Joinville, Jean, sire de (zhäN sēr də zhwăNvēl`), 1224?–1317?, French chronicler, biographer of Louis IX Louis IX or Saint Louis, 1214–70, king of France (1226–70), son and successor of Louis VIII. His mother, Blanche of Castile , was regent during his minority (1226–34), and her regency probably lasted even after Louis reached
..... Click the link for more information. of France (St. Louis). As seneschal (governor) of Champagne, Joinville was a close adviser to Louis, whom he accompanied (1248–54) on the Seventh Crusade. He opposed and refused to take part in the Eighth Crusade. His memoir of St. Louis, dictated between 1304 and 1309 for the instruction of Louis X, is an invaluable record of the king, of feudal France, and of the Seventh Crusade. It is written in a simple, delightful style, with moving reverence for the saintly and chivalrous king, with a sharp eye for graphic and psychological detail, and with occasional, sly humor. There are several English translations of Joinville's memoirs, notably those by Sir Frank Marzials (1908), Joan Evans (1938), and René Hague (1955).

Joinville, Jean, sire de

(born c. 1224, Joinville, Champagne—died Dec. 24, 1317, Joinville) French chronicler. A member of the lesser nobility of Champagne, Joinville became friends with Louis IX while taking part in the Seventh Crusade (1248–54). His famous Histoire de Saint Louis, completed c. 1309, is a prose chronicle that provides a supreme account of that Crusade, including vivid descriptions of the financial hardships, the dangers of sea voyages, the ravages of disease, the confusion and lack of discipline in the Crusading army, and Muslim customs. On his return he was made seneschal of Champagne and divided his time between the royal court and his fief of Joinville.