The sixth of January, 1482, is not, however, a day of…
““The sixth of January, 1482, is not, however, a day of which history has preserved the memory. There was nothing notable in the event which thus set the bells and the bourgeois of Paris in a ferment from early morning. It was neither an assault by the Picards nor the Burgundians, nor a hunt led along in procession, nor a revolt of scholars in the town of Laas, nor an entry of “our much dread lord, monsieur the king,” nor even a pretty hanging of male and female thieves by the courts of Paris. Neither was it the arrival, so frequent in the fifteenth century, of some plumed and bedizened embassy. It was barely two days since the last cavalcade of that nature, that of the Flemish ambassadors charged with concluding the marriage between the dauphin and Marguerite of Flanders, had made its entry into Paris, to the great annoyance of M. lé Cardinal de Bourbon, who, for the sake of pleasing the king, had been obliged to assume an amiable mien towards this whole rustic rabble of Flemish burgomasters, and to regale them at his Hôtel de Bourbon, with a very “pretty morality, allegorical satire, and farce,” while a driving rain drenched the magnificent tapestries at his door.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The date mentioned is unremarkable, highlighting how ordinary days can be filled with trivial events and political pageantry.
In simple terms: Ordinary days often hide no significance.
Key Takeaway
Notice the mundane in history.
Themes
history
mundane
politics
Mood
reflective
observational
Type
literary
historical
When to use this quote
- daily life in medieval Paris
- court ceremonies
- political gatherings
Key Concepts
historical narrative
social observation
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we remember some dates over others?
- How does routine affect historical memory?
A Different Perspective
Even trivial events can shape perception.