François de Valois' Letters and Itineraries: on the Way to Studying the History of Myth

Abstract

The article studies itineraries of François de Valois, younger son of Henry II of Valois and Catherine de Medici, Duke of Alançon, Anjou and Brabant based on his letters, acts and letters, mainly from Russian repositories, in the context of military and political situation of the French Kingdom during the Civil wars of the second half of the 16th century. There is noted an obvious historiographical underestimation of the significance of this figure, which prompts to re-examine his biography and related sources. Based on the study of the duke's autographs, the author raises the question of revising the “black legend” and the myth that had developed around this historical figure. The paper provides a chronological classification of the documents kept in the archival collections of Russia and France.