author
Georges Chastellain
d. 1475
A leading voice at the Burgundian court, this 15th-century chronicler and poet left behind vivid accounts of the politics and personalities of his age. His writing is still valued for the detail it preserves about late medieval Europe.
1 Audiobook
Le miroir de mort
by Georges Chastellain
About the author
Born in Aalst in Flanders around 1405 or 1415, Georges Chastellain became one of the best-known writers connected with the court of the dukes of Burgundy. He is remembered both as a poet and as a chronicler, with a reputation in his own lifetime as an important literary figure.
He served Philip the Good and later Charles the Bold, and his career placed him close to major political events of the 15th century. His most famous historical work, often known as the Chronique des choses de mon temps, covered the affairs of his era and remains valuable for the information it preserves, even though readers have long noted his strong Burgundian loyalties.
Chastellain died on March 20, 1475, at Valenciennes. For modern readers, his work offers both literature and eyewitness-style history: ambitious, courtly writing that opens a window onto the world of Burgundy at the end of the Middle Ages.