„Tak jaký přídomek mu vymyslíme?“ Středověcí vládci v osidlech kronikářovy moci

So, what cognomen will we think up for him?” Medieval rulers in the snares of the chronicler’s power: The official historian of the Duchy of Burgundy Georges Chastelain (1415–1475) included in his work also a noteworthy evocation of a crisis in the womb of the ruling family from January 1457. The solitary wandering of the duke in the woods as a result of an argument with his heir, he took as a pilgrimage for adventure and realization. In that, he utilized the approaches and motifs of medieval fictional literature. He used the fictional methods of “interweaving” also in treating the neighbouring episodes on the rebellious brewmaster and fraudulent servant, who threatened the order and calm of the Burgundian territory. Chastelain’s passages on the relation of the French and Flemish languages also serve to reinforce the hierarchical order. The author devoted great attention to the selection of cognomens for contemporary ruler, particularly King of France Charles VII and Duke Philip. They became a chance for him to assert his own influence on the events as the creative historian and man of letters literature, who has the power to form the image of his lords in the future.