Jean sire de Joinville; Natalis de Wailly - Histoire de Saint Louis / Jean Sire de Joinville - 1874

1 large quarto volume in half morocco with corners - XXVIII-690 - 2 chromolithographs - 9 miniature plates - 3 plates of seals – Black-and-white illustrations in the text - 3 maps.
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Jean de Joinville was a Champagne lord and chronicler of the 13th century, best known for having written the Life of Saint Louis. His testimony, based largely on his own memories, is one of the most valuable sources on the reign of Louis IX of France and the Seventh Crusade.

Career milestones
Jean de Joinville was born around 1224 into a noble Champagne family and inherited the lordship of Joinville. In 1248, he accompanied King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade in Egypt and the Holy Land. His direct experience of the battles, the king's captivity and the daily life of the expedition nourishes the narrative he will write several decades later, probably at the beginning of the 14th century.

The Life of Saint Louis
Joinville’s most famous work is the Life of Saint Louis, written at the request of the royal family. Rather than a strictly official chronicle, the text blends personal memories, anecdotes, conversations and moral reflections, offering a vivid portrait of the sovereign. This approach makes the work a major reference in medieval French historical literature.

Historical significance
Joinville’s interest lies in his eyewitness perspective. He describes court customs, political practices, royal justice, the crusades and relations among nobles with a level of detail rarely preserved for this period. Historians use his account by comparing it with other sources, because it also reflects his own opinions, memory and admiration for the king.