Gilles Le Bouvier

Presentation miniature in the showing Gilles Le Bouvier kneeling, giving his book to Charles VII of France. Gilles Le Bouvier (1386– 1455) was a French herald, diplomat and writer. He served King Charles VII of France and compiled an official history of the king's reign. Gilles Le Bouvier also wrote a geographical work with descriptions of the lands he had visited as a diplomat for the king, including Armenia and Turkey. He was also the author of a lavishly illustrated armorial preserved in the national library of France (BnF), the .

Biography Gilles Le Bouvier was born in Bourges. He came to Paris in 1402 and came into the service of King Charles VII of France. He was made Roi d'armes de Berry or Héraut Berry ("Herald of Berry) in 1420, and in 1451 was promoted to Roi d'armes des Français (Chief Herald of France). From 1438, he travelled extensively throughout Europe on various diplomatic missions for the king. The last five years of his life he dedicated to writing.

Works In his role as herald to the king, Gilles Le Bouvier was tasked with writing an official history of the reign of Charles VII, Chronique de Charles VII. The original version survives in a single manuscript in the national library of France, BnF. Another 20 manuscript versions have survived of a later, somewhat different edition. The work was furthermore printed in several editions in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Gilles Le Bouvier also compiled an armorial for his personal use, the . The manuscript is lavishly illustrated by several artists, including Jean Fouquet and the . It is today preserved in the BnF in Paris.