The influence of the king and building a monument

Introduction:

In 16th century France, the French wWars of rReligions1 happened

during the reign of Henry IV, and during that period a lot of men would go to

war for their honor. Since it was a monarchial society, it was important to

earn the King’s trust if a person wanted to gain power and position in society.

The Duke of Longueville was a good example of a successful warrior that

who fought alongside Henry IV and successfully gained a title. His son built

this monument after his death, in order to leave a legacy and commemorate

his father. In this essay, we will look at this statue, and how it represents the

importance of status in 16th century France. By looking at the monument

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itself, we will discuss how the importancet of is building a relationship with

the kKing and what kind of political implication it suggests for the person’s

future career in the royal court.

Description:

This monument is a very detailed object, as it consists of different parts

that represent different things, and it is very well preserved. It is very large

compared to other objects in the same room, which makes it more significant

and suggests its importance. Perhaps it is a monument for a very important

royalty or nobility, because it would have cost a lot to commission such a big

and expensive piece.

The monument is mainly made of stone and marble, with parts of it

painted gold. The delicate details and attention paid in making it, suggests

that it was made by a very skillful, attentive or respectable artist, who was

likely and that person might have been a very prominent artist of that

period.

The four painted parts of the monument depicts horses and soldiers in

the process of a war – perhaps , maybe it was the most famous victory for

the deceased. It consists of horses and soldiers, so that implies war. The

four statues maybe be goddesses or spiritual figures from that period. They

are dressed in drapes, with very curvy bodies, which was the beauty

standard then.

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The column obelisk is very tall, and it is impossible for the human eye to

see every detail clearly, suggesting it was intentionally unreadable. The

patterns may only be for decorative purposes, including religious symbols

like angels, or patterns that reflected the arts during that period.

Many patterns used in the monument are related to religion, like the

wings, and anglesangels. Also there are cultural patterns, like the horn,

perhaps an instrument of that time, and the hourglass. There is also a ring of

plants, which is usually presented for the decease, and thatwhich suggests

that the object to bewas intended to be a monument.

Deduction:

Because of its size, there may be a body buried inside. It may also act as

a grave in that case. It may or may not fit a body in the bottom. I imagine it

being a monument for people to pay their respect, for the deceased to leave

a mark in history, or to commemorate the war that was depicted.

I find the monument to be slightly intimidating, mainly because of its

size, and intriguing details. I wonder what other people thought of this piece

when it was first built – , maybe they did not even like the person being

commemorated. Or maybe he was a beloved person, therefore it was built.

Now that it is placed in the museum, it just becomes a piece that stands out

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from its crowd. It is merely a description of history, with no political or

religious value to its present day audience.

After observing the object, I have confirmed that the object is a

monument built for the Duke of Longueville, a close friend of King Henry IV of

France. It was used to bury his heart. It was commissioned by his son after

his death, where he was also buried alongside the heart of his father.

Speculation:

The culture that made thisThis monument was created within had a

monarchy system, making all royalty and upper class family more important

than the others. The closer they arepeople were to the king, the more

benefits they can could get. Their form of respect is was paid by making a

mark for the deceased, and they go towent great lengths to do so. It also

suggests that they are were rich, since they can could pay for art

commissions for such an extravagant piece. The angel patterns suggest the

culture is was religious and believeds in heaven. To go there, they may need

to build up a record of good deeds, or bravery, ergo the wars. It The

monument may also show depict how men are were always fighting during

that period, since it brings them glory.

The Duke of Longueville must have done something significant for the

king, like winning wars, since he was not technically royalty, and but still had

built a monument built for himself after his death. Since it is such a detailed

monument, he might have planned it before he died. Or maybe his family

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was rich, so they could afford it after his death. I also conjecture that the war

depicted in the image was the changing point to his success later in life.

Without a status in society, I highly doubt they can could actually put a

monument like this anywhere in public.

Final interpretation:

A good strong relationship with Henry IV was an important key to

succeeding in the royal court as it can would secure a position in the

monarchial society, and validates a person in society – all reasons that would

justify to build a significant monument upon death for theirto commemorate

a person’s achievements. When looking at the monument, we have a

glimpse into the history of the religious wars during the reign of Henry IV,

which gave the Duke of Longueville a chance to gain the King’s trust and the

title of Grand Chamberlain of France.2 .

Henry IV engaged in the French Wars of Religion, during his life time,

mostly between the Protestant and Catholic churches, during his lifetime.

Though he was baptized as a Catholic, he was raised a pProtestant. He had

changed his sides a few times during his life time, but the war that was

depicted in the relic monument was the battle of Arques, where he was

fighting for the Protestant church. The Duke of Longueville engaged in the

battle of Arques, which was depicted in the monument, along with the battle

of Senlis (1589). During the battle of aArques, the Duke acted as one of the

2 A person in charged of the king’s chamber and who acts as a personal assistant

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three commanders that who led the 8,000 soldiers to fight against the

Catholic army. The Duke was a key to the victory, as he consulted the King

to move from Dieppe to Arques for a more tactical battle.

Henry IV’s army was greatly outnumbered, causing him to reconstruct

his strategiecs. He moved from his original camp site in the port of Dieppe to

the city of Arques, and reconstructed the entire army. By building a better

foundation, the Duke increased the chances of victory by a stretch. On

September 15th, 1589, the Catholic army, which was led by the Duke of

Mayenne, attacked the city of Arques. Though Henry IV’s army was much

smaller at first, Queen Elizabeth sent reinforcements on the 23rd September

23, 1589,3, which helped Henry IVand successfully defeated the Catholic

army. Without the Duke of Longueville’s advise, this victory may have never

happened, and Henry IV would not have taken back Normandy and

continued to invade Paris.

After the victory, the Duke was granted the title of Grand Chamberlain

of France, which included the duty of overseeing the King’s chamber and

signing royal documents. The position held much political importance, as it

gave the Duke full access to the kKing’s private quarters. The chamber keys

that he owned were the symbol of his success, as it opened the doors to the

kKing’s personal life, allowing him to have more intimate contact with the

kKing. Because of his new found position, he was able to update his coat of

3 Queen Elizabeth was of Protestant faith, and therefore showed support during this war

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arms and added two golden keys to the back, while he was also entitled to

carry a fFrench banner. The coat of arms was a sign of status, the

achievements that one aimed for in the royal court. Moreover, during the Lit

de Justice,4, he was able to sit right by the kKing. The closeness of the

position, showed that the the Duke had earned the King’s trust. Even though

his role resembles what we refer asconsider a secretary or personal assistant

in the modern days, it was still a powerful status. He became includedsive

of in the monarchial political system, and none of it would have happened if

he did not win the Battle of Arques. Therefore, that battle was the most

important achievement of his life, and ultimately became part of the

monument.

The battle of Arques was indeed a great conquest, it became a great

example of men serving Henry IV in order to gain political power. Why else

would it be important to place this description into a monument, if the

deceased did not fight for glory and honor? According to the Oxford

dictionaries, a monument is “a building, column, statue, etc. built to remind

people of a famous person or event.”. This monument is a living prove proof

that men would fight to build a better relationship with the kKing, as it gave

them power and built up their own reputation. Even after they died, they can

could remind people of their status by depicting it through a relic monument

on their tomb.

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After researching about the history of the Duke of Longueville, I have

discovered that the tomb was built by his son, Henri II d’Orleans. So

contradicting Contrary to my speculations, the Duke did not prearrange the

monument before his death. However, it still proved that a good relationship

with the kKing was a key to building this monument, as the depiction of the

war remained the major part of itthe monument. It The battle of Arques was

the biggest achievement to the Duke and his son, so much that they would

wanted people to remember its importance forever.

The four women statues not only act as a decoration, but there is

actually meaning behind each oneof them. They represent prudence, justice,

temperance and fortitude. Not only were those positive characteristics, they

also idolized the Duke of Longueville as an immortal figure for people to

commemorate. It These statues compleiments the depiction of battlerelic on

the tomb and creates a positive image for the Duke. Without the depiction of

the war, the four statues may not work as effectively as they did.

My speculation on religion was also correct, since he the Duke thfought

in a religious war. Both Catholics and ProtestantsAnd in those religions they

do believe in the idea of heaven. Also, not only was the family aristocratic

and rich, the Duke also worked closely with the kKing. The son’s gesture of

commissioning this statue monument showed that the building a statue

piece was a way to pay respect in the 16th century France. More

importantly, the good relationship with the kKing was indeed the key that led

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him the Duke to success, and enabled him his family to build this exact

monument with the relics and statues.

In conclusion, winning the war was the key element that led to the

Duke’s success and ultimately, to this monument being built – , without a

good relationship with the kKing, the Duke of Longueville may not have

gained achieved as much achievement as he did to be entitled for such an

impressive big monument. Therefore, the monument stands as This

monument is a living proof of the Duke’s achievements, but also the

considerable status he gained in society thanks to his how important it is to

build a goodpositive relationship with the kKing, in order to build a

monument.

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