Theorizing the Ideal Sovereign: The Rise of the French Vernacular Royal Biography »

DAISY DELOGU is an assistant professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago.

Delogu examines how biographical writings on kings contributed to nascent ideas of nationhood, exerted pressure upon traditional ideals of kingship, and ultimately redefined the theoretical and practical bases of medieval kingship.

1 Models of Sanctity and Kingship in Joinville's Vie de saint Louis: Will the Real Louis IX Please Stand? 22
2 Hugh the Butcher: Lineage, Election, and Succession in the Chanson de Hugues Capet 58
3 The Crusading Ideal in Guillaume de Machaut's Prise d'Alixandre 92
4 The Herald Chandos's Vie du Prince Noir: A prince tree chretien 124
5 Reinventing Kingship: Christine de Pizan's Livre des fais et bonnes meurs du sageroy Charles V 153 Notes 185 Appendix Genealogical Table - The Last Capetians, the First Valois, and Claimants to the French Throne 259 Works Consulted 261 Index of Subjects 293 Index of Places and Proper Names 297