Laffitte, Marie-Pierre <br/><br/>
Les manuscrits de Louis XI et de son frère Charles de France 

 -  2021.<br/>							 
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<br/><br/> With the exception of an inventory added in 1484 to the will of Queen Charlotte of Savoy, we have no precise sources retracing the history of the manuscripts in the possession of Louis XI and his brother Charles de France, and Léopold Delisle later went on to harshly judge the King for his lack of interest in his own collection. However, an in-depth study of the royal manuscripts that arrived in Blois from Amboise in 1501 now makes it possible to qualify this opinion of a prince whose culture and knowledge of Latin and Italian, support for the nascent printing industry, and taste for the arts, were overshadowed by his harshness of character and a penchant for Court intrigue. The list of his manuscripts can be enriched with works that have disappeared. Although very different, both princes loved books, probably thanks to their respective teachers. Most of their manuscripts arrived in 1501 in the royal library in Blois and are listed in the inventories of 1518 and 1544, with the exception of works transferred to the personal library of Francis I. History and medicine, the areas of predilection of Louis XI, are strongly represented, whilst works of history and literature reflect the tastes of Charles de France. The manuscripts, generally in good condition, often bear shelf-marks connecting them to each other.