Resource: Travel routes in historical times? (Spec. Marguerite from Paris to Navarre)

Barb D · Mar 20, 2009

Is there a resource that tells typical traveling routes at various times in history?

Specifically, I need to find out how Marguerite of Navarre would have traveled from Paris to Navarre (presumably Pamplona) in the 16th century. Would she have gone over land or by sea? (Or would she have gone from Madrid to Navarre? And how?)

Also, Wikipedia tells me that, "Marguerite's most remarkable adventure involved freeing her brother, King François, captured in the Battle of Pavia, Italy, 1525, and held prisoner in Spain by Charles V...Queen Marguerite rode horseback twelve hours a day, for many days, through wintry woods, to meet a safe-conduct deadline, writing letters at night." Any idea WHERE this would have been?

ETA: In 1525 she traveled from Saint-Just, near Lyon, down the Rhone to the French Mediterranean coast, and from there set sail for Palamos and then on horseback to Madrid. So there's one journey. I'll keep reading...

http://books.google.com/books?id=de...X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA115,M1

ETA2 (this is good): In the fall of 1526 (November or December) she traveled from Paris to the suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where her betrothal ceremony was held. Then she traveled south to Tarbes where she stayed for a festival, and east to Prouille, where she hung out for a while before heading back to Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the wedding in January 1527. I'm assuming that this was all over land (horseback? Carriages?) but would love it if some of it was by sea.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Dp...arre+1526&ei=0EPESYj5GqGSzgSdkqnvAw#PPA377,M1

Suse · Mar 21, 2009

I know Marguerite was quite a prolific writer, though I've never read any of her work. Perhaps she mentions her journey in her memoirs.

RichardB · Mar 21, 2009

I don't know how she would have travelled, but I found this tool very useful for calculating distances. After getting the distance and estimating a speed, you have the travel time.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 21, 2009

Yes, there are extant maps. You'd do well to go to a decent academic library, associated with a university, and look for the standard bios on M of N. There's been an awful lot written about her.

angeliz2k · Mar 22, 2009

Barb D said:
Is there a resource that tells typical traveling routes at various times in history?

Specifically, I need to find out how Marguerite of Navarre would have traveled from Paris to Navarre (presumably Pamplona) in the 16th century. Would she have gone over land or by sea? (Or would she have gone from Madrid to Navarre? And how?)

Also, Wikipedia tells me that, "Marguerite's most remarkable adventure involved freeing her brother, King François, captured in the Battle of Pavia, Italy, 1525, and held prisoner in Spain by Charles V...Queen Marguerite rode horseback twelve hours a day, for many days, through wintry woods, to meet a safe-conduct deadline, writing letters at night." Any idea WHERE this would have been?

ETA: In 1525 she traveled from Saint-Just, near Lyon, down the Rhone to the French Mediterranean coast, and from there set sail for Palamos and then on horseback to Madrid. So there's one journey. I'll keep reading...

http://books.google.com/books?id=de...X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA115,M1

ETA2 (this is good): In the fall of 1526 (November or December) she traveled from Paris to the suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where her betrothal ceremony was held. Then she traveled south to Tarbes where she stayed for a festival, and east to Prouille, where she hung out for a while before heading back to Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the wedding in January 1527. I'm assuming that this was all over land (horseback? Carriages?) but would love it if some of it was by sea.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Dp...arre+1526&ei=0EPESYj5GqGSzgSdkqnvAw#PPA377,M1

I'm not sure there's really a good way to get from Paris to St. Germain-en-Laye by water (and certainly not by sea). However, my assumption would be overland in a carriage, but I'm no expert. Carriages at this time were very uncomfortable (unsprung, i.e. no suspension at all).

I looked at the map. Back in the sixteenth century, I doubt St. Germaine would have been a suburb but considered pretty far from the city. It's about 12 miles from the center of Paris, and Paris would have been far smaller than it is today. It would have been considered a completely separate entity I would think. Also, there don't seem to be any waterways that lead to St. Germaine from Paris, so she would have gone overland.

alex_falstone · Mar 22, 2009

The route probably involved a lot of monasteries and convents - these were the standard way people put up on long journeys in the middle ages and early modern period.

It might be therefore worth looking up the major religious foundations on the route, which doubled as hotels/court accommodation.

The question as to whether she'd ride or be in a carriage depends on the social mores of the country and time - in some societies it would have been acceptable for a young woman (an unmarried, and therefore most likely virgin) to ride provided she was suitably protected and chaperoned, in others, there'd have been rules requiring seclusion.

Generally, I've found you don't really need to give a day-by-day travelogue to readers, but to cherry pick interesting and plot-worthy events on the way. The problem is you the author need to know the minutiae so that you can reject the detail you don't wish to use! Tain't easy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Germain-en-Laye The place was a major court centre in the reign of Francois I. I recalled it because one of the treaties that ended WWI was Saint Germain.

Resource: Travel routes in historical times? (Spec. Marguerite from Paris to Navarre)

Barb D

Suse

wants mutant powers

RichardB

THIS! IS!! VENNNNNICE!!!!

Deleted member 42

angeliz2k

never mind the shorty

alex_falstone