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Secondary sourcePainting

The captured pirate Dyonides before Alexander the Great

Maïtre François

A manuscript miniature showing Alexander seated on a throne as a kneeling captive, Dyonides, is brought before him by armed men. It is a later illustration of a romance story, not a record of events.

Shows Alexander as a judge of a captured pirate in a later romance story, so it reflects how he was imagined rather than what he did.

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Manuscript miniature in a framed panel: a crowned, bearded king in blue robes sits on a throne under a red canopy, holding a scroll labeled Alixandre. Before him a kneeling bearded man in an orange robe, labeled Dyonides, is held by an armored soldier with a sword. Other armed men stand behind. A long decorated scroll with text winds through the scene. Text in French columns fills the lower page with a decorated initial.
Maïtre François, The captured pirate Dyonides before Alexander the Great, manuscript miniature. KB, National Library of the Netherlands.

About this source

What it is

This is a manuscript miniature, a small painted picture in a book page, made by Maïtre François. It shows a crowned, bearded king in blue robes on a throne under a red canopy, holding a scroll labeled Alixandre. Before him kneels a bearded man in an orange robe labeled Dyonides, held by an armored soldier with a sword. Text in French columns fills the lower page. The image is held by the KB, National Library of the Netherlands.

Why it matters

The picture belongs to the Alexander romance tradition, a body of stories about Alexander that circulated and were retold in the Middle Ages. The scene of a captured pirate judged by Alexander is a story told in that tradition, not a documented event. It shows how medieval readers and illustrators imagined the king: as a just ruler who judges enemies at his court.

Look closer

  • What signs in the picture show who is the king and who is the prisoner?
  • Why might the illustrator have shown the king on a throne with armed men around him?
  • What does this picture leave out about the real Alexander and his campaigns?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Alexander the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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