Monarchy and Consent

Book excerpt: The Coronation Book of Charles V of France, a de luxe manuscript made in 1365 is of considerable historical and art-historical importance. Its text des- cribes step by step te coronation ceremony of Charles V and Jeanne of Bour- bon, and its cycle of 38 miniatures illustrates in the greatest details the kingmaking and queenmaking ritual which was seen to constitute an expression of the political agenda of this Valois ruler. The author looks at the poli- tical and religious significance of coronation ritual and examines the way in which a changed conception of the monarchy (one in which the electors, members of the church and secular estates are given unprecedented promi- nence) is reflected in an entirely new pictorial realism.