story of 2 children from good families. If they didn't love each other, it's a jailhouse reverie of a young man who burns. I don't want to leave you on either note. So, I'll go for this: go get some vellum (stretched goat skin), pen a personal message of your feelings to your love, make it pretty and fancy all over, and hand it to your love. Maybe your message will be memorialized until 2605, when someone like me comes around to figure what happened then. Barbara Nell, publisher of "The Perspicacious Woman OnLine," a bi-monthly fashion e-zine in its 10th year of publication, has been a closet bug on history all her life.
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Make a Golden Christmas Tree Several Years ago while I was shopping for Christmas I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the holiday arrangements at the department store I was in.I was dazzled by the sight, golden branches wrapped in twinkling white lights. The Bloated Bar Mitzvah Celebration: 6 Ways to Take It Back Bar Mitzvah celebrations have grown exponentially in size and scope in the past twenty years.That's great news for me; I derive much of the income I earn as a party entertainer from working at these events. Christmas Lights Add Sparkle To The Holidays Electric Christmas lights have been around since the 1880's. It is no wonder they are still around and being enjoyed by so many. Easy Costumes Kids Can Make The kindergarten class I was teaching was scheduled to perform a dramatic recitation. We needed several flower and bumblebee costumes. Christmas and New Year Celebrations: How Significant? I remember vividly as if it were yesterday when I was only a little boy; I looked forward to Christmas and New Year holidays with an air of relief, satisfaction and relaxation. Relief, because I had the rare chance of putting a pause to the hectic and daily school schedule; satisfaction because it was a time to show off that cloth that 'daddy' bought for me and relaxation because I would go out with my family and friends to have a nice time. Holiday Spending: How to Keep Your Personal Information Safe Holiday spending can be a wonderful time. We shop for our loved ones, friends, co-workers, and associates. The Five Best Cigar-Related Fathers Day Gifts According to a recent study by the internet cigar retailer WhatsKnotToLove.com, Father's Day -- that shameless day of the year when wives, daughters and sons have to publicly humiliate themselves in a quest for a gift they know will go unappreciated -- has become a national epidemic. Give Presence Not Presents Throughout the year we have many gift-giving opportunities to show love to those around us. From Christmas to Birthdays, Valentines Day and more, our thoughts turn to finding the perfect gift. Valentine's Day - Online Worship Gazing the wide stretched blue carpet, with blows of zephyrs whispering and blowing leaves away, is the best way to rest your mind from the day-to-day hassle. It's the time when every living thing seems to grow and is nourished by the augmentation of spring. Overcoming Loneliness this Christmas Christmas is one of those times when the social norm is to get together with our families even if you never see them during the year. For those people who are isolated from their families, or do not have a family, it can be a time of great loneliness and even depression. Wolves, Goats, Martyrs and War: a History of Valentines Day Valentines Day is one of the most enigmatic of holidays, having appeared in many forms. But all "Valentine's Days" have drawn suspicion. New Year's Resolution - Why Not Resolve To Take Back Your Life? It's time once again for the dreaded New Year's Resolutions. Most of us make them; few of us keep them for more than a few months. Decorating for a Victorian Christmas Berry Manor Inn owner, Cheryl Michaelsen wouldn't admit it, but with all the research she's done on Victorian tradition for the inn many consider her an expert, especially when it comes to celebrating a Victorian Christmas. Her Victorian-style inn offers the ideal backdrop to showcase venerated Victorian traditions throughout the year. Set the Mood- Halloween Decoration Ideas When Halloween comes around and you want to throw a party or you are a room mother for your son's class at school, how should you decorate? Here are some Halloween decoration ideas to get you started.Halloween decoration ideas do not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Find Great Halloween Costume Ideas! Have The Most Creative Costumes This Year Usually, the hardest part about Halloween is finding the perfect costume and top accessories for your ghoulish creation. Well, now it doesn't have to be! With the countless, great resources available on the web, finding Halloween costume ideas for the adults, kids and the rest of the family will be the easy part! Now, you'll just have to figure out what everyone wants to dress up as!So where do you begin? Let us help you! Take the time to browse through our site for some great tips on creating the your favorite costumes. Make Every Day a Mothers Day! The word mother and mothers day are simple, yet powerful little words that you hear all the time especially so around the time of mothers day when everyone seem to be scrambling for ideas to say thank you, you are surely loved and you are appreciated all over again.But if you would just take time out, you would realize that useful hints were probably being dropped all alone and throughout the year. Valentines Day - Where Did THAT Come From? Just as soon as the stores put away their Christmas merchandise, out comes the Valentine's Day items - even though Valentine's is still more than six weeks away.I don't know why, but it always takes me by surprise to see Valentine's Day merchandise so soon after Christmas. Thanksgiving Memories Turkey .. Surviving Those Holiday Blues Not everyone shares in the celebration and joy associated with the holidays. Many people feel stressed and unhappy in response to the demands of shopping for gifts, spending large amounts of money, attending parties and family gatherings, and entertaining houseguests. Maybe This Christmas Will Be Different.... Have you always dreamed of a Norman Rockwell Christmas - where everyone is singing Christmas carols and there is joy in the house? Alas, your Christmas memories are often filled with Uncle Joe getting drunk and your parents ending up in a fight. By the end of Christmas day family members are mad and no one is talking to one another.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
