I'm considering buying 'The Shaping of Valois Burgundy' by George Chastalain, but before I spring for the $$, just wondered if anyone is familiar with it...is it worth getting? (ordering by mail through the nearest bookstore, so haven't seen it yet)

Any feedback/info/opinion would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Bill

Bob and I have this book. I will have Bob post his thoughts on it this evening. I am not sure if he really liked it as he very rarely refers to it.

If you can lay your hands on any of Richard Vaughan's books, they are definitely worth while. There is one Valois Burgundy that is currently available through Addall.com/Used. (Type in author's last name: Keyword: Valois there is only one copy of this book available) Bob has read this one a few times and refers to it. Also recommend The Golden Age of Burgundy: The Magnificent Dukes and Their Courts by Joseph Calmette

We have a small listing of books on our website http://www.plantagenet.org/library.html Not all of our books are represented here. I haven't updated our list. I am sure other people have books that they recommend.

One that Gwen recommended to me was The Legend of Good Women

Based on the title though, I might make the suggestion that Norhala try something less specific and scholarly for her first bits of research. She could certainly work up to a book like this, but [personally] I'd recommend something a bit broader to give her a feel for the Big Picture™.

See elsewhere where I've recommended "The Medieval Soldier" and "The Wars of the Roses" for starters. "Legend of Good Women" is another good one.

"George Chastelain and the shaping of Valois Burgundy" is about George Chastelain, who was a Burgundian courtier and official chronicler for the Dukes of Burgundy (Philip the Good and Charles the Bold), and it follows his career in the Burgundian court. It is an interesting book, but does not cover the basic subject of Burgundy in the 15th c.

I would highly recommend my wife's recommendations and add "The Promised lands" - authour is a Dutch fellow named Wims - the book isn't handy to give more detail. Deals with the Low Countries in specific.

"The Medieval Soldier" is a must have!

Boardmans book "The Medieval Soldier in the Wars of the Roses" is a pioneering book, and some of the authors conclusions are suspect, but it is an excellent book nonetheless. The first book to look at the soldier himself and the nitty gritty at how 'followings' were put together, equipped, supplied, and led into combat. I highly recommend it.

Hope this helps.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and comments! It’s interesting how many of the books y’all suggested we already have - since the armor we make covers a broad time range, our reference library is pretty extensive, so I will be able to get a lot of basic information from the books we have. Bill’s been studying history for almost 40 years now, so the political/military aspect of the mid-15th c. is where his interest lies - and the armor, of course If the book is as Bob describes it, it’s just what Bill’s looking for - the detailed, more scholarly historical account - and I ordered it for his birthday

Our SCA personas are of a much earlier time, so my own research efforts have been directed to being as ‘periodly perfect’ as possible in that era - the mid-15th c. is a new timeframe for me, and I’m having fun learning about it. There is much to discover in this new adventure!

Thanks again and Happy Holidays to each of you!

Norhala

Here is a scholarly work I mentioned in passing. It is still in print "The Promised Lands" - Blockmans and Prevenier ISBN 0-8122-3130-9. The book is absolutely vital to understanding the relationship between the Burgundian Netherlands and the Valois Dukes. "Realms of Ritual"- Peter Arnade ISBN 0-8014-3098-4 is another outstanding book. This book explores the exact workings of how the Valois Dukes and Ghent (and the other major towns in Flanders)interacted with and influenced each other to do what each faction wished. It goes into great detail about Civic ceremony, which was the means by which the interaction occured.

If you want to understand the hows and whys of the Burgundian "State", you need these books. They help you understand Burgundian policies and politics. I would highly reccommend Richard Vaughan's "Charles the Bold" - good luck in finding it, I've been searching for four years now. All i have is a photocopy of most of chpt 6 - it's a fantastic book. More available, and chock full of information (but an incredibly dry read) is Kirk's biography of Charles the Bold - a three volume set. I read it in it's entirety, a feat unparalelled since my reading of the complete works of Flavius Josephus - the 1st c. AD's cure for insommnia. Extremely useful information (Kirk), and available for usually under $100 at used book stores - an addall search will probably turn up a dozen copies, even though it was printed in 1864.

These should get you going on scholarly books about Burgundy ( a years worth of reading if you include Kirk).

Merry Christmas.