Les tournois à la cour de France (1490–1620)

Souvent associés au monde médiéval, les tournois faisaient pourtant toujours partie des fêtes les plus riches et impressionnantes des cours du XVIe siècle, en particulier en France. Rituels chevaleresques traditionnels et spectacles grandioses, les meilleurs artistes et artisans de la cour y étaient sollicités pour en concevoir les décors, les armures, les costumes, la musique ou encore les textes. Pour la première fois, la présente publication explore la nature, les enjeux et les évolutions des tournois royaux français, depuis le règne de Charles VIII jusqu’aux premières années de celui de Louis XIII. Faisant usage de toutes les sources disponibles, tant textuelles et archivistiques qu’artistiques, cette étude rapporte l’image vibrante de ces spectaculaires évènements alors au centre de la vie curiale française.

• Première étude détaillée à grande échelle sur le sujet
• Approche interdisciplinaire explorant tout autant les aspects matériels, artistiques, sociaux et historiques de ces évènements
• Evocation vivante de spectacles parmi les plus impressionnants et élaborés des fêtes de cour de la Renaissance en Europe

Often associated with the mediaeval world, tournaments were still an important part of courtly life during the Renaissance, being among the most lavish and impressive public royal celebrations of their time, especially in France. Beyond the traditional chivalric ritual, bringing together nobility and monarchy in a carefully crafted spectacle, the best court artists and craftsmen were called upon to create sets, armor, costumes, or even texts and music for such events. This publication offers a first exploration of the nature and evolution of French royal tournaments, from Charles VIII to the first years of Louis XIII’s reign. Using all the textual, archival and artistic sources available, this study provides a vivid picture of those lavish, spectacular performances that were once a focal point of French courtly life.

• First thorough, large-scale study on tournaments
• Interdisciplinary approach exploring material, artistic, social and historical aspects of such events
• Vivid evocation of what were once among the most impressive and elaborate courtly spectacles in Renaissance Europe

Marina Viallon, is an expert on arms, armor, and equestrian equipment, fields in which she has published numerous essays and articles. On a broader level, she is interested in the diverse artistic manifestations of European equestrian and chivalric culture and its performative aspects. A graduate from the Ecole du Louvre, Paris, and the University of Leeds, in 2023 she obtained her PhD at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris. After gaining experience in various museums, including the Musée de l’Armée in Paris, she became an assistant curator in the department of Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 2025.