Title: Chronicle of Knights in Armor
Description
- This book on the proper mode of conduct for a knight was written in French in around 1410 by Christine de Pisan, Europe's first prolific and respected female author. It was translated into English and printed by William Caxton (1422?-91) in 1489 at the behest of Henry VII, who wished to make it available to English soldiers. The book contained not only rules of conduct, such as how a victorious knight should treat a prisoner of war, but also practical information that Pisan had gleaned from several classical texts, such as how to choose the best site to pitch one's tent and how to prevent one's castle from falling under siege. Caxton was the first English printer. He translated from French many of the works that he printed, often adding prologues or epilogues, demonstrating his erudition as well as his skill as a printer. This work is an example of an incunabulum, a term from the Latin meaning 'from the cradle' that is used by librarians and bibliophiles to refer to books printed in Europe before 1501.
Author
Translator
Publication Information
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William Caxton, Westminster
Language
Title in Original Language
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Boke of the Fayt of Armes and of Chyualrye
Place
Time
Topic
Additional Subjects
Type of Item
Physical Description
- 144 leaves : 28 centimeters
Notes
- Largely a compilation from the works of Vegetius, Frontinus, Valerius Maximus, Honoré Bonet, and a contemporary anonymous authority on sieges. Books 3-4 are based on Bonet's L'arbre des batailles.
Collection
Institution
