Louis-Élisabeth de La Vergne de Tressan
Encyclopedia
Louis-Élisabeth de la Vergne, comte de Tressan (4 November 1705, Le Mans
- 31 October 1783, from a fall from a carriage en route to Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
) was a French soldier, physician, scientist, medievalist and writer, best known for his adaptations of "romans chevaleresques
" of the Middle Ages
, which contributed to the rise of the Troubadour style
in the French arts.
. He was made governor of Toul
and was summoned by king Stanislas to his court at Lunéville
, where he received the title of grand marshal.
The first director of the Société Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres of Nancy in 1751 and a member of several other academies in France and abroad, he was elected a member of the Académie des sciences
in 1749 and of the Académie française
in 1780.
A friend of Voltaire
and Buffon
, he frequented the salon
of Mme de Tencin
and composed several odes as well as adaptations of chivalric romances, which he translated and adapted from Spanish and Old French
, into editions which would be re-issued several times. He was also the author of one of the first treatises on electricity in French, and collaborated on volumes VI and VII of the Encyclopédie of Diderot
and D’Alembert
.
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
- 31 October 1783, from a fall from a carriage en route to Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
Saint-Leu-la-Forêt is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:In 1806 the commune of Saint-Leu-la-Forêt merged with the neighboring commune of Taverny, resulting in the creation of the commune of Saint-Leu-Taverny.In 1821 the commune...
) was a French soldier, physician, scientist, medievalist and writer, best known for his adaptations of "romans chevaleresques
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
" of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, which contributed to the rise of the Troubadour style
Troubadour style
Taking its name from medieval troubadours, the Troubadour Style was a French artistic movement across multiple media aiming to regain the idealised atmosphere of the Middle Ages...
in the French arts.
Biography
Aged 13, he was the companion of the young Louis XV, then lieutenant-général and king's aide de camp at the battle of FontenoyBattle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
. He was made governor of Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
and was summoned by king Stanislas to his court at Lunéville
Lunéville
Lunéville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department and lies on the Meurthe River.-History:...
, where he received the title of grand marshal.
The first director of the Société Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres of Nancy in 1751 and a member of several other academies in France and abroad, he was elected a member of the Académie des sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
in 1749 and of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
in 1780.
A friend of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
and Buffon
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon was a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopedic author.His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier...
, he frequented the salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
of Mme de Tencin
Claudine Guérin de Tencin
Claudine Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin was a French salonist and author. She was the mother of Jean le Rond d'Alembert, philosophe and contributor to the Encyclopédie.- Early life :...
and composed several odes as well as adaptations of chivalric romances, which he translated and adapted from Spanish and Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, into editions which would be re-issued several times. He was also the author of one of the first treatises on electricity in French, and collaborated on volumes VI and VII of the Encyclopédie of Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
and D’Alembert
Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. He was also co-editor with Denis Diderot of the Encyclopédie...
.
Works
- Amadis de Gaule, traduction libre (1779)
- Roland furieux. Poème héroïque de l’AriosteLudovico AriostoLudovico Ariosto was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso . The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions...
(4 volumes, 1780) - Essai sur le fluide électrique, considéré comme agent universel (2 volumes, 1786). Online text : http://cnum.cnam.fr/SYN/8SAR1.html
- Corps d’extraits de romans de chevalerie (4 volumes, 1782). Containing
-
- I. Discours préliminaire sur les romans françois. Tristan de Léonois, fils de Meliadus. Artus de Bretagne. Flores et Blanche-Fleur. Cléomades et Claremonde (d’après Adenet le Roi). Extrait du Roman de la RoseRoman de la RoseThe Roman de la rose, , is a medieval French poem styled as an allegorical dream vision. It is a notable instance of courtly literature. The work's stated purpose is to both entertain and to teach others about the Art of Love. At various times in the poem, the "Rose" of the title is seen as the...
, précédé d’une courte dissertation sur l’état de la littérature française sous les règnes de Louis VILouis VI of FranceLouis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
, Louis VIILouis VII of FranceLouis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
, Philippe-AugustePhilip II of FrancePhilip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
, Louis VIIILouis VIII of FranceLouis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
, S. LouisLouis IX of FranceLouis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, Philippe le HardiPhilip III of FrancePhilip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
et Philippe le BelPhilip IV of FrancePhilip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
; extrait du commencement du Roman de la Rose et des 4150 premiers vers qui nous sont restés de Guillaume de Loris. Pierre de Provence et la Belle Maguelone. - II. La Fleur des batailles, ou Histoire des hauts faits de Doolin de Mayence. Huon de Bordeaux. Guérin de Montglave.
- III. Dom Ursino le Navarin et Dona Inès d’Oviédo. Histoire et plaisante chronique du petit Jehan de Saintré et de la Dame des Belles-cousines (after Antoine de La SaleAntoine de la SaleAntoine de la Sale or la Salle was a French writer.-Family and Early Years:He was born in Provence, probably at Arles, the illegitimate son of Bernardon de la Salle, a celebrated Gascon mercenary, mentioned in Froissart's Chronicles. His mother was a peasant, Perrinette Damendel.-At the Court of...
). Les Apparences trompeuses, extrait de l’histoire du très noble et chevaleureux prince Gérard, comte de Nevers (after Gerbert de MontreuilGerbert de MontreuilGerbert de Montreuil was a 13th-century French poet from the north of France.He wrote Le Roman de la violette or Gérard de Nevers, one of the most outstanding medieval poems, famous for its vivid narrative and faithful depiction of contemporary customs. The poem underwent countless adaptations and...
). - IV. Recherches sur l’origine des romans inventés avant l’ère chrétienne. Histoire de Rigda et de Regner Lodbrog. Zélie, ou l’Ingénue.
- Le Chevalier Robert, ou Histoire de Robert surnommé le Brave (1800)
- Rose Summers, ou les Dangers de l’imprévoyance traduit librement de l’anglais (1805)
- Œuvres (8 volumes, 1822-23)
- I. Discours préliminaire sur les romans françois. Tristan de Léonois, fils de Meliadus. Artus de Bretagne. Flores et Blanche-Fleur. Cléomades et Claremonde (d’après Adenet le Roi). Extrait du Roman de la Rose