The Naples L'homme arme masses, Burgundy and the Order of the Golden Fleece: The origins of the L'homme arme tradition

Abstract

This study discusses the L'Homme arme tradition in Burgundy and places the six Naples L'Homme arme masses in that tradition. The first part of the thesis describes the court of Burgundy and the Order of the Golden Fleece as well as masses based on L'homme arme possibly connected to the Court. The second part shows how the six anonymous masses based on L'homme arme, now conserved in Naples, are connected to the Burgundian court and, by extension, the Order of the Golden Fleece. I show how the coat of arms in the manuscript of the masses could be of Burgundian origin. I then show how the language of the dedication and also the Kyrie tropes points to a Burgundian genesis.