Jacques de Lalaing (1421–1453) was a 15th century knight of Burgundy and was reportedly one of the best medieval tournament fighters of all time. A Walloon knight, he began his military career in the service of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves, but was quickly noticed by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy by whom he was knighted and whom he went on to serve. Jacques, known as the "Bon Chevalier" due to his military prowess in tournaments and battles. Jacques was inducted into the prestigious Burgundian chivalric order, the Order of the Golden Fleece, in 1451. Jacques' deeds in tournaments and battles were recorded in the Livre des Faits de Jacques Lalaing (The Book of the Deeds of Jacques de Lalaing) attributed mainly to the Burgundian chroniclers Jean Le Fevre de Saint-Remy, Georges Chastellain, and the herald Charolais. Throughout his life, Jacques was entrusted by the Duke of Burgundy to serve in delegations to the King of France and the Pope, as well as with the suppression of the Revolt of Ghent in 1453.
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Family and early life
Jacques was born to the prominent Lalaing family in the County of Hainaut, the eldest son of Guillaume de Lalaing and Jeanne de Crequy. Jacques had three brothers: John who was provost of Saint-Lambert's Cathedral in Liege, Philippe who was a godson of Philip the Good, and Antoine who was killed by the Swiss while fighting for the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold. Jacques also had a half-brother named John who was the Lord of Haubourdin. Additionally, Jacques had three sisters: Yoland who married the Lord of Brederode and Baron of Holland, Isabeau who married Pierre of Henin-Lietard Lord of Bossu and Great Baron of Hainaut, and Jeanne of Esclaibes (+1475) who married Philippe of Bourbon (1429–1492), Lord of Duisans, bailiff of Lens and Hénin-Liétard, son of John, Lord of Carency.
Jacques was the nephew of Simon de Lalaing who was the Admiral of Flanders from 1436 to 1462. Simon was also renowned for his military prowess as a knight and was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
As a child, Jacques was well-educated since literature was cultivated in Burgundy at the time of his youth. Therefore, he was learned in both Latin and French, and accomplished in literary work. But it was in warlike sports that he excelled the most. At a young age he went to the court of Philip the Good to serve and eventually become a knight. In 1436, he was sent by the Duke of Burgundy with 600 fighters to serve the King of France under the command of Marshal Jean de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam.
His life—a model of medieval chivalry
By the age of 20, Jacques had distinguished himself at a number of tournaments. On 22 November 1443, he accompanied Philip the Good's forces in a surprise assault on the city of Luxembourg where he "accomplished many magnificent feats of arms with both the lance and the sword."
Two years later in 1445, Jacques took part in a tournament in Nancy, Lorraine, France, where there were assembled King Charles VII of France, King Alfonso V of Aragon, and the nobility of France. Jacques performed spectacularly and was victorious over all of the knights with whom he did combat. For this success, he not only gained further celebrity status but received many material rewards.
Also in 1445, Jacques began his famous Feats of Arms. In these, he and another knight would fight a pre-arranged duel in full armor with sharpened weapons. The participants decided the rules of combat beforehand. Fighting typically included three courses each: with the lance on horseback, the sword on horseback, and the spear, poleaxe, sword, or dagger on foot. Sometimes these fights simply went on until one combatant was on the ground. Jacques' first feat of arms was against an Italian knight named Jean de Boniface from the court of King Alfonso V of Aragon. Jean had traveled through Lombardy, Savoy, Burgundy, and Flanders, seeking to distinguish himself in combat. Upon his arrival in Antwerp he made it known that he would take on all comers in combat. Jacques accepted this challenge and beat him.
The example of Jean de Boniface made a strong impression on Jacques, and in 1446 he decided to take up the profession of knight-errant, traveling from court to court with his entourage of 80 to 100 men-at-arms searching for opportunities to gain fighting acclaim. Traveling to France, and then to Navarre and Castile, Jacques sought combat with whoever would fight. Unfortunately, both King Charles VII of France and King John II of Navarre denied him permission to fight, probably because they did not want to spend money on an expensive tournament. However, after riding through Spain and Portugal, he was given the chance to fight in Valladolid on 3 February 1447, when King John II of Castile allowed him to fight Diego de Guzman, the son of the Grandmaster of the Spanish Order of Calatrava. Combat began on foot, and Jacques was so successful in beating his rival that the mounted combat never took place. On his way back home to Hainault, Jacques stopped in Aragon but was refused permission to fight yet again.
Death
Jacques was killed in battle during the Revolt of Ghent on 3 July 1453, fighting for Philip the Good. While minor details differ, it appears that he was killed by cannon fire from defenders of Poucques Castle. He is one of the first European noblemen to die from gunfire. Jacques is therefore a transitional character, the last great member of a chivalrous era destroyed by an element of changing modern times.
Philip the Good was so furious at the death of his favorite knight Jacques that when the Poucques Castle was taken he had all those captured in it hanged, priests, lepers and children excepted.
Jacques was buried in the church of Lalaing. Before the French Revolution an epitaph to Jacques was in the Notre Dame Cathedral.