Sainte-Palaye - Ancienne Chevalerie - 1759

Secrets and Glories of Ancient Cavalry: Between Rituals of Honor and War Strategies
A fundamental work for understanding the chivalric institution in its political and military aspects, composed by Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye and published in Paris between 1759 and 1781.
The author, a philologist and historian, examines medieval chivalry as a pillar of social order and a tool of power, offering a tableau in which rituals, weapons and codes of conduct intertwine with strategies of governance and warfare.
A cultivated and passionate account, enriched by the encyclopedic vision and the rigorous historical research of the Enlightenment era.
Market value
Complete copies of the first edition, including the two original volumes from 1759 and the third from 1781, in contemporary binding and in good condition, are valued on the antique market between 450 and 900 euros, with higher peaks for copies in excellent condition or with prestigious provenance. The presence of the original bazzana binding with gilding and red edges, even if it shows flaws, preserves a good collectible value.

Physical description and condition
Three volumes, contemporary binding in full bazana marbled, spine smooth adorned with gold friezes, gilt title, red fore-edges. Pp. (4), 12, 392, (4). (4), 4nn, 318, 2nn, (4). (4), 14, 2nn, 456, (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Memoirs on the Ancient Chivalry.
Paris, Nicolas-Bonaventure Duchesne, 1759–1781.
Mr. de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye

Context and importance
This work, the fruit of decades of study on medieval sources, analyzes chivalry as a key institution of feudal society. Sainte-Palaye explores the origin and evolution of the knightly order, the investiture ceremonies, the political role of knights, the art of war, and the power relations with the monarchy. The documentary breadth and the systematic approach make it a fundamental text of knightly historiography. The third volume, published in 1781, enriches the work with unpublished materials and deeper analyses, constituting the definitive complement to the discussion. On a symbolic level, the book embodies the myth and reality of chivalry: an institution at the crossroads of military discipline, the code of honor, and a sacred vision of power.

Author's biography
Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye (1697-1781) was one of the most important French philologists and historians of the 18th century. A member of the Académie française and of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, he devoted a large part of his life to the study of medieval sources, notably in the Langue d’oïl. His erudition, combined with a deep interest in the political and social institutions of the Ancien Régime, made him a reference figure for studies of chivalric history.

History of printing and circulation
The first edition of the Mémoires was published in two volumes in 1759 by the publisher Nicolas-Bonaventure Duchesne. In 1781, Duchesne’s widow issued a third volume, edited by J.-P. de Bougainville and H.-P. Ameilhon, which completed and broadened the original discussion. The work enjoyed wide diffusion among scholars and bibliophiles, fueling the eighteenth‑century revival of interest in the Middle Ages and its institutions.

Bibliography and references
Brunet, IV, 448.
Quérard, La France littéraire, Vol. VIII, p. 321.
BnF Catalog, notice FRBNF30036763.
H. Omont, La Curne de Sainte-Palaye and His Works on the Middle Ages, Paris, 1887.
RookeBooks, Memoirs on the Ancient Chivalry, Paris, 1759–1781 (antiquarian catalogue).
National Library of France, Gallica (digitized copies).