The Intellectual Interests Reflected in Libraries of the Fourteenth and ...

272 PEARL KIBRE
tures, was made up chiefly of books collected for the most part
from Milan and Naples. It contained the "Histoire des femmes
celebres," composed at her request in French by her chaplain,
Antoine Dufour.72 Louis XII acquired the French collection comprising
part of the library of Louis of Bruges, powerful lord of
Flanders, and an ardent patron of letters who died in 1492.73
French books also found a place in the Spanish libraries of
Martin of Aragon at Barcelona in 1410, and of Alfonso the Magnanimous
of Aragon, according to the inventory made between the
years 1412 and 1424. Among the latter's books in addition to original
works in French, were translations into French of the Bible, of
Boethius', Consolation of Philosophy, and of other Latin favorites.7"
Another Spanish library of this century, noteworthy for its
French books was that of Don Carlos, prince of Viana (d. 1462),
son of John II of Aragon and Blanche of Navarre. Don Carlos,
author of a history of the kings of Navarre, was celebrated among
the Catalonians particularly for the elegance of his manners, his
vast learning, and enthusiasm for letters. His death, which was
believed to have been caused by poison administered by his own
father, was the occasion for five years of civil war during which
time the people of Catalonia sought to avenge Don Carlos' death.75
In his library, Don Carlos had twenty-four works in French out of
a total of one hundred and three volumes. The library of Don
72 For a description of the work of Antoine du Four, O.P., the fuller title of
which is "l'histoire des femmes celZebres depuis la creation jusqu'a l'epoque de la
Pueelle d'Orleans," see Bulletin du Bibliophile (1846), 577-80. Le Roux de Lincy,
"Details sur la vie privee d'Anne de Bretagne, femme de Charles VIII et Louis XII,"
Bibliotheque de l'ecole des chartes, XI (1849-50), 157; [Girolamo d'Adda], Libreria
Visconteo-Sforzesea del Castello di Pavia (Milan, 1875), xlii ff.; Delisle, Le cabinet
des manuscrits, I, 124. On the influence of French literature outside France see
Leon Gautier, "L'entree en espagne, chanson de geste inedite," Bibliotheque de
l'e'cole des chartes, XIX (1857-58), 216 ff.
73 L. Delisle, Le cabinet des manuscrits, I, 140 ff.; M. Van Praet, Recherches sur
Louis de Bruges, seigneur de la Gruthuyse (Paris, 1831).
74 J. Masso Torrents, "Inventari dels bens mobles del Rey Marti D'Arago,"
Revue hispanique, XII (1905), 413-590; Ramon D'Alos, "Documenti per la storia
della biblioteca d'Alfonso il Magnanimo," Miscellanea Francesco Ehrle (Rome), V
(1924), 390-422. A similar inventory had been published earlier by E. Gonzalez
Hurtebise, "Inventario de los bienes muebles de Alfonso V de Aragon como Infante
y como Rey (1412-1424)," Anuari de l'institut d'Estudis Catalans (Barcelona, 1907),
148-88. The books are listed on pages 182-85.
75 Paul Raymond, "La bibliothieque de Don Carlos, Prince de Viane," Bibliotheque
de l'ecole des chartes (Paris), XIX (1857-58), 483-87.
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