A regal, European manuscript in a Belgian collection

The Anjou Bible is steeped in history. Its roots can be traced back to the Angevin dynasty in Naples and Sicily. In the mid-thirteenth century King Louis IX of France, commonly Saint Louis, gave the regions of Maine and Anjou to his brother Charles I (of Anjou). Through his marriage to Beatrice he acquired Provence and in 1266 he conquered Naples. His son Charles II married Mary of Hungary. Their grandson Charles Robert of Anjou became king of that area in 1309. In 1370 his son Louis I (the Great) also became king of Poland.

The opening diptych in the Anjou Bible glorifies the rich history of the House of Anjou. Alongside Robert I of Anjou - the rex expertus in omnia scientia as the inscription describes him - is a genealogical tree in three registers: at the top Charles I and his wife Beatrice of Provence, underneath Charles II and Mary of Hungary and finally Robert I of Anjou himself with his wife Sancha of Majorca. They had no male heirs – their only son Charles died unexpectedly –, so it was their oldest granddaughter Joanna who was proclaimed their heir in 1330.

The House of Anjou ruled over Central and Southern Europe for two centuries. The different areas gradually became close-knit states boasting efficient institutions, lucrative trade and a flourishing cultural life. It was the era of great artists and writers like Giotto, Simone Martini, Boccaccio and Petrarch. Music was also given a new lease of life at the Neapolitan court: even under Charles of Anjou (1226-1286), investments were made in more and better musicians.

This healthy artistic climate provided scope for musical experimentation. One of the most gifted musicians at Charles’ court was undoubtedly the trouvère Adam de la Halle, who wrote the celebrated musical pastoral play Le Jeu de Robin et Marion while in service in Naples.

Charles’ successor, Robert of Anjou, was a particularly well-read and sophisticated sovereign and he became the patron of many scientists and artists. As king of Naples he was the undisputed leader of the House of Welf or Guelf. As a supporter of Pope Benedict XII and patron of numerous musicians from the latter’s entourage in Avignon, his name is linked to the famous music codices of Apt and Ivrea, which include a motet by Philippe de Vitry dedicated to Robert. The numerous musical instruments and musical scenes in the Anjou Bible are a unique, artistic externalization of this heyday of music.

The Anjou Bible and the context in which it was created are particularly important for the study of socio-cultural life in medieval Southern Italy. However, the manuscript soon found its way to Northern Europe. Even in 1402 the codex was described in the inventory of Jean Duc de Berry (1340-1416), brother of King Charles V of France, who was well known for his love of art and books. Traces of Jean Duc de Berry’s coat of arms can still be seen on the edge of the manuscript.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the manuscript found its way to Atrecht (Arras) College in Leuven via the Bishop of Arras, Nicolaus de Ruistre (1442-1509). Lucas Brugensis’ Notationes in Sacra Biblia, published by Christoffel Plantin in 1580, contains an explicit reference to the manuscript. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the manuscript came into the possession of the Episcopal Seminary in Mechelen. Since 1970 it has been preserved in the Theology Faculty’s Maurits Sabbe Library at the K.U.Leuven.