Mathieu d'Escouchy (

Le Quesnoy Le Quesnoy (; pcd, L' Kénoé) is a Communes of France, commune and small town in the east of the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department of northern France. It was part of the historical province of French Hainaut. It ...

, Nord, 1420 – 1482) was a Picard chronicler during the last stages of the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantage ...

. His ''Chronique'' was a continuation of the chronicle of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, with manuscripts of which it occurs as a third volume; it was edited by G. du Fresne de Beaucourt, (3 vols., Paris, Societé de l'Histoire de France, 1863–64). Matthieu covers the years 1444-61, from a point of view favourable to

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

, but with an attempt at impartiality, though he was in the service of

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 ...

, with whom he fought at the

Battle of Montlhéry The Battle of Montlhéry was fought between Louis XI and the League of the Public Weal on 16 July 1465 in the vicinity of Longpont-sur-Orge. It had no clear winner and therefore did not decide the war. Insurgency of the Vassal countries Philip the ...

(16 July 1465), after which he was ennobled. Like most literate men of his time, he was fascinated by feats of arms, brave tourneys and the social stature of the men (and a few women) who figure in his chronicle. His account of the Banquet du Voeu du Faisan, describes the ceremonious feast held at

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...

in 1454 by

Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

, whose court set the standards for elegant extravagance in the fifteenth century. He was appointed Echevin and Prévôt of Péronne. He fell afoul of justice, was even arrested and tortured but set free at last. In ''Escouchy'' some editors read a variant of the familiar seigneurial name '' Coucy''. He described the arrival of Mary of Guelders bride of

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

in Scotland on 18 June 1449. She sailed from

Sluis Sluis (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Sluus ; french: Écluse) is a town 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 Janua ...

and landed first on the Isle of May in the

Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...

, making a pilgrimage to the Chapel of St Adrian on 18 June 1449.G. Du Fresne de Beaucourt
''Chronique de Mathieu d'Escouchy: 1444-1452'', vol. 1 (Paris, 1863), pp. 177-8
/ref>

Sources

* G. Du Fresne de Beaucourt
de Mathieu d'Escouchy: 1444-1452'', vol. 1 (Paris, 1863)

Pasco Bacro, "Matthie d'Escouchy"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escouchy, Mathieu D 15th-century French historians 1420 births 1482 deaths French male non-fiction writers