The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Joinville, Jean, sire de
(zhäN sr d zhwNvl´) (KEY) , 1224?–1317?, French chronicler, biographer of Louis IX of France (St. Louis). As seneschal (governor) of Champagne, Joinville was a close adviser to Louis, whom he accompanied (1248–54) on the Seventh Crusade. He opposed and refused to take part in the Eighth Crusade. His memoir of St. Louis, dictated between 1304 and 1309 for the instruction of Louis X, is an invaluable record of the king, of feudal France, and of the Seventh Crusade. It is written in a simple, delightful style, with moving reverence for the saintly and chivalrous king, with a sharp eye for graphic and psychological detail, and with occasional, sly humor. There are several English translations of Joinville’s memoirs, notably those by Sir Frank Marzials (1908), Joan Evans (1938), and René Hague (1955).
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