Charles Gilles le Bouvier (1355 – 1456) served as herald to the French King, Charles VII. In this role, he kept up the Grandes Chroniques while authoring several other important historical works.
Known as “Le Hérault Berry”, Charles Gilles le Bouvier was appointed herald by the dauphin Charles, who had taken refuge in Bourges in 1420. In 1425, he was sent to the court of Brittany to prepare the Treaty of Saumur between the future king Charles VII and Duke John V. Later, he was appointed King of Arms, and in this role, he marched before the king when he finally entered Paris in1437. In 1448, he accompanied Jacques Coeur to Rome in a sumptuous embassy to pay homage to Pope Nicholas V. During his many years of service, he took part in several other embassies and made long journeys on these occasions. His name appears for the last time in the royal accounts on October 1, 1454.
However, he is best known as the author of a Chronicle of King Charles VII, which goes from the birth of the sovereign in 1403 until 1455 (with two anonymous continuations, the first until 1459 and the second until the king died in 1461). This work served as a panegyric of the king and was published as part of the Grandes Croniques. Still, the author is well-informed and gives valuable details on the military expeditions. The part from 1403 to 1422 (death of Charles VI ) was used in the first printed edition of the Grandes Chroniques de France, produced in 1476/77 in the workshop of Pasquier Bonhomme. Le Bouvier also left a short History of Richard II, King of England, written in 1441 and a story of Normandy and the province’s history since Rollo.
Le Bouvier is also the author of a geographical treatise, Description de Pays, written around 1451, describing the regions ” where he was during his lifetime “. The countries described, often with picturesqueness and an abundance of detail, range from Ireland to the Near East.
Finally, Le Bouvier composed an Armorial or register of nobility preserved in a single old illustrated manuscript, the BnF ms. fr. 4985. The armorial itself is preceded by a genealogy of the kings of France since Louis VIII. It comprises fourteen chapters, eight for France (corresponding to the eight royalties of arms) and six for foreign countries (Germany, Spain, Scotland, Sicily, Italy, England, and the Orient. The chapters on France are illustrated with 1300 coats of arms, while the foreign countries contain pictures of 1953 coats of arms. Some princes or barons are represented standing, seated or on horseback.