The Book of the Knight in the Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Book of the Knight in the Tower (full French title: Livre pour l'enseignement de ses filles du Chevalier de La Tour Landry) is a book written by Geoffroy IV de la Tour Landry in 1371. It was translated into English (as The Book of the Knight in the Tower) during the reign of Henry VI of England and into German as Der Ritter vom Turn in 1495. The Livre pour l'enseignement de ses filles served as a tutorial for De la Tour Landry's daughters on proper behavior when visiting the royal court, which, the knight warns, is filled with smooth-talking courtiers who could potentially disgrace them and embarrass the family. The author was a widower, and concerned for his daughters' welfare. He takes a strong moral stance against the behavior of his peers and warns his daughters about the dangers of vanity.
The German Der Ritter vom Turn was the work of Marquard vom Stein, a member of the Swabian nobility. He himself had two daughters, Elsa and Jakobea, for whose benefit he claims to have translated the French text. William Caxton printed the English version in 1484.
