Ulysse Chevalier’s Un tournoi à Romans en 1484 is a historian’s reconstruction of a real and chaotic event. In the late 15th century, the town of Romans decided to host a grand tournament. These events were meant to be displays of chivalry and civic pride, a chance for nobles and wealthy citizens to compete. But in 1484, the usual pageantry collapsed.

The Story

Chevalier lays out how the tournament was planned by the town's elite, the prud'hommes. However, the craftsmen and commoners of Romans—the menu peuple—saw it differently. They felt excluded and taxed unfairly to pay for a spectacle that wasn't for them. Resentment built. When the games began, this wasn't just sport; it was a proxy war. Challenges were laced with insults, fights broke out beyond the lists, and the carefully maintained social order of the town dissolved into street battles. The tournament became the flashpoint for all the economic and social frustrations that had been brewing for years.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this book so compelling is how specific it is. This isn't a broad history of the Middle Ages. It’s a microscope on one town, one year, one event. Chevalier, writing in the 1800s, acts as our guide through municipal archives and old accounts. You get to see history in the raw—the cost of lanterns, the lists of participants, the angry decrees from town councils. It reads like a civic incident report from 500 years ago. You feel the sting of social humiliation and the heat of mob anger. It reminds you that people in the past weren't just living in 'the Middle Ages'; they were living in their today, dealing with unfair taxes and neighborhood grudges.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for anyone who finds textbook history too dry but loves a good, grounded story from the past. It’s for readers who enjoy microhistories—books that use one small event to open a window on an entire world. If you liked The Return of Martin Guerre or the works of Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, you’ll appreciate Chevalier’s focused approach. Be prepared for a lot of names and some old-fashioned prose (it is a 19th-century history book, after all), but the human drama at its heart is timeless. It’s a short, potent reminder of how quickly peace can unravel when people feel disrespected and left out.