Doctoral thesis: a medieval French nobleman was inspired by the social organisation of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and Livonia
Philippe de Mézières was an influential 14th-century French knight, a close associate of several kings and popes and a prolific writer. His works primarily contained descriptions of his contemporary life and references to problems to which he also offered solutions. In his doctoral thesis, Karl Peeter Valk, a doctoral student at the School of Humanities at Tallinn University, attempted to understand Mézières's worldview and intellectual activities, as well as the social, cultural and intellectual circumstances that shaped him.
Philippe de Mézières (1327-1405) was a late medieval French knight, diplomat and intellectual, and a close associate and advisor to several kings and popes, who left behind a rich and extensive literary legacy. In these pieces, he dissects the problems of his era and makes proposals on how to solve them. In my doctoral thesis, I focused on the interpretation of speech acts embedded in Mézières's work, with an emphasis on the parts where the author attempted to intervene in the discussions of his time and influence the lifestyle of the court elites and the decisions of those in power
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Analysing the text, I saw a common thread running through different aspects of Mézières's work: a reformist ideal, the aim of which was to apply ideals from the past to solve the challenges of the present. This attitude was already expressed in Mézières's self-presentation. Our knowledge of his biography is largely based on his own works, but research has revealed that he modelled his life story based on earlier sources, particularly the chronicles of the Crusades. A similar approach is evident in Mézières's activities as an intellectual: despite his very extensive reading about the secular world, Mézières primarily used more traditional sources, such as the Bible and older theological literature. Finally, reformism is expressed in Mézières's social and political thinking. He opposed the drift of his contemporary French kingdom towards absolutism and recommended developing a dialogue between the monarchy and representative assemblies, as had been done in earlier times. In his opinion, the church needed a thorough reformation that would take the ideals of early Christianity and the tradition of the Crusades as its model.
To the extent that Mézières's activities and ideas are placed in a broader context, an in-depth analysis of his work contributes to a better understanding of late medieval society and culture. Mézières was part of a pan-European network of court intellectuals whose worldview, aspirations, and methods of action intertwined features characteristic of both medieval intellectual life and early modern humanism. His attachment to the past can be seen as a partial reflection of the new intellectual currents of his time: at the same time as pre-humanist interest in the authors of classical antiquity grew in Europe, early Christianity and late antiquity were also brought to attention again. Mézières's ideas and aspirations also fit into the intellectual life of 14th-century European courts, while still being unique. Together with his fellow believers, Mézières sought to achieve peace between Christian states and moral and political reform of Christendom. To this end, he proposed the innovative idea of creating a representative body bringing together all Christian countries in Europe. For Mézières, the other side of the unification and renewal of Europe was military and religious expansion: the reform was to be followed by a crusade led by a new spiritual order of knights, a new Christian state in Palestine, and the spread of Christianity throughout the world. Mézières' connection with the Teutonic Order is noteworthy, because in his opinion the future expansion of Christianity was to be inspired by the social organisation of the Order in Prussia and Livonia. Mézières' grand vision thus shows that the eastern Baltic Sea regions may have played a certain role in the imaginations of the future at the end of the Middle Ages.
Karl Peeter Valk, a doctoral student at the School of Humanities of Tallinn University, defends his doctoral thesis “Le projet intellectuel d’un réformateur: Philippe de Mézières (1327–1405)" ("The Intellectual Project of a Reformer: Philippe de Mézières (1327-1405)") on December 14. The defence will take place at Sorbonne University. The doctoral thesis supervisors are Professor Elisabeth Crouzet Pavan of Sorbonne University and Professor Marek Tamm of Tallinn University. The opponents are Kristjan Toomaspoeg, associate professor at the University of Del Salento, and Etienne Anheim, professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (École des hautes études en sciences sociales).