Honoré Bonet

Who was Honoré Bonet?

Honoré Bonet was a Provençal Benedictine, the prior of Salon near Embrun.

Bonet studied at the Avignon University where he received a doctorate and traveled around France and Aragon. He wrote on philosophy, law, politics and heraldry.

In his work Arbre des Batailles Bonet deals with war and the laws of war. His book was written to obtain favour of Charles V. king of France, but without much effect. However, it became a manual for commanders and a lot of European rulers and gentlemen had this book in their libraries as well.

In 1456, it was translated to English in the Rosslyn castle for Gilbert de la Haye, Chancellor of Scotland, Earl of Orkney and Caithness.

It is a kind of scholastic dialogue. Each chapter starts with a yes/no question, proceeds with a dialogue, and ends with a conclusion.

Bonet was deeply influenced by Bartolo de Sassoferrato and Bonet himself was very influential in the 15th century. Christine de Pisan copied liberally from him, quoting him as one of her sources: her writing was popularized by William Caxton in England in the late 15th century. Jean Courtois, herald of Alfonso V of Aragon, also used Bonet extensively in his Blason des Couleurs, as well as 15th century Burgundian heralds.