Enguerrand de Monstrelet - Chroniques - 1572

CRONACHE DI GUERRA E POTERE: BETWEEN THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT
The Chroniques of Enguerrand de Monstrelet represent one of the great bridges between medieval historiography and Renaissance historical consciousness. Direct successor of Froissart, Monstrelet records with almost notarized precision the crucial events of the Hundred Years’ War and the internal French struggles, offering a layered and often stark view of power, diplomacy, and violence. This Paris edition of 1572 renders the text in a fully humanistic typographical form, transforming a chivalric chronicle into a bookish object destined for educated readers and collectors. The volume presents itself as a narrative archive where history becomes document, memory, and political construction.
MARKET VALUE
The sixteenth-century editions of the Chroniques of Monstrelet are relatively rare on the market, especially in folio format and complete. Copies in good condition can reach 700–1,000 euros, with higher prices for well-preserved copies or those with notable provenance.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary half-leather binding with raised bands and gilt lettering on the spine; widespread abrasions to the boards, loss of material at the back, front board detached, corners rubbed. Frontispiece engraved. Sheets with foxing and physiological browning. In old books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 24 nn; 648; 12 nn; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Volume Premier des Chroniques d’Enguerran de Monstrelet, gentil-homme jadis demeurant à Cambray en Cambresis.
Paris, chez Pierre l’Huilier, 1572.
Enguerrand de Monstrelet.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Chroniques of Monstrelet constitute an essential continuation of Jean Froissart’s work and cover key events in French and Burgundian history from the late fourteenth century to the first half of the fifteenth century. The text is characterized by a sober, documentary style, less literary than Froissart’s, but closer to an “objective” recording of events. The 1572 edition appears at a crucial moment in French culture, marked by the Wars of Religion: the republication of medieval chronicles gains here also a political and identitarian value, contributing to the construction of a national memory. The work thus becomes not only historical testimony but a tool for reflection on power and legitimacy.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Enguerrand de Monstrelet (c. 1400–1453) was a chronicler and noble from the Cambrai region. His work continues the Froissart narrative, focusing on the events of the Hundred Years’ War and the political dynamics among France, Burgundy, and England. Considered one of the primary chroniclers of late medieval times, Monstrelet is valued for his attention to documents and for his relatively neutral approach to events.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Chroniques were initially transmitted in manuscript form and saw numerous printed editions in the sixteenth century, particularly in Paris. The 1572 edition represents one of the most widespread humanistic print runs, aimed at an educated audience interested in French national history. Surviving copies often show signs of heavy use, testifying to their function both as reading material and as historical reference.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
USTC 134603; ICCU/OPAC SBN, record for Paris editions of the Chroniques; Brunet, Manuel du libraire, III, col. 1865; Graesse, Trésor de livres rares, IV, p. 558; British Library Catalogue, Monstrelet, Chroniques; catalogues of sixteenth-century French historical literature with references to the Pierre l’Huilier editions.