Guillebert de Lannoy (also Gilbert, Guilbert or Ghillebert; 1386–1462), was a

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

traveler and diplomat, chamberlain to the

duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

, governor of the fort of

Sluys Sluis (; ; ) is a city and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January 2003. The former municipalities of Oostbur ...

, and a

knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

. He was the son of Guillebert I de Lannoy and Catherine of Molembais. He was a member of the noble

de Lannoy De Lannoy or Delannoy is a surname, and may refer to; ;Noble Belgian House of Lannoy: * Jean de Lannoy * Baldwin of Lannoy * Hugo van Lannoy * Guillebert de Lannoy, soldier, traveller and diplomat * Charles de Lannoy, 1st Prince of Sulmona: sold ...

family. His brothers were Hugo of Lannoy and

Baldwin of Lannoy Baldwin van Lannoy, Lord of Molembais (1388–1474), nicknamed "Le Bègue" (The Stutterer), was a Flemish statesman, and ambassador for Philip the Good at the court of Henry V of England. He was born in 1388 in Hénin-Beaumont and died in 1474 i ...

, also founding Knights of the Golden Fleece. Guillebert first served

Jean de Werchin Jean III de Werchin (1374 – 25 October 1415), called the Good (''le Bon''), was a knight errant and poet from the County of Hainaut in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1383 his father died and he inherited the baronies of Werchin, Walincourt and Cysoing ...

, seneschal of Hainaut, and accompanied him to the East and to Spain. He then served

John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...

in his war against the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...

and the

Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a conflict between two cadet branches of the French royal family: the House of Orléans ( Armagnac faction) and the House of Burgundy ( Burgundian faction) from 1407 to 1435. It began during a lull in t ...

. He then joined the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

in the

Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War The Polish–Lithuanian — Teutonic War, also known as the Great Teutonic War, occurred between 1409 and 1411 between the Teutonic Knights and the allied History of Poland (1385–1569), Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Inspired ...

. Guillebert also fought in 1415 against the English in the Battle of Azincourt or Agincourt, where he was wounded and captured. In the service of

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

, he discharged several diplomatic missions in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

(as Ambassador to

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

, and

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

and was one of the negotiators of the

Treaty of Troyes The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the French throne upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was formally signed in the French city of Troyes on 21 May 1420 in the aftermath of ...

(1420). In 1421 he was sent by

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

to inquire into the possibility of reviving the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

, and wrote an account of his travels, ''Les Pelerinages de Surye et de Egipte'', which was published in 1826 and again in 1842. His travels in the Baltic region and Russia are recounted in his book ''Voyages et Ambassades'', published in Mons in 1840 with subsequent editions. Around 1440 Lannoy wrote ''L'Instruction de josne prince'' ("Advice for a Young Prince"), which he dressed up with a fictional origin in the court of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

"long, long ago", followed by a rediscovery of the manuscript text. The

dedication miniature A presentation miniature or dedication miniature is a Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature painting often found in illuminated manuscripts, in which the Donor portrait, patron or donor is presented with a book, normally to be interpret ...

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

's copy of 1468-70 illustrates the Norwegian story, but using up-to-date Burgundian costume and, it seems, the faces of the ducal family. Charles, around seven when the work was written, had no doubt always been the young prince Lannoy had in mind.Kren & McKendrick, 235-237

Citations and references

Cited sources and other sources

* * * Oscar Halecki, "Gilbert de Lannoy and His Discovery of East Central Europe" ''Bulletin of the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences in America'', 2:2 (1944), 314-31.
Genealogie online (in Dutch)
*Kren, T. & McKendrick, Scot (eds), ''Illuminating the Renaissance – The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe'', Getty Museum/Royal Academy of Arts, 2003, *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lannoy, Guillebert de 1386 births 1462 deaths 15th-century diplomats 15th-century soldiers Burgundian knights Lannoy Guillebert Nobility of the Burgundian Netherlands People from the Burgundian State