Un chien couché au pied du roi d’Angleterre ? Robert Jolivet, abbé du Mont Saint-Michel (1411-1444)

A reassessment of historical sources reveals that Robert Jolivet, the abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel (1411–1444), was not a traitor but rather a strategic political figure whose allegiance to King Henry V of England reflected complex choices shaped by the turbulent politics of France. Contrary to traditional historiography, Jolivet’s shift in loyalty—despite leaving his abbey before the Treaty of Troyes (1420)—was neither purely opportunistic nor a betrayal but the culmination of a coherent political trajectory. His leadership as a military captain under Charles VI underscores his deep investment in Mont-Saint-Michel, challenging long-held narratives about his motives and actions during England’s regency in France.

Fiasson, D. (2014). Un chien couché au pied du roi d’Angleterre ? Robert Jolivet, abbé du Mont Saint-Michel (1411-1444). Annales de Normandie, 64e année(2), 47–72. https://doi.org/10.3917/annor.642.0047