Jean Mansel (born 1400–1401, died 1473–1474) was a functionary at the court of the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...

and a historian.

Biography

Jean Mansel was born in

Hesdin Hesdin (; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in northern France. On 1 January 2025, it was merged into the new commune of Hesdin-la-Forêt. Geography The N39, from Arras to Montreuil ...

, and entered the service of the Dukes of Burgundy, at whose court his father had also worked. Jean Mansel had several duties at the court, many of them connected with the collection of taxes in Hesdin. In 1470 he was responsible for the inspection of the castle in Hesdin. In August the same year he was relieved of his duties by

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, ...

on account of his old age and frail state. He died a few years later. Jean Mansel was also the author of two works on history, ''Fleur des histoires'' and ''Histoires romaines''. The ''Fleur des histoires'' is a summary world history which exists in several versions and spans from

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

to the death of

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...

. Several copies of the ''Fleur des histoires'' were made as costly

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s, and the historical account it presents can be interpreted as a propagandistic attempt to glorify and strengthen the legitimacy of the Dukes of Burgundy.

References

15th-century births 15th-century deaths 15th-century French historians Duchy of Burgundy {{France-historian-stub