ABSTRACT

If Guillaume entered the service of John of Luxembourg in 1323 (chap. 1.5.2) with the degree of maître (chap. 1.2.8), he may have been born slightly later than 1300, say ca. 1302, since this degree required a minimum age of about twenty.8 His career in the church is consistent with a birth date of ca. 1300 to 1302. A canonicate, which was first awarded to Machaut in 1330 (chap. 1.6.1b), required a minimum age of twenty-five (Mollat 1921, 21; but see below, n. 85), and the more advanced age of about thirty is reasonable for a clerk receiving his canonicate as a reward for meritorious service (cf. Millet 1982, 53). 1.2.2. MACHAUT'S HOME PROVINCE. Several small pieces of evidence argue that Machaut was born in Champagne. Most often cited are two literary references, a ballade by Eustache Deschamps (chap. 2.1.1b), and a later reference in the Livre du Cuer d'Amours Espris (1457) of René d'Anjou (chap. 2.3.2e). The name "de Machaut" does not necessarily mean that he was born in the town of Machault (dept. Ardennes); the name is also found in Reims, Attigny, and other towns in the area (Machabey 1955b, 1:14-19).