Creating communities and discussing citizenship through juridical parody (France and Burgundy, fifteenth century)

Abstract

This article deals with the role of parody in Late Medieval urban festivities. It argues that parody was used by festive authorities as a discourse on citizenship in order to shape political and religious identity. To illustrate this, the article will study two mandements joyeux (‘joyful ordinances’), written and performed in urban communities in fifteenth-century Burgundy and Northern France. The focus will be on the texts themselves and on the urban contexts in which this type of parody played a major role: carnival celebrations in Valenciennes and religious reform in Compiègne. Together, these two case studies can shed light on how parody allowed individuals and groups to engage in discussions about political and religious issues related to their cities and their authorities.