Great Eastern Embassy to the Court of Burgundy

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University houses the Burgundian manuscript (Beinecke MS 648), which offers new, previously unknown information about the Great Eastern Embassy in Europe in 1461. The manuscript is divided into three parts, each focusing on heraldry. The second part includes an account of the embassy, illustrated with splendid coats of arms. While the narrative shares similarities with accounts found in other European chronicles, it stands out for its numerous noteworthy details and unique information unavailable elsewhere. Notably, it provides a detailed description of the Duke of Burgundy’s reception and events from that period, as well as depictions of the ambassadors’ portraits in the chapel of St. Catherine at the Abbey of Saint-Bertin, alongside descriptions of the ambassadors’ coats of arms.