Jean II Le Maingre
A French knight who lived the chivalric ideal, leading crusades and writing its rulebook before dying a prisoner of war.
1366–1421 (age 55)·French knight, marshal and crusader·Birthday: August 28
Biography
Born into a family of warriors, Jean II Le Maingre, known as Boucicaut, was a marshal of France who seemed to step from the pages of a romance. His life was a relentless pursuit of martial and moral excellence, fighting from his teens in campaigns across Europe and launching a doomed crusade that ended with his capture at the Battle of Nicopolis. Even as a long-term prisoner after the Battle of Agincourt, his reputation as the era's paragon of knighthood remained untarnished. He didn't just practice chivalry; he codified it, co-authoring 'Le Livre des faits du bon messire Jean le Maingre,' a manual that outlined the duties and virtues of a perfect knight. His death in English captivity marked the end of a certain dream of martial nobility, a figure both of his time and tragically ahead of it.
#1 When Jean Was Born
The biggest hits of 1366
Jean's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1366Born
1371Started school
1379Became a teenager
1382Could drive
1384Could vote
1387Turned 21
1396Turned 30
1406Turned 40
1416Turned 50
1421Died at 55
Key Achievements
- Appointed Marshal of France at the age of 25 for his military prowess.
- Founded the chivalric order 'L'Ordre de l'Escu vert à la Dame Blanche' to defend noblewomen.
- Co-authored a seminal manual on chivalric conduct and knightly training.
- Served as Governor of Genoa for the French crown, a major political and military post.
- Led a French contingent in the Crusade of Nicopolis against the Ottoman Empire.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Boucicaut' was inherited from his father, who was also a celebrated marshal.
He was captured and ransomed multiple times throughout his military career.
While governor of Genoa, he commissioned a fresco of himself and his wife, which still exists in a Genoese palace.
The chivalric order he founded had a strict, almost monastic daily routine for its members.
His personal emblem featured a winged stag.
“A knight's worth is measured by his deeds, not his blood.”
