Abstract

In 1259, the treaty of Paris put an end to the conflict between the Anglo-Aquitanian king-duke and his French overlord – by substituting feudal order for long-during feud. It was neither a reconciliation between two enemy ‘nations’ nor a treaty between independent ‘states’: England and France were born as proto-national states only during the violent conflicts of the Hundred Years’ war. This, at least, would be the classical interpretation of the events.

The two old French satirical texts I examine – “Paix aux Anglais” and “Charte de la paix aux Anglais” – present at a first glance a completely different vision. Both of these staunchly anti-English pamphlets lampoon the 1259 treaty, and both present the strife between the two sides in terms of a full-grown national conflict. A closer analysis of the texts shows, however, that their perception of the treaty is ‘multidirectional’. The ‘horizontal’ mode of observation which focuses on the difference between parallel units such as nations is joined by a ‘vertical’ – and much more traditional – one: For all those who knew to read between the lines, the satirical texts contained a vehement attack against the head of the feudal system – the king.

Both texts hope to reach a wider public with their views. In doing so, they combine a ‘traditional’ and a ‘modern’ vision of late medieval state and society: They focus on both ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ differences. By reconstructing the two modes of perception which dominated the discussion about the treaty of Paris, we obtain valuable insights into the process of transformation from a stratified to a more horizontally structured society.