Le Quadrilogue invectif d’Alain Chartier (1422) : texte de circonstance ou œuvre littéraire ?

Abstract

This article offers a late medieval military historian’s reading of the Quadrilogue invectif. This work was written in 1422 by Alain Chartier, notary and secretary to the dauphin Charles, then regent of the kingdom of France and later Charles VII. It was probably composed at Bourges, before Chartier had heard news of the death of Henry V, who, thanks to the Treaty of Troyes of 1420, was jointly king of England and regent of France. This reading seeks to highlight the fact that in this text, France, represented in a human form, is shown to regard the attitude of the nobility as being the prime cause of her misfortunes. The clergy is almost entirely spared by his criticism. As for the common people (« le peuple »), while they are shown to bear some share of the blame, it is only minimal. Hence the treatise puts forward a general programme for good military governance, one resting on a certain number of measures and implying a new spirit, which is above all a return to the victorious age of Charles V. For Chartier, only the nobility of the kingdom – with a renewed sense of loyalty – is capable of conducting itself according to the military code of justice (« justice d’armes »), acting under the prince’s strict control, by virtue of the very nature of their office. The « people without land and without homes », who are recruited « by gifts and prayers » cannot be trusted. We are here a long way from the model of a professional army, recruited from volunteers and mercenaries. In expressing himself in this way, Chartier was probably speaking not only for himself, but also for his colleagues. Clearly, his remarks were inspired by the context in which they were written. However, the undeniable literary quality of the Quadrilogue, the richness of its historical and cultural references and the range of themes surveyed all ensured the text’s survival, since its message was sufficiently broad to be applicable to other eras. It is notable that two English translations of the text exist, both dating from the second half of the 15th century.