A Midsummer Behourdium & Deeds of Arms
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René d’Anjou   King of Naples and Jerusalem, Duke of Anjou, Bar, and Lorraine, Count of Piedmont, Provence and Barcelona etc. René is without doubt one of the outstanding characters of the 15th century. He took part in Joan of Arc´s campaigns against the English when he was quite young, and then spent years trying to make his real position in society match that of all his illustrious titles. He did never manage to realise the claims to Naples and Jerusalem however, although he became known to the posterity as Roi René. To the student of the Middle Ages, he is mostly known for his lavishly illustrated manuscripts, and as a patron of the arts. Most noted is certainly Livre de Tournois, from which this event was inspired, but also for Le Cueur d’Amours Espris, a typical allegory in the fashion of his day. The tourney of the Later Middle Ages It’s often said that the tourney of the later middle ages was decadent and exaggerated, far removed from the training for warfare it was supposed to be. And certainly the great pas d’armes that is the most famous examples of 15th century tournaments provide a picture of a very elaborate and synthetic event. "Let us take as an example of the late medieval joust the pas d’armes of the Fontaine des Pleurs, staged at Chalonsur-Saône in 1450, which happens to be particularly well recorded. ... On the island of St Laurent on the Saône by Chalon a pavilion was to be set up, with an image of Or Lady above it. Before it was to be found a damsel, in a robe stained with tears, her hair flowing about her shoulders, tending a unicorn from whose neck hung three shields, these too tear-bestrewn (the lady and the unicorn, it is clear, were both models, not real). Here on the first day of each month a herald would be found in attendance. The unicorn’s shields were of three colours, white, violet and black: Lalaing’s [the defendant of the pas, Jacques de Lalaing] challengers had to touch the white shield if they wished to fight with the axe, the violet if they wished to fight with the sword, and the black for twenty-five courses with the lance. As soon as a challenger had touched a shield, his name was enrolled by the herald, who also verified that he was a gentleman of at least four lines; and a time seven days ahead was assigned for the encounter. To him among the challengers who should bear himself best with the axe was assigned as a prize an axe of gold, and a golden sword and a golden lance for the champions with the other weapons. He who was brought to the ground with the axe was to be bound to wear a bracelet of gold for a year, or until he could find the lady with key to unlock it." [Keen] A number of similar events took place throughout the 15th century, and this example wasn’t even the most elaborate event of those. But one must bear in mind that these still wasn’t even the majority of tourneys, the most were simple challenges without most of the trappings outlined above. And melêe formats were still popular, especially in Germany. Also, most of the tournament heroes were also accomplished warriors, such as Boucicaut, Bayart, Earl Richard Beauchamp and others. Men such as the Gascon routier Poton de Xaintrailles also took part in events like pas d’armes Emprise de Dragon, arranged by René d’Anjou. Maurice Keen (in Chivalry) holds that the connection between actual warfare and tournaments was stronger than is most often believed. What René d’Anjou set out to do when his wrote his tourney manual was in part to revive the custom of melêe tournaments. He says specifically that the book is inspired by tourneys such as those usually performed in Germany.