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The French Renaissance Court
The definitive account of the French court, 1483-1589
The court of France in the sixteenth century has often been seen merely as a focus of political intrigue and conflict, but it was also a cultural center in which the visual arts, music, literature, and sport flourished. This book traces for the first time in English the court’s evolution from a nomadic institution to a more sedentary one over the course of a century that began gloriously for France and ended in the horrors of civil war.
Robert Knecht, a renowned expert on Renaissance France, explores the political and cultural importance of the French court through seven reigns from Charles VIII to Henry III, including the tumultuous regency of Catherine de' Medici. Against a sharp precis of political events, he details the structure, daily activities, and festivals of the court. Sumptuously illustrated throughout, this is an enthralling account of an opulent and dynamic institution in which image and representation were key.
The court of France in the sixteenth century has often been seen merely as a focus of political intrigue and conflict, but it was also a cultural center in which the visual arts, music, literature, and sport flourished. This book traces for the first time in English the court’s evolution from a nomadic institution to a more sedentary one over the course of a century that began gloriously for France and ended in the horrors of civil war.
Robert Knecht, a renowned expert on Renaissance France, explores the political and cultural importance of the French court through seven reigns from Charles VIII to Henry III, including the tumultuous regency of Catherine de' Medici. Against a sharp precis of political events, he details the structure, daily activities, and festivals of the court. Sumptuously illustrated throughout, this is an enthralling account of an opulent and dynamic institution in which image and representation were key.
415 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2008
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About the author
Robert J. Knecht
17 books9 followersRobert Jean Knecht was Emeritus Professor of French History at the University of Birmingham, where he has taught since 1956. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Société de l'Histoire de France, Professor Knecht was Reviews Editor of the journal French History and was a member of its editorial board. He was also Chairman of the Society for Renaissance Studies and Chairman of the Society for French History. He was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick. He has also published extensively in the field of French history, his principal work being on the reign of Francis I.
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April 23, 2010 I realize this is an unusual book to recommend to the general reader ; it has no dramatic tension or narrative framework, and no more plot than a biography would have. But for those (like me) who love French art and culture but prefer the whiteness and airy grace of the Loire chateaux to the heavy splendors of Versailles, or Clouet to Rigaud, this is simply a must-have book. And if you haven’t had much exposure to this period, its richness may come as a revelation.
Knecht’s primary focus is on the achievements of Francis I — an outsize figure who was basically a Gallic version of Henry VIII without the cruel streak or the wives (mistresses instead !). He was, more importantly, one of the greatest patrons of the arts in history and was primarily responsible for bringing the Renaissance north of the Alps to France. I was also pleased by the author’s assessment of the under-appreciated queen mother Catherine de’ Medici, who, in the realm of cultural patronage no less than in the wider world of politics, did more than any other single individual to ensure that at the end of the Wars of Religion there were enough pieces left for Henri IV to put back together at all.
This is also, for my money, one of the most lavishly produced and best-designed books of its kind I’ve seen in quite a while (as well as the densest— just heft it to see !).
-Alan
Knecht’s primary focus is on the achievements of Francis I — an outsize figure who was basically a Gallic version of Henry VIII without the cruel streak or the wives (mistresses instead !). He was, more importantly, one of the greatest patrons of the arts in history and was primarily responsible for bringing the Renaissance north of the Alps to France. I was also pleased by the author’s assessment of the under-appreciated queen mother Catherine de’ Medici, who, in the realm of cultural patronage no less than in the wider world of politics, did more than any other single individual to ensure that at the end of the Wars of Religion there were enough pieces left for Henri IV to put back together at all.
This is also, for my money, one of the most lavishly produced and best-designed books of its kind I’ve seen in quite a while (as well as the densest— just heft it to see !).
-Alan
July 3, 2017
i learned so much from the European history , and how their wars were based on religions and not taking the others crown to rule.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews