The Iron Trevet; or, Jocelyn the Champion: A Tale of the Jacquerie

In the autumn of 1356, the tiny town of Nointel buzzes with the low murmur of weary artisans, villeins, and serfs gathered in Alison the Huffy’s modest tavern. The air is thick with talk of taxes, war, and the ever‑present hunger that gnaws at the peasants’ bellies, while Alison, a stout‑hearted widow, keeps the hearth alive as patrons trade gossip for cheap ale, unaware that a stranger with weather‑worn eyes and a knotted stick has just slipped inside, his arrival hinting at a larger storm.

Beyond the tavern’s doors, the story follows the tangled ambitions of five historical figures—Etienne Marcel, John Maillart, William Caillet, Adam the Devil, and Charles the Wicked—each embodying the virtues and vices of a France on the brink of rebellion. As the first act unfolds, listeners are drawn into the simmering tensions that will erupt into the Jacquerie, while a young champion, Jocelyn, prepares to rise amid the chaos.