A royal hunting dog, a celebrated medieval poem, and a legacy that endured for centuries—few animals from the Middle Ages left as deep an imprint on history as Souillard. In this article, Lorris Chevalier explores the story, symbolism, and enduring reputation of the hound who became the archetype of the perfect royal hunting dog.
By Lorris Chevalier
The hound known as Souillard occupies a distinctive position in the literature of French medieval venery. His name is repeatedly associated with the royal hunt under Louis XI and with the emergence of the celebrated white hunting dogs known as chiens greffiers. Within this tradition, Souillard becomes both an exemplary hound and a symbolic ancestor of an idealised breed.
The sources relating to him are diverse and often contradictory, drawn mainly from hunting treatises of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which themselves rely on earlier oral or manuscript traditions. When examined critically, they reveal not a coherent biography but a layered process of myth-making in which Souillard functions as a foundational reference point for royal hunting excellence.
Origins and Early Tradition
La chasse au chevreuilt, by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1725)
The earliest narrative concerning Souillard is preserved in the hunting treatise of Jacques du Fouilloux. In this account, a white hound is presented to Louis XI by a poor gentleman. The king, who favoured grey hunting dogs, does not appreciate the animal. The Sénéchal Gaston, recognising its value, requests the dog from the king with the intention of offering it to a noble lady identified as Anne de Bourbon.
A particularly significant aspect of Souillard’s literary afterlife is the fact that Jacques de Brézé dedicated an entire poem to him, the only known case in medieval French literature of a full poetic composition devoted exclusively to a dog. This text, part of Les Ditz du bon chien Souillard, presents the animal not as a marginal element of the hunt but as a fully articulated narrative voice, allowing Souillard himself to speak in the first person and recount his lineage, exploits, and relationship to his masters. The poem elevates the hound to an exceptional symbolic status, placing him within the moral and social order of the aristocratic world of venery.
Les Ditz du Bon Chien Souillard (The Sayings of the Good Dog Souillard)
I am Souillard, the white and noble hunting hound, In my time the finest and most skilful at pursuit; Descended from the good St Hubert hound, who bore the name Souillard, I am his son and heir, he who gained such great renown, For after his passing he left me his goodness; And in the year before his death he had already entrusted me.
I maintain well, above all well-trained hounds, That I have been among those with the finest scent, With feet and mouth, long persisting in the chase, Keeping to my rightful course, crying out all day; I have feared, believed in, and loved my master above all others, As much as any dog ever possibly could be; Many pleasures have I given him in great hardship, Wherever he found himself in rain or in great heat.
A true noble hound have I been, among those praised by Phoebus, And I believe that after my death none such shall remain, Save for my offspring, of whom I have twenty-two, Who across all forests take the stag entirely on their own.
In the time when I was in my prime, Baulde was full of virtue, The good red female hound, who knew so much goodness; Oyse the fair and good, and Clerault and Jombart Kept me company in many strange places.
The good little Mirault, and Mesgret and Marteau Gave me great aid both on land and by water, In changes and out of changes, doing their duty well, And always in need I did my duty towards them.
I have made greater pursuits and rarely failed of stag Than ever any dog did, and my limbs still bear it.
Many horses have I broken in following the hunt, Some dead or sick, and others exhausted; At times I have made my master spur so hard That beneath him, while riding, his horse fell dead.
To King Louis of France, who so loved the hunt, I was presented young as a hound of good breed, And by him I was given to the seneschal Gaston, Who made me a gift to the great seneschal.
Thus I served these three who guided me so well; For taking stag by force, no dog was ever better trained, I am now old and kept in comfort, And for the honour of the good king I do nothing displeasing.
My master, to whom I now belong and who keeps me so dear, Gives me bread and meat for my sustenance, Lets me sleep in his chamber near the warm fire, With straw and fine bedding neatly arranged, And the fair shield as a mark with a straight cross at my side. I am in this state as I have described to you.
May God by His holy grace grant peace and paradise To the king, my first master, and to him who placed me With the one to whom my life has been assigned At the house of the great seneschal, where it shall end.
The Emergence of the Greffier Hounds
Hunting Dog, 15th–16th century – photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Central to the Souillard tradition is the notion of the white “greffier” hounds, a breed described in royal hunting narratives, particularly those associated with Charles IX. According to this account, the term greffier originated from a royal secretary who owned a white female hound. From this animal a male puppy was born, almost entirely white except for a small fawn-coloured mark on the shoulder. This dog proved exceptionally effective in the hunt and was named greffier after its owner.
From this first specimen, a line of outstanding hunting dogs was said to descend. The breed reportedly produced numerous highly capable offspring and was maintained within specially designated royal facilities, including the estate of Les Loges near Saint-Germain-en-Laye, established for their breeding and training.
Within this genealogical construction, Souillard appears as a primordial or emblematic ancestor of this lineage, embodying the ideal qualities later attributed to the greffier dogs: endurance, scenting precision and unwavering loyalty.
Lineage, Offspring and Hunting Reputation
The tradition attributes to Souillard a remarkable progeny, said to number twenty-two dogs. Among those most frequently named are Cleraut, Jombard, Miraut, Meigret, Marteau and Hoyse. In some versions they are described as his direct descendants, while in others they appear as companions or associated members of his pack.
This ambiguity is characteristic of venery literature, where genealogical precision is often less important than symbolic continuity. The emphasis lies instead on the transmission of excellence, whether biological or legendary. Souillard thus becomes the centre of a hereditary myth in which hunting ability is imagined as a stable and reproducible trait.
Hunting Performance and Aristocratic Culture
Hunting deer with dogs in the 15th century – Le Livre de chasse de Gaston Phébus – BNF MS Francais 616 fol. 68r
Descriptions of Souillard and his lineage consistently emphasise extraordinary hunting performance. The dogs are credited with maintaining prolonged pursuits of deer lasting several hours, even when the quarry breaks into multiple herds and repeatedly alters its course. They are said to preserve the scent trail under extreme physical and environmental conditions, refusing to abandon the chase until the animal is brought down.
These narratives also highlight the impact of such hunts on the human participants. Horses are described as collapsing under exhaustion, while riders are forced to press themselves beyond normal endurance. The hunt becomes a prolonged collective ordeal in which the dog functions as the driving force of aristocratic action.
Within this framework, Souillard is not simply an instrument of the hunt but its defining agent, transforming venery into a spectacle of endurance, discipline and noble exertion.
Decline of the Greffier Breed
By the seventeenth century, hunting authors such as Sélincourt indicate that the original greffier breed had disappeared in its pure form. It was replaced by larger white hounds selected from mixed stocks, reflecting broader changes in breeding practices.
This disappearance is generally associated with the early reign of Louis XIV. Later writers frequently present it as the loss of an ancient and superior lineage, gradually diluted through crossbreeding, particularly with imported dogs. In this retrospective vision, the greffier hound becomes part of a vanished aristocratic world, preserved only in memory and literature.
Other Hunting Traditions and Canine Diversity
The greffier hounds existed alongside other established hunting breeds within the royal kennels. Earlier traditions mention grey hounds as the principal hunting dogs of the French monarchy in earlier periods. These breeds coexisted with specialised dogs used for bird hunting, pointing and tracking.
This diversity reflects the highly structured nature of aristocratic venery, in which each breed fulfilled a precise functional role. Souillard’s lineage, however, occupies a privileged position.
Souillard’s significance lies in his symbolic function within medieval and early modern hunting culture. He represents an ideal convergence of hereditary excellence, royal patronage and technical perfection in the art of the chase. Whether or not he ever existed as a single historical dog, his literary presence reflects the broader aristocratic imagination of venery, in which animals are elevated to heroic status and embedded within systems of lineage and prestige.
As such, Souillard is the archetype of the perfect royal hound, and a lasting emblem of medieval aristocratic art of venery.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
A royal hunting dog, a celebrated medieval poem, and a legacy that endured for centuries—few animals from the Middle Ages left as deep an imprint on history as Souillard. In this article, Lorris Chevalier explores the story, symbolism, and enduring reputation of the hound who became the archetype of the perfect royal hunting dog.
By Lorris Chevalier
The hound known as Souillard occupies a distinctive position in the literature of French medieval venery. His name is repeatedly associated with the royal hunt under Louis XI and with the emergence of the celebrated white hunting dogs known as chiens greffiers. Within this tradition, Souillard becomes both an exemplary hound and a symbolic ancestor of an idealised breed.
The sources relating to him are diverse and often contradictory, drawn mainly from hunting treatises of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which themselves rely on earlier oral or manuscript traditions. When examined critically, they reveal not a coherent biography but a layered process of myth-making in which Souillard functions as a foundational reference point for royal hunting excellence.
Origins and Early Tradition
The earliest narrative concerning Souillard is preserved in the hunting treatise of Jacques du Fouilloux. In this account, a white hound is presented to Louis XI by a poor gentleman. The king, who favoured grey hunting dogs, does not appreciate the animal. The Sénéchal Gaston, recognising its value, requests the dog from the king with the intention of offering it to a noble lady identified as Anne de Bourbon.
A particularly significant aspect of Souillard’s literary afterlife is the fact that Jacques de Brézé dedicated an entire poem to him, the only known case in medieval French literature of a full poetic composition devoted exclusively to a dog. This text, part of Les Ditz du bon chien Souillard, presents the animal not as a marginal element of the hunt but as a fully articulated narrative voice, allowing Souillard himself to speak in the first person and recount his lineage, exploits, and relationship to his masters. The poem elevates the hound to an exceptional symbolic status, placing him within the moral and social order of the aristocratic world of venery.
Les Ditz du Bon Chien Souillard (The Sayings of the Good Dog Souillard)
I am Souillard, the white and noble hunting hound,
In my time the finest and most skilful at pursuit;
Descended from the good St Hubert hound, who bore the name Souillard,
I am his son and heir, he who gained such great renown,
For after his passing he left me his goodness;
And in the year before his death he had already entrusted me.
I maintain well, above all well-trained hounds,
That I have been among those with the finest scent,
With feet and mouth, long persisting in the chase,
Keeping to my rightful course, crying out all day;
I have feared, believed in, and loved my master above all others,
As much as any dog ever possibly could be;
Many pleasures have I given him in great hardship,
Wherever he found himself in rain or in great heat.
A true noble hound have I been, among those praised by Phoebus,
And I believe that after my death none such shall remain,
Save for my offspring, of whom I have twenty-two,
Who across all forests take the stag entirely on their own.
In the time when I was in my prime, Baulde was full of virtue,
The good red female hound, who knew so much goodness;
Oyse the fair and good, and Clerault and Jombart
Kept me company in many strange places.
The good little Mirault, and Mesgret and Marteau
Gave me great aid both on land and by water,
In changes and out of changes, doing their duty well,
And always in need I did my duty towards them.
I have made greater pursuits and rarely failed of stag
Than ever any dog did, and my limbs still bear it.
Many horses have I broken in following the hunt,
Some dead or sick, and others exhausted;
At times I have made my master spur so hard
That beneath him, while riding, his horse fell dead.
To King Louis of France, who so loved the hunt,
I was presented young as a hound of good breed,
And by him I was given to the seneschal Gaston,
Who made me a gift to the great seneschal.
Thus I served these three who guided me so well;
For taking stag by force, no dog was ever better trained,
I am now old and kept in comfort,
And for the honour of the good king I do nothing displeasing.
My master, to whom I now belong and who keeps me so dear,
Gives me bread and meat for my sustenance,
Lets me sleep in his chamber near the warm fire,
With straw and fine bedding neatly arranged,
And the fair shield as a mark with a straight cross at my side.
I am in this state as I have described to you.
May God by His holy grace grant peace and paradise
To the king, my first master, and to him who placed me
With the one to whom my life has been assigned
At the house of the great seneschal, where it shall end.
The Emergence of the Greffier Hounds
Central to the Souillard tradition is the notion of the white “greffier” hounds, a breed described in royal hunting narratives, particularly those associated with Charles IX. According to this account, the term greffier originated from a royal secretary who owned a white female hound. From this animal a male puppy was born, almost entirely white except for a small fawn-coloured mark on the shoulder. This dog proved exceptionally effective in the hunt and was named greffier after its owner.
From this first specimen, a line of outstanding hunting dogs was said to descend. The breed reportedly produced numerous highly capable offspring and was maintained within specially designated royal facilities, including the estate of Les Loges near Saint-Germain-en-Laye, established for their breeding and training.
Within this genealogical construction, Souillard appears as a primordial or emblematic ancestor of this lineage, embodying the ideal qualities later attributed to the greffier dogs: endurance, scenting precision and unwavering loyalty.
Lineage, Offspring and Hunting Reputation
The tradition attributes to Souillard a remarkable progeny, said to number twenty-two dogs. Among those most frequently named are Cleraut, Jombard, Miraut, Meigret, Marteau and Hoyse. In some versions they are described as his direct descendants, while in others they appear as companions or associated members of his pack.
This ambiguity is characteristic of venery literature, where genealogical precision is often less important than symbolic continuity. The emphasis lies instead on the transmission of excellence, whether biological or legendary. Souillard thus becomes the centre of a hereditary myth in which hunting ability is imagined as a stable and reproducible trait.
Hunting Performance and Aristocratic Culture
Descriptions of Souillard and his lineage consistently emphasise extraordinary hunting performance. The dogs are credited with maintaining prolonged pursuits of deer lasting several hours, even when the quarry breaks into multiple herds and repeatedly alters its course. They are said to preserve the scent trail under extreme physical and environmental conditions, refusing to abandon the chase until the animal is brought down.
These narratives also highlight the impact of such hunts on the human participants. Horses are described as collapsing under exhaustion, while riders are forced to press themselves beyond normal endurance. The hunt becomes a prolonged collective ordeal in which the dog functions as the driving force of aristocratic action.
Within this framework, Souillard is not simply an instrument of the hunt but its defining agent, transforming venery into a spectacle of endurance, discipline and noble exertion.
Decline of the Greffier Breed
By the seventeenth century, hunting authors such as Sélincourt indicate that the original greffier breed had disappeared in its pure form. It was replaced by larger white hounds selected from mixed stocks, reflecting broader changes in breeding practices.
This disappearance is generally associated with the early reign of Louis XIV. Later writers frequently present it as the loss of an ancient and superior lineage, gradually diluted through crossbreeding, particularly with imported dogs. In this retrospective vision, the greffier hound becomes part of a vanished aristocratic world, preserved only in memory and literature.
Other Hunting Traditions and Canine Diversity
The greffier hounds existed alongside other established hunting breeds within the royal kennels. Earlier traditions mention grey hounds as the principal hunting dogs of the French monarchy in earlier periods. These breeds coexisted with specialised dogs used for bird hunting, pointing and tracking.
This diversity reflects the highly structured nature of aristocratic venery, in which each breed fulfilled a precise functional role. Souillard’s lineage, however, occupies a privileged position.
Souillard’s significance lies in his symbolic function within medieval and early modern hunting culture. He represents an ideal convergence of hereditary excellence, royal patronage and technical perfection in the art of the chase. Whether or not he ever existed as a single historical dog, his literary presence reflects the broader aristocratic imagination of venery, in which animals are elevated to heroic status and embedded within systems of lineage and prestige.
As such, Souillard is the archetype of the perfect royal hound, and a lasting emblem of medieval aristocratic art of venery.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
Click here to read more from Lorris Chevalier
Further Readings:
Brézé, Jacques de. Le livre de la chasse du grand sénéchal de Normandye et les dits du bon chien Souillard qui fut au roy Louis de France, XIe de ce nom. Edited by Jérôme Pichon. Paris: Auguste Aubry, 1858
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