The Académie of the floral Plays is the founded literary company with Toulouse with the Moyen-âge, undoubtedly oldest of the western world. It owes its name with the floral Jeux, festivals celebrated with Rome in the honor of the goddess Flore. At the time of contests which take place each year, the members of the Academy, called “mainteneurs”, reward the authors for best poetries. These rewards take the form of five money or gold flowers: the Violet, the wild rose, the concern, the amaranth and the Lily. That or that which receives three of these flowers carries the title of “Master are plays”.

History

Origin

The institution was founded in 1323 by several poets who met to form what one called the College of Merry Science. Anxious to restore a certain lyricism after the crusade against the Albigensians at the 13th century, of Toulouse middle-class rich person organized a literary contest in language of oc, rewarding each year a Troubadour for a violet gilded with the fine gold.

The first contest of poetry took place on May 3rd, 1324. Proceeding first of all with the Orchard of Augustines, this competition became shortly after a local festival financed by the Capitoul S.

16th century

In 1515, disagreements burst between the Consistory of the Merry Knowledge and Capitouls. The members of the Consistory then decided to take their independence: they changed the name of the company into Company of the floral Plays and claimed with the municipality the financing of their demonstration. To support their request, they created the character of Clémence Isaure, of which they told that it had bequeathed all her goods to the city provided that the floral Plays are organized there each year.

In order to convince the magistrates, they used the burial of Bertrande Ysalguier, whose statue exposes in its united hands an iris symbolizing the flowers of Merry Science. In parallel, they invented a past to him, creating files of any part. This statue will be modified one century in order to stick later to the legend: the head is replaced, of the flowers are substituted for the chain in the right hand, the charter of the floral Plays is placed in the left hand, and the lion is removed.

17th century

In 1694, under the impulse of Simon of Loubère, the Company of the floral Plays became the Academy of the floral Plays, name which it kept until today. Louis XIV enacted of the Academy, which will be amended several times thereafter. The language of the poems subjected to contest becomes French.

18th century

By letters patent of May 1725, the number of the mainteneurs is carried the thirty-six one to forty. New letters patent dated September 28th 1743 allow the delivery of letters of control to the monks who obtain three prices at the time of the four annual contests. This organization is partly altered by an edict of 1773. June 21st, 1777, Mister, brother of the king Louis XVI and future king Louis XVIII, attends a meeting of the Academy and hears the reading of three odes of Géraud Valet of Réganhac, Master are plays since 1759. A little later the revolutionary period involved the dispersion of the members of the Academy and the suspension of its activities.

19th century

Restored officially in 1806, the Academy of the floral Plays continued throughout the 19th century to be governed, in spite of some minor changes with its payment, by the statutes of 1694.

Since 1894, it meets in the Hôtel of Assézat, where the famous statue of Clemence Isaure is, and it continues to allot literary prizes. Each May 3rd, one speaks in praise of the inspirer and bienfaitrice of the poets in the Basilique of the Sea-bream, and one blesses the flowers of the contest there.

Mainteneurs and Masters be plays

See the list of the mainteneurs since 1694 .

The mainteneurs of the Academy are selected exclusively among people domiciled in Toulouse or in its immediate surroundings. The first woman maintenor, Dye stick Enjalbert, was elected only in 2005.

The Masters be plays, whose place of residence is free and the number is not limited, can be as well women or men. One counts among them Ronsard, Marmontel, Chateaubriand, Voltaire, Fabre d' Églantine, Alfred de Vigny, Victor Hugo, Frederic Mistral, Carmen Sylva, Stéphen Liégeard.

Random links:

Allopathy | Level (roleplay) | Romain Humeau | Hassen Zlassi