The Tapestry of 1514: a snapshot of the Siege

The two ULg researchers co-wrote the three chapters of the book that give a broad context for more than 30 years of history, from the death of Charles the Bold to the time of the Siege itself, recreating its political and diplomatic background. The rest of the book approaches this military event from other points of view, based on a tapestry created one year after the Siege by a brotherhood of the Church of Notre Dame, in order to commemorate and celebrate the favourable outcome of the Siege. The tapestry is on exhibit at the Musée des Beaux-Arts of Dijon, and it presents a panoramic view of the social, political, economic, religious and cultural life of the people of Dijon at the time of the Siege.

The tapestry is a major source of information about the geographical and historical background of the Siege, and also with regard to the morals and customs of the protagonists of the city with a hundred bell towers. The tapestry can be seen as a version of the narrative thread of the event, and a number of points of view can be developed with reference to it. The multiplicity of elements portrayed in the tapestry has reinforced the belief, on the part of specialists, that the Siege of Dijon – even though it remains above all a military event – must be approached in the sense of a total, englobing history determined by a multiplicity of parameters. “We wanted to produce a contemporary military history in which one does not just count the bullets and the soldiers, but in which one studies the event from every point of view imaginable, in terms of all the possible or imaginable consequences. The Siege would be influential in a number of contexts. A religious tradition grew up around it. The city observes the anniversary of the lifting of the Siege. The virgin that was associated with the lifting of the Siege became a figure of veneration among the people, and she is celebrated in parades that pass through the streets of Dijon,” Alain Marchandisse said.

To capture the interest of the general public

The authors were required to devote a great deal of time and effort to the preparation of this book, and have produced a book containing many images both visually striking and of high quality. From its earliest conception the book was considered an interdisciplinary work, one that would not only benefit from high-level scientific knowledge, but that would also be accessible to a wide readership. The book gives pride of place to its beautiful images, and supported by an in-depth bibliography, explores through copiously illustrated texts the scientific and pedagogical dimensions of the event. It makes use of a wide variety of documentary sources, including computer reconstructions, archive images and actual photographs of the city. 1513. L'année Terrible. Le Siège de Dijon is unreservedly recommended.