181 - BOSSUET (Jacques-Bénigne), 1627–1704.

BOSSUET (Jacques-Bénigne), 1627–1704. Autograph working manuscript. [c. 1670–1680]. 4 pp. in-4, extensively written in and corrected, with continuous numbering of passages or references from 269 to 316. Bossuet’s working notes based on his reading of Froissart’s Chronicles, focusing on events during the reign of Charles V, the Castilian Civil War, and the resumption of the Anglo-French War, circa 1360–1370. In a highly condensed form employing numerous abbreviations, Bossuet extracts a series of historical facts from Froissart, which he organizes into numbered entries (probably referring to the pages of the edition under study). He first focuses on the unrest caused by the Great Companies and on Peter I of Castile, noting his “cruelties,” the fate of his wife Blanche of Bourbon, and suspicions of his ties to the King of Granada. Next come Avignon, the pope’s legitimization of “Henry the Bastard”—the future Henry II of Trastámara—Bertrand du Guesclin, and the intervention of the Count of La Marche, eager to avenge the death of his cousin Blanche of Bourbon. The expedition to Spain, initially presented as directed against the “infidels,” led to Henry’s coronation. A substantial series of notes then covers Peter I’s counteroffensive and the Battle of Nájera or Navarette (1367). Bossuet records the strength of Henry’s army and notes his resilience in the face of defeat. He continues with the capture of Du Guesclin, his release, and then his return to Henry’s side; next come Galicia, the siege of Toledo, and the gradual isolation of “Dom Pierre.” The final chapters bring Bossuet back to French affairs and to Guyenne: Aquitaine, the Prince of Wales, the English, the Peace of Brétigny, the respective rights of the sovereigns, and the attitude of the people, particularly the “people of La Rochelle.” The series concludes with the crisis that led to the resumption of war by Charles V and the summons of the Black Prince to the French court; Bossuet notes the imprisonment of those who had delivered the king’s letters. These notes thus allow us to catch Bossuet in the act, at work, sifting through the great medieval chronicle to distill a tightly woven narrative of facts, figures, and political considerations. This method is fully in line with the historical research conducted by Bossuet during the years when, as tutor to the Grand Dauphin, he was tasked with drawing from history the political lessons necessary to educate the future sovereign. Gustave Lanson also specifically highlights the importance to Bossuet of this historical episode—the overthrow of Peter the Cruel, “an impious and inhuman prince,” and his restoration by the Prince of Wales—in order to justify to the Dauphin the sacred nature of royal legitimacy. A valuable insight into Bossuet’s historical and pedagogical approach, illustrating the transition from reading Froissart to the development of a political history intended for the prince’s education.