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Antoine de la Sale (also ''la Salle'', ''de Lasalle''; 1385/861460/61) was a French courtier, educator and writer. He participated in a number of military campaigns in his youth and he only began writing when he had reached middle age, in the late 1430s. He lived in Italy at the time, but returned to France in the 1440s, where he acted as umpire in
tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
, and he wrote a treatise on the history of the knightly tournament in 1459. He became the tutor of the sons of
Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano (1418 – 19 December 1475) belonged to the Ligny branch of the House of Luxemburg and was Constable of France. Life Saint-Pol was the eldest son of Peter of Luxembou ...
, to whom he dedicated a moral work in 1451. His most successful work was '' Little John of Saintré'', written in 1456, when he was reaching the age of seventy.


Biography

He was born in
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
, probably at
Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province ...
, the illegitimate son of Bernardon de la Salle, a celebrated Gascon mercenary, mentioned in ''
Froissart's Chronicles Froissart's ''Chronicles'' (or ''Chroniques'') are a prose history of the Hundred Years' War written in the 14th century by Jean Froissart. The ''Chronicles'' open with the events leading up to the deposition of Edward II in 1326, and cover th ...
.'' His mother was a peasant, Perrinette Damendel. In 1402 Antoine entered the court of the third Angevin dynasty at
Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...
, probably as a page. In 1407 he was at
Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in t ...
with
Louis II, Duke of Bourbon Louis de Bourbon, called the Good (4 February 1337 – 10 August 1410), son of Peter de Bourbon and Isabella de Valois (the sister of French King Philip VI), was the third Duke of Bourbon. Louis inherited the duchy after his father Duke Pe ...
, who had gone there to enforce his claim to the
kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
. The next years he perhaps spent in
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...
, for he was present at two
tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
given at
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
. In 1415 he took part in the successful expedition by
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
against the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...
in
Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territori ...
. In 1420 he accompanied the 17-year-old Louis III of Anjou in his attempt to assert his claim as King of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
. He travelled from
Norcia Norcia (), traditionally known in English by its Latin name of Nursia (), is a town and comune in the province of Perugia ( Italy) in southeastern Umbria. Unlike many ancient towns, it is located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a ...
to the Monti Sibillini and the neighboring Pilate's Lake (the final resting place of
Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...
, according to local legend). The story of his adventures on this trip and of the local legends and Sibyl's grotto form a chapter of ''La Salade'', which also has a map of the ascent from
Montemonaco Montemonaco is a town and '' comune'' (municipality) in Marche region, located about north-east from Rome. It is located within Sibillini Mountains, along Aso valley, on a plateau facing the Mount Zampa and Mount Sibilla. Nearby are located ...
. In 1426 La Sale probably returned with Louis III of Anjou, who was also ''comte de
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
'', to Provence, where he was acting as '' viguier'' of Arles in 1429. In 1434
René of Anjou René of Anjou ( it, Renato; oc, Rainièr; ca, Renat; 1409–1480) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1434 to 1480, who also reigned as King of Naples as René I from 1435 to 1442 (then deposed as the preceding dynasty was restored t ...
, Louis's successor, made La Sale tutor to his son,
John II, Duke of Lorraine John II of Anjou ( Nancy, August 2, 1426 – December 16, 1470, Barcelona) was Duke of Lorraine from 1453 to his death. He was the son of René of Anjou and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. He was married to Marie de Bourbon, daughter of Char ...
(also known as the
Duke of Calabria Duke of Calabria was the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal ...
), to whom he dedicated, between the years 1438 and 1447, his ''La Salade'', a textbook of the studies necessary for a prince. The title is of course a play on his own name, but he explains it as being due to the diverse subject matter of the book: a salad is composed "of many good herbs." The work covered geography, history, protocol and military tactics. One complete original copy has survived, and two early printed editions. It includes ''Queen Sibyl's Paradise'' ('), and ''Trip to the Lipari Isles'' ('), but these have often been edited separately.''Patalie regiã,'' Antoine de La Salle, ''Mappemonde de la fin du XVe siécle''.
/ref> In 1439 he was again in Italy in charge of the castle of
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...
, with John II and his young wife, Marie de Bourbon, when the place was besieged by the
king of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre ...
. La Sale married Lione de la Sellana de Brusa in the same year. He was about fifty-three; she was fifteen. René abandoned Naples in 1442, and Antoine no doubt returned to France about the same time. His advice was sought at the tournaments which celebrated the marriage of the unfortunate
Margaret of Anjou Margaret of Anjou (french: link=no, Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorrain ...
at Nancy in 1445; and in 1446, at a similar display at
Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur s ...
, he was one of the umpires. La Sale's pupil was now twenty years of age, and after forty years' service to the house of Anjou, La Sale left it to become tutor to the sons of
Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano (1418 – 19 December 1475) belonged to the Ligny branch of the House of Luxemburg and was Constable of France. Life Saint-Pol was the eldest son of Peter of Luxembou ...
, who took him to
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
and presented him at the court of
Philippe le Bon Philippe le Bon (or Lebon) (D'Humbersin) (May 29, 1767 – December 1, 1804) was a French engineer, born in Brachay, France. There is much confusion about his life and accomplishments. His main contributions were improvements to steam engines ...
, duke of Burgundy. For his new pupils he wrote at Chatelet-sur-Oise, in 1451, a moral work entitled ''La Salle''. He followed his patron to
Genappe Genappe (; nl, Genepiën, ; wa, Djinape) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 Genappe had a total population of 14,136. The total area is 89.57 km2 which gives a popula ...
in
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...
when the Dauphin (afterwards
Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...
) took refuge at the Burgundian court. During the last decade of his life, la Sale becomes productive as a writer, publishing his most famous work, '' Little John of Saintré'' in 1456, a consolatory epistle ''Reconfort a Madame de Neufville'' in 1458 and his tournament book ''Des anciens tournois et faictz d'armes'' in 1459. '' Cent Nouvelles nouvelles'', a collection of licentious stories supposed to be narrated by various persons at the court of Philippe le Bon, was apparently collected or edited by him. A completed copy of this was presented to the Duke of Burgundy at Dijon in 1462. If then La Sale was the author, he probably was still living; otherwise the last mention of him is in 1461.


Works

*''The Salad'' (french: La Salade) (1440–1444) *''La Salle'' (1451) *'' Little John of Saintré'' (french: Le Petit Jehan de Saintré) (1456), de La Salle's most famous work. *''Reconfort a Madame de Neufville'' (c. 1458) A consolatory epistle including two stories of parental fortitude, written at Vendeuil-sur-Oise. *''Des anciens tournois et faictz d'armes'' (1459) *''Journee l'Onneur et de Prouesse'' (1459) *'' Cent Nouvelles nouvelles'' (1461/2?), a collection of short stories, "undoubtedly the first work of literary prose in French", collected (and possibly partly authored or edited) by La Sale. *La Sale is considered a possible author of '' Les Quinze joies de mariage''. *Some critics have ascribed to him also the farce of '' Maitre Pathelin'', but this is disputed.


Notes


References

* * *''Petit Jehan de Saintré'' by J. M. Guichard (1843); *''Les Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles'' by Thomas Wright (Bibliothèque elzevérienne, 1858). *''La Salade'' was printed more than once during the sixteenth century. ''La Salle'' was never printed. For its contents see E. Gossart in the ''Bibliophile belge'' (1871, pp. 77 et seq.). * Joseph Neve, ''Antoine de la Salle, sa vie et ses ouvrages ... suivi du Reconfort de Madame de Fresne ... et de fragments et documents inedits'' (1903), who argues for the rejection of ''Les Quinze Joyes'' and the ''Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles'' from La Sale's works. * Pietro Toldo, ''Contribute olio studio della novella francese del XV e XVI secolo'' (1895), and a review of it by
Gaston Paris Bruno Paulin Gaston Paris (; 9 August 1839 – 5 March 1903) was a French literary historian, philologist, and scholar specialized in Romance studies and medieval French literature. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, 19 ...
in the ''Journal des Savants'' (May 1895); * Stern, ''Versuch über Antoine de la Salle'', in ''Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen'', vol. xlvi. * G. Raynaud, ''Un Nouveau Manuscrit du Petit Jehan de Saintré'', in ''Romania'', vol. xxxi. * ''Legends of Le Marche. The Sibyl of the Apennines – two texts by A. da Barberino and A. de La Sale'', Translated into English by James Richards, Macerata, Ed. Simple, 2014 (Le Paradis de la reine Sibylle). {{DEFAULTSORT:La Sale, Antoine De 14th-century births 1460s deaths People from Arles 15th-century French novelists French male novelists