page_title: Jacques de Lalaing
section_title: His life—a model of medieval chivalry
hierarchical_section_title: Jacques de Lalaing / His life—a model of medieval chivalry
caption_attribution_description: English: Jacque de Lalaing was one of the most accomplished knights with a lance and won numerous tournaments and pas d'armes bouts.
context_page_description: Jacques de Lalaing, perhaps the most renowned knight of Burgundy in the 15th century, was reportedly one of the best medieval tournament fighters of all time. A Walloon knight, he began his military career in the service of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves, but was quickly noticed by Philip III Duke of Burgundy by whom he was knighted and who he went on to serve. Jacques, known as the "Bon Chevalier" due to his military prowess in tournaments and battles, became the most famous Burgundian knight of his time, and was well-known throughout Europe as one of the best medieval tournament fighters. Jacques was inducted into the prestigious Burgundian chivalric order, the Order of the Golden Fleece, in 1451. Jacques' deeds in tournaments and battles were recorded in the Livre des Faits de Jacques Lalaing attributed mainly to the Burgundian chroniclers Jean Le Fevre de Saint-Remy, Georges Chastellain, and the herald Charolais. Throughout his life, Jacques was entrusted by the Duke of Burgundy to serve in delegations to the King of France and the Pope, as well as with the suppression of the Revolt of Ghent in 1453.
context_section_description: By the age of 20, Jacques had distinguished himself at a number of tournaments. On 22 November 1443 he accompanied Philip the Good's forces in a surprise assault on the city of Luxembourg where he "accomplished many magnificent feats of arms with both the lance and the sword."
  Two years later in 1445, Jacques took part in a tournament in Nancy, Lorraine, France, where there were assembled King Charles VII of France, King Alfonso V of Aragon, and the nobility of France. Jacques performed spectacularly and was victorious over all of the knights with whom he did combat. For this success, he not only gained further celebrity status but received many material rewards.
  Also in 1445, Jacques began his famous Feats of Arms. In these, he and another knight would fight a pre-arranged duel in full armor with sharpened weapons. The participants decided the rules of combat beforehand. Fighting typically included three courses each: with the lance on horseback, the sword on horseback, and the spear, poleaxe, sword, or dagger on foot. Sometimes these fights simply went on until one combatant was on the ground. Jacques' first feat of arms was against an Italian knight named Jean de Boniface from the court of King Alfonso V of Aragon. Jean had traveled through Lombardy, Savoy, Burgundy, and Flanders, seeking to distinguish himself in combat. Upon his arrival in Antwerp he made it known that he would take on all comers in combat. Jacques accepted this challenge and beat him.
  The example of Jean de Boniface made a strong impression on Jacques, and in 1446 he decided to take up the profession of knight-errant, traveling from court to court with his entourage of 80 to 100 men-at-arms searching for opportunities to gain fighting acclaim. Traveling to France, and then to Navarre and Castile, Jacques sought combat with whoever would fight. Unfortunately, both King Charles VII of France and King John II of Navarre denied him permission to fight, probably because they did not want to spend money on an expensive tournament. However, after riding through Spain and Portugal, he was given the chance to fight in Valladolid on 3 February 1447, when King John II of Castile allowed him to fight Diego de Guzman, the son of the Grandmaster of the Spanish Order of Calatrava. Combat began on foot, and Jacques was so successful in beating his rival that the mounted combat never took place. On his way back home to Hainault, Jacques stopped in Aragon but was refused permission to fight yet again.
  In 1449, Jacques traveled to Stirling, Scotland, to fight against members of the Douglas clan at the court of King James II of Scotland. A combat of six took place, with Jacques fighting alongside his uncle Simon de Lalaing and a squire from Brittany named Herve de Meriadec. Their opponents were James Douglas the brother of the Earl of Douglas, another James Douglas, and John Ross of Halket. The audience numbered five or six thousand. Jacques' side was victorious.
  After the victory in Scotland, Jacques and his companions traveled to England where they were denied permission to fight by King Henry VI of England. But shortly before his departure to return home, Jacques was challenged by an English squire named Thomas Que to fight in Burgundy. This combat took place later in 1449 in Bruges, Flanders with the Duke of Burgundy as referee. While initially Thomas' poleaxe was disqualified due to its being oversized and oversharp, he pleaded so persistently that Jacques allowed its use. During combat, Jacque was stabbed through the wrist by Thomas' poleaxe, but went on to win the combat anyway.
  Later, on that same day, Jacques announced his intention to raise a pavilion and have a pas d'armes (passage of arms). He desired to take on all comers for a set time period, specifically on the first day of every month for a year. Jacques' pas d'armes challenge was officially known as the Passage of the Fountain of Tears. This was due to the pavilion being next to a fountain with a statue of a weeping woman. In keeping with this theme, Jacques fought in a white surcoat decorated with a
caption: Jacques de Lalaing was one of the most accomplished knights with a lance and won numerous tournaments and pas d'armes bouts.
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