Season 1, Episode 88

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Violant exchanges pleasantries with the King of France, saying that Joan is convalescing well.

Today’s Document

• Subject: Violant assures the King of France that all is well
• Date: March 22, 1387
• Day of the Week: Friday
• Language: Catalan
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R2053 f3v
• Link to PARES
• Place: Barcelona
• Sender: Violant
• Recipient: Charles VI, King of France

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: at this time, Charles VI was 19 years old and had not yet wrested political control from his uncles, the Duc de Berry and the Duke of Burgundy

• Contextualization: monarchs, especially ones newly ascended to the throne, faced tremendous pressure to present themselves as fully healthy¹;

• Corroboration: the document examined in Episode 86 notably contradicts today’s document because, written two days earlier, Joan claims to have completely recovered from his misfortune, ‘deliverado e bien quitio del accident’; on March 5, Violant wrote to the Duke of Burgundy, as discussed in Episode 71, that Joan would in short time be in a perfect state, ‘dins breu esser guardit perfectament’

• Close-Reading: Violant writes ‘dins breu espera esser guardit perfectament,’ that in a short time Joan will be in a perfect state of health; while this might seem like insignificant hedging, when corroborating with Violant’s and Joan’s earlier correspondence, the language stands out as revealing an inconsistency that raises questions about veracity of their claims

What is this document doing?

• This document purports to offer a straightforward and simple update about the health of the royal family.
• The document contributes to the diplomatic effort to counteract rumors of the king’s ill health.

Questions

• Did Violant at this time sincerely believe that Joan would recover in a short time even though she said that two weeks prior?
• How worried was Violant about Joan’s health at this date?
• What exactly was Joan’s condition at this time?
• Did the recipient, Charles VI, believe Violant’s statement, taking this letter at face value?
• Had the Duke of Burgundy shared with Charles VI any information from the letter he received from Violant on March 5th?
• How widespread were the rumors of Joan’s ill health at this time?

AI Usage

I used Gemini for an initial transcription, which I then had Claude reconcile with its own initial transcription. Claude then produced a translation into English with footnotes.

Bibliography

• Kantorowicz, Ernst H. The King’s Two Bodies: A Study in Mediaeval Political Theology. Princeton University Press, 1957.
• Roca, Josep M. Johan I d’Aragó. Barcelona: Institució Patxot, 1929.

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