Antoine de la Sale

He was born in Provence, probably at Arles, the illegitimate son of Bernard de la Salle, a celebrated Gascon mercenary, mentioned in Froissart's Chronicles.

In 1415 he took part in the successful expedition by John I of Portugal against the Moors in Ceuta - a feat he would later recount in his book Reconfort a Madame de Neufville, published around 1458.

The title is of course a play on his own name, but he explains it as being due to the diverse subject matter of the book: a salad is composed "of many good herbs.

[5] In 1439 he was again in Italy in charge of the castle of Capua, with John II and his young wife, Marie de Bourbon, when the place was besieged by the king of Aragon.

His advice was sought at the tournaments which celebrated the marriage of the unfortunate Margaret of Anjou at Nancy in 1445; and in 1446, at a similar display at Saumur, he was one of the umpires.

[2] During the last decade of his life, la Sale becomes productive as a writer, publishing his most famous work, Little John of Saintré in 1456, a consolatory epistle Reconfort a Madame de Neufville in 1458 and his tournament book Des anciens tournois et faictz d'armes in 1459.