Corruption and Currying Favour in Medieval France

by Kristin Gleeson

Did you ever wonder where the term “currying favour” came from? I have to say it wasn't something that I ever wondered about, rather it was a term I used without thought. Recently, during an online course I took on Medieval music manuscripts, I was fascinated and astonished to discover that the term had its origins in a 14^th century satirical manuscript entitled, “Le Roman de Fauvel,” a multimedia work credited to the poet and royal chancery clerk, Gervais du Bus, with additional text by Chaillou de Pesstain and musical contributions by composers such as Phillippe de Vitry. It’s a tale of villainy, corruption and a massive abuse of power at the highest ranks. 

Hmmm. Some old tales are never old for the times. 

Through poetry, prose, music and illustrations the allegorical and cautionary tale describes the rise to power of its main character, Fauvel. What captures the imagination much more is that Fauvel is a horse. A tawny (“fauve” is tawny in English) horse that starts his life in an ordinary Parisian stable and becomes dissatisfied with his life and surroundings which he feels is too ordinary by half. As if his wish to have more manifests itself into reality, Lady Fortune comes to him and, despite her sister Raison’s (Reason) efforts to stop it--because fortune is blind—Lady Fortune puts him in the royal palace stables. In his luxurious stables he is heavily pampered while flattery, praise and adulation are heaped upon him. Fauvel believes he deserves it all. People come from far and wide to brush him, to “curry Fauvel.” No muck shall be allowed to get on Fauvel. Everyone wants his favour. Even the church showers him with attention and praise.

Fuavel’s power and influence over France’s leaders and ecclesiastical affairs increases. His numerous vices and capriciousness result in religious corruption and turmoil that cause irreparable damage to the Church and taint society. Eventually Fauvel builds his own palace and is surrounded by unscrupulous courtiers like Envy, Deceit, Vanity and Perjury. The depictions of Fauvel in the manuscript begin to take on human characteristics, with features like the king. His behaviour becomes more human like too. Eventually, he claims divine and royal authority. People come from all over to ask his advice. His rule becomes tyrannical and the only people who benefit are beautiful women and those who share Fauvel’s views. The world becomes inverted. Fools gain power, wise people are silenced. Justice is corrupt and in fact the justice court praises Fauvel. 

Fearing Lady Fortune might withdraw her favour at any time. Fauvel decides to seek a wife to consolidate his power. He chooses and proposes to Lady Fortune because he feels that marrying her would give him a huge amount of control over the world. But Fortune is fickle and she rejects Fauvel and suggests he marry Lady Vainglory instead. The wedding is attended by many guests and a joust is held with competitors that represent vices, but also the virtues, like Humility and Chastity, who hope that they might bring about Fauvel’s downfall. Ultimately, the Virtues triumph but Lady Fortune consoles Fauvel with the promise that he though he will eventually meet his demise, he will continue to spread evil through his children.

“Le Roman de Fauvel” is a dark tale with many symbolic names and metaphors that reflect the dark times France was experiencing under the tumultuous and corrupt reign of Philip IV.  The king’s administrators flagrantly abused power, admidst a growing civil service who pandered and flattered Philip IV. There was great abuse of financial power that exploited the Jewish population through heavy taxation, debasing the currency and confiscating property. The country was also in conflict with the Papacy over taxing the church. The Pope refused to allow it but King Philip ignored his pronouncement. The Pope threated to excommunicate the King if he didn’t recognize the Pope’s ultimate authority. Philip responded by sending people to arrest the Pope and imprison him. The Pope was freed but he died soon after. Another Pope was elected but he was afraid of Philip and under Philip’s direction, he moved to Avignon where the King controlled him.

The manuscript, in all its multimedia glory, gives a very vivid representation of the time period. The music is an amazing and progressive mix of monophonic and polyphonic pieces that demonstrate the avant garde skills of the internationally acclaimed Ars Nova school of music that was emerging in Paris under the master himself, Phillippe de Vitry. Filled with varying rhythms and complex multi voice parts, “Le Roman de Fauvel” shows France at the forefront of Western musical evolution and innovation with music and words that mock a corrupt society. One scene, for example, shows a noisy Charivari group wearing masks protesting Fauvel’s rule as loudly as possible, banging pots, pans, shouting and blowing horns. Another scene contains a song with political double speak of confusing and hypocritical statements, while another section parodies the clergy as singers chant words of power. 

The illustrations are lively and vividly portray the story as well as the society at large. In one illustration Fauvel sits on a throne a crown on his head, draped in a royal mantle. There are scenes showing important officials currying Fauvel with a brush that graphically tell the story of corruption that is unfolding.

The prose and poetry, written in French and Latin, is so clever and telling with the names and story so compelling. The name itself “Fauvel” was an acronym in French for Flatterie, Avarice, Villainie, (in old French “v” is also “u”) Varieté (fickleness), Envie, Lacheté (cowardice). In the tale it describes how the “vice of “fauvelling” and the muck of avarice occupy the throne and the highest position of the court. A gift makes the judge favourable and gentle. Law passes into exile, and the judgement of the law is up for sale. ‘O what infection, how great the boils that daily plague the flanks of the mighty!’ Flattering voices ascend to power. Fraudulent justice rules. ‘Merciful God apply her counsel’!” (translation from “Labouring in the Midst of Wolves” Reading a Group of ‘Fauvel Motets” by Edward H. Roesner, from Early Music History Vol. 22 (2003).

Through time, the term “currying Fauvel” became widespread across Europe, and in England, it eventually transformed into, “currying favour”. Though “Le Roman de Fauvel” may not be a modern piece of streamed content, or a wild film satire shown on Netflix and YouTube, it is a truly relevant and amazing piece of work that has many parallels today, some of them fairly chilling.

My series, The Renaissance Sojourner, set in 15th century Europe, Africa and the Silk Road shows many aspects of the political intrigue and corruption of that era. 

Kristin Gleeson is a USA Today Bestselling author of In Praise of the Bees from the Women of Ireland series as well as Celtic Knot series, The Highland Ballad series and Rise of the Celtic Gods series. Visit her website at www.krisgleeson.com

 

 

Naked Places: researching the history of a location before the humans came - by Janet Few

Much of history is about people and their actions but people live in places and that geographical context impacted on their lives, making it a valid subject for investigation. Local historians study inhabited places and perhaps the gaps in between but why are those people there? What made the original settlers decide to set up home in this place, rather than that place? What was there about that particular location that turned it from an uninhabited landscape into a settlement? If we are interested in the history of a community, we need to strip back the layers to look at the bare bones of the place, before the people, before the families and before the built heritage. Imagine early potential settlers viewing the possibilities of a site as somewhere to begin to create a community. What did they need? Firstly, relatively accessible building materials, in order to create shelters. A source of food was essential both for themselves but also for livestock. Equally, a nearby supply of water and fuel would have been essential. Another consideration would be safety, was this a site that could be easily defended? To a lesser extent, accessibility was a consideration. How easy would it be to come and go?

The underlying geology is relevant. Early settlement, as opposed to temporary, nomadic habitation, means farmers; the nature of the soil is key to what might, or might not, grow well. Consider what building materials might have been available, remembering that building materials are often very difficult to transport. Is there local stone, or wood? Many places are now deforested, compared to the past. The size and composition of our woodlands has changed over time. It is likely that early settlers would have found a much better supply of native trees than the current landscape suggests.

Fresh water is essential to drink, to irrigate crops and to rear livestock. Where are the rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and springs?. Rivers silt up and change their course, lakes can be man-made, so the historic availability of water could be different from more recent water supplies. Water is also a key method of transportation and of course, this can also be salt water, so coasts are relevant here.

The climate is another significant factor, again we need to take account of changing weather patterns. Was this an area that was suitable for growing crops? Would early settlers have been likely to have had drought, floods or extremes of temperature to contend with? Terrain is also important for building and farming potential, it is difficult to do either on very steep ground.

What about defence? In this respect, a steep slope might be beneficial. How could those living at a particular site have protected themselves from enemies? Spotting potential intruders before they got too close was an advantage, as was a site that might appear impressive and impenetrable to enemies. Concealment in a situation, such as a hollow, that might make a settlement escape notice, could be an alternative method of protection. Take into account how easy it might have been to defend a particular location. Accessibility is a double-edged sword, as inhabitants needed to be able to come and go but that very accessibility could be an invitation for potential invaders.

Study a location in terms of what food it might provide. What native animals and birds might have been hunted? Consider the aquatic environment; water courses and the sea are sources of food too and it is likely that freshwater fish would be eaten in significant quantities. Take into account the fact that a number of native wild animals of the past are now extinct, or at least do not survive in a particular location in the way that they might have in earlier centuries. Plants, bushes and trees are all potential food sources, both for humans and livestock. What native plants and trees might have grown wild in your place of interest in centuries gone by? The names of places, landmarks, and geographical features sometimes indicate what might have been found in the way of flora and fauna.

Devoid of humans your ‘naked’ place might have still more to offer potential settlers. What about the raw materials? This goes beyond building materials. What other resources could settlers use? Was there coal, iron or other minerals that could be exploited? Salt was very valuable, so is there a salt pan nearby. What is available to the inhabitants for fuel? In the absence of much wood or any coal, was there peat or furze? Maps can provide clues about the resources that might have been utilised.

As we study the history of the human race, it is important to set those people within the context of their community and that includes the ‘naked’ landscape, the place before the humans came. By doing so, as we add people to the place, we have a better understanding of why they are there.

Thockrington, Northumberland © Janet Few

The Audacity of the Historical Novelist by Sheena Wilkinson

When I describe myself as a historical novelist, what do I really mean? Historical fiction is a such a broad term. I’ve written stories set in the past which don’t focus on actual historical events but instead bring to life the daily realities of the era (for example, my Fernside books), and stories about ordinary (fictional) people’s lives being affected by real historical events, such as my Irish trilogy; Mrs Hart’s Marriage Bureau and Miss McVey Takes Charge).

My Irish Trilogy (1916-1921) 

What I have not (yet) had the courage -- or the audacity -- to tackle is what many people consider ‘serious’ historical fiction, which takes as its central characters actual historical figures (for example, Wolf Hall or Hamnet) or stories which involve the interplay between real and fictional characters, for example, Pat Barker’s Regeneration trilogy. This is partly because I prefer making things up; partly because I balk at the research involved – I LOVE research but not to that extent; partly because I haven’t (yet) come across a real figure that I would want to write a whole novel about. 

My 1930s novels 

But mainly because, however confident I might be in my research of the facts, once you turn a ‘real’ person into a character in a novel, they become a fictional construct. And in today’s post-truth climate, maybe I am chary of misrepresenting the past. 

 

Only occasionally have I written about real historical people. For example, in Miss McVey Takes Charge, the main characters become embroiled in the real-life Battle of Holbeck Moor, an anti-fascist demonstration in Leeds in 1936 and I describe Sir Oswald Mosley, based on contemporary newspaper reports and newsreels. This was straightforward enough: the events of the day were not so widely documented as to give me an embarrassment of material, but well enough to give me the facts I needed. 

 

This was enough to help me place my fictional characters in the scene: 

But we see Mosley here from a distance, and it is hardly stretching historical truth for me to add the authorial description of ‘arrogant’ to the leader of the British Union of Fascists. 

 

Only once have I had the audacity to ascribe a made-up opinion to a historical figure. Here’s the context and the justification. In Star by Star (2017), all the characters are fictional, and their lives are deeply affected by World War 1; the 1918 flu pandemic and the 1918 general election. When real-life suffragist, socialist and republican Winifred Carney stands for election in East Belfast, a seat she had no chance of winning, Stella, for whom Carney is a heroine, is excited. She is even more thrilled to realise that Rose, another fictional character, knew and liked Winifred Carney:  

 

Some of the people in the Republican cause weren’t happy when I married Charlie – him having fought for the King, but Winnie stood by me. She said the cause of labour was bigger than that. 

 

As Carney herself, in 1928, married a Protestant Somme veteran, I felt this was an acceptable opinion to ascribe to her. Funnily enough, last Saturday I was walking my dogs in a park in Belfast when a small dog ran up to make her friends. Her name, her owner informed me, was Winifred. When he went on to tell me that his other dog was Constance I asked, Carney and Markiewicz? Another assumption, but an equally intelligent one – the dogs were indeed named after those two Irish Republican figures; their owner was an expert, and we had a very jolly chat in the course of which he agreed that Winifred would very likely have said such a thing to anyone in Rose’s position.

 

Of course we can never know for sure. I suppose that every historical novelist must decide what balance of ‘real’ and ‘fictional’ events is appropriate for their work, what the implications of these choices are, and how audacious they decide to be. 

 

 

 

 

Fly Me to the Moon - Joan Lennon

"Do you remember where you were on 20 July, 1969?" *

I do. I was in the basement with my dad. We'd put the TV down there because it was so hot in a Canadian summer (no air conditioning) and the basement had a particular sort of cooler air that I would recognise the feel of immediately if I ever came across it again. Walter Cronkite's mellifluous voice filled the room. It took a long time, but then, at last, those fuzzy images... We had gone to another world.

We'd finally done it.

Humans have been intrigued by the possibility of going to the Moon for as long as there have been people to look up into the sky. (Not a statement I can prove, of course, but I'm sure anyway.) Here are just a few of the ways we know that have been mooted. "It's only science fiction!" you may say. And I say, "There's nothing 'only' about it." Without science fiction, without that human desire to get there in any way we can imagine, the space programme would never have got off the ground. So to speak.

How about Lucian of Samosata in 125 CE, who imagined a waterspout so huge it carried a ship on a lunar adventure? (Meeting the inhabitants - three-headed vultures - did not go well.)

  

  

Or Francis Godwin in The Man in the Moone, or a Discourse of a Voyage Thither, who suggested using swans for the trip in 1638? 

How about using a hot-air balloon, which was Edgar Allen Poe's take on the problem in 1835, or building your rocket out of anti-gravity metal, as H.G. Wells proposed in 1901, or blasting off using a cannon a la Jules Verne, as illustrated by Henri de Montaut? 

Have a look at Georges Méliès' fabulously chaotic and wonderfully badly acted Le Voyage dans la Lune ** from 1902, loosely based on Verne's novels. It was the first science fiction film and well worth a watch, if only for all those ladies' legs on display! Heavens to Betsy***! 

20 July, 1969 was only a continuation of all those wild, weird and wacky dreams. Though there's nothing 'only' about it.

* Yeah, all right, lots of you weren't even born.

** Not the music I would have chosen, but you can always mute it.

*** Etymology unknown.

Joan Lennon website

Joan Lennon Instagram