Vows of the Peacock

Vows of the Peacock (French: Voeux du Paon) is a poem composed by Jacques de Longuyon between 1312 and 1313 for the Bishop of Liège, Thiébaut de Bar. The poem describes courtly activities and amusements during truces in a battle. Alternating between intense battle sequences and an idealised court setting, the poem emphasises notions of chivalry and valiance. The narrative culminates in a banquet where the gathered knights and ladies take turns swearing on an elaborately prepared peacock. Voeux was created as a later self-contained addition to the Roman d'Alexandre and achieved significant contemporary success. Through numerous illuminated manuscripts, and then later printed books, the story became well known. Longuyon’s grouping of the 'Nine Worthies’ in this text became a defining topos of the late Middle Ages.