The Quintavian Milestone
February 2006

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Chronicler's Greeting:

Sorry for such a late issue of the Milestone! But here it is...better late than never! Spring is getting closer! There is no snow on the ground (or mostly no snow).... It is getting warmer and we are looking forward to the coronation of Their Fair Highnesses Brion and Anna! I am so excited that the spring is coming! Welcome spring! We also had a wonderful Shire Hafla and we have decided to include a lot of the recipes here. So this month there is no Officers Collumns but there are recipes of the Hafla!

Yours In Service,

Lady Dhanwanti
Shire of Quintavia Chronicler
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By the end of the first week our household was together once again. Most of us live in the faire Shire of Quintavia in the Great Kingdom of the East. But, not all. Only at Pennsic are we united - together as a family, bound by affection and fidelity. We had settled into a comfortable, familiar routine - idyllic in it's simplicity. All that marred our contentment was the absence of our beloved Head of Household and his Lady. Once again duty called them away from us and they were sorely missed.

What warmed our hearts was having Lord Monty and Lady Lidia with us. We had not known what results would come from the news of last year. Monty had learned he was not the father of Lidia's son. Lidia had made her grand announcement on the very last day of Pennsic just as we were all preparing to leave and thus avoided a barrage of questions, and speculations. But here they were, together. No mention being made of the past year, the past news, or the absence of "junior". Everything appeared to be fine, and we respected their privacy hoping they would eventually satisfy our unspoken curiosity.

It happened during the second week of war! Unsettling, menacing, taking our attention away from the activities of War. An unexpected visitor came to our encampment. Arrogant behavior be-lying the white belt he was wearing. On that first visit he did not speak. He just stood at the gate of our encampment for a long time, ignoring our inquiries as to his name, or why he lingered. Then he was gone. His departure as silent and mysterious as had been his appearance.

For the duration of the war the "Dark Knight" ( as we all referred to him, in lieu of knowing his true identification) made frequent, unannounced appearances - sometimes briefly, at other times lingering - always silently. In the Market Place. In a class. During Court. All of a sudden there he would be, watching and silent. As we strolled about of an evening searching for the soiree du nuit, whenever we stopped he would be there. There was no evading him. Even when the ladies gathered at the battlefield to serve as water-bearers, suddenly he would be standing just off to the side, helmet in hand, watching and silent.

Why was he harassing us? His behavior was not that of a Knight and yet clearly he was . What Kingdom was he from? None of us recognized him as being from the East. His shield and arms gave no indication. Our own Knight, the head of our Household, was far away in another land. Our Squires and Men at Arms were at a loss as to how to deal with this intruder who appeared more intent on intimidation than on conversation. Honor the Knight, for knighthood sake, or gang up on him and take him for a midnight ride on the "keg wagon" to the Tuchux camp? It was all very unsettling, especially to the ladies; especially to Lady Lidia.

And then it happened. He called out Lord Monty and challenged him to a fight! Monty was not a fighter! He was a gentle soul more inclined toward the gentler arts. He was not afraid, for Monty was not a coward. He was however, prudent. Monty knew he could never win in battle with this dark knight who refused to answer our questions or give us his name. And, even if he thought by some miracle he could win he would not fight for fighting's sake. Monty demanded to know why he had been singled out.

Lady Lidia, always demure. Sweet, faire, gentle Lidia whom we all knew was a true Lady, in every sense....well OK there had been a indiscretion here and there. but what lady had not, or could not be swayed to indiscretion on the right occassion, by the right persuasion, in the right..... but wait - I have strayed from the story. Lady Lidia slowly approached Monty and confessed that she, indeed, knew the "dark Knight" !

(Oh, did I mention that the “Dark Knight” was personified by the mysterious appearance of a new plague rat which no one in camp laid claim to. Or, that the covert manipulation of said creatures by certain members of our Household created this positively True Story, and indicated that at least one person in camp obviously leaned toward the “dark side”.)

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What were French ladies reading in the early 15th century?
By Baroness Eleanor Le Brun

I recently decided to do some in-depth research into the writings of Christine de Pizan (1364, ~1429). I was surprised to find out that the French noble class was reading for pleasure. Young ladies of the court were expected to be able to read at least French. Many of the men also could read Latin.
Christine de Pizan is attributed as the first female professional writer with her first publication in 1401 and her last in 1429. Christine was born in 1364 in Italy and moved for Paris as a young girl with her family. She was widowed at the young age of 25 with many members of her family to support. Christine turned to writing as a way to make ends meet, publishing her first work, a book of poetry, in 1401. Her last work was also a poem, this poem was written in tribute to Joan of Arc. Christine was a prolific writer; over 20 works have been attributed to her. In fact she wrote so well that many claimed that she was actually a man. After her death many authors pirated her work declaring it was their own.
In addition to poetry Christine wrote social commentary as well as French histories. Her work The Book of the Body Politic is a very interesting book describing the roles of every layer of the French society. In this work she describes how to educate the princes and the sons of knights. She also describes the role of the prince, the knight, the merchant and the clerk (learned philosophers). She describes the tax system, and that the upper classes should respect the lower classes, for with out them nothing could be done.
In her work The Treasury of the City of Ladies she describes the roles and good behaviors of the ladies. She tells how and what kind of people to pick for a young princesses court. Christine describes how the artisan’s wife should guide her husband and keep him out of the tavern. She also tells of the prostitute and what she should do to find salvation.
There are plenty of different types of reading fare available now, that was also being read in the early 15th century. Some that you might be familiar with. Have you heard of Dante’s Inferno or The Decameron by the Italian author Boccaccio. Both of these works were being read in the 15th century. Another interesting book is The Romance de la Rose written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean le Meun. This book caused quite a stir in the early 15th century, find out about it. The work Policraticus by John Salisbury’s is also an interesting read, it talks about the structure of the medieval society. You can find this online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/john-salisbury/#5

Try reading something from your time period. It may reveal to you how differently some cultures thought, what was important to them, their political structure. You may be surprised.

Business Meeting Minutes
Taken by Lady Dhanwanti