本文將1498年查理八世的王家喪禮視為王權展示的劇場，討論王家喪禮的儀式進程、如何裝飾與展示具有王權意象的物件和國王身體或雕像、如何呈現喪禮遊行進城行列中的人員與物件，以論述查理八世王家喪禮所展現的君主權力與政治、文化意義。文中將從消息傳遞與儀式的關係、在家居喪的實踐與王家喪禮遊行的凱旋式意象等幾個方面，來觀察「國王已死」在十五世紀末的意義，並分析中古末期至近代初期歐洲的權力競逐關係中，法蘭西王家喪禮儀式何以能夠成為一種精緻而複雜的社會認同符碼。

This essay is not a study of constitutional thought or political history, but an analysis of the exchange and relationship between ritual and power. Using the idea of ‘theater,’ this essay identifies the instruments of sovereignty, the personnel in the funeral ceremonies, and the royal funeral procession as the leading line of investigation; it describes how Charles VIII’s royal funeral ceremony demonstrated the royal power and discusses its political and cultural significance. This essay analyzes three themes: the relationship between communication and ritual; the practice of domestic mourning; and the triumphal royal funeral processions. It identifies the meaning of ‟the king is dead” at the end of the fifteenth century. It also analyzes how French royal funerals became a subtle and complex ritual symbol that won social identification in the political contestations of late medieval and early modern Europe.

法王查理八世；王家喪禮儀式；哀悼；遊行；儀式與權力

Charles VIII of France; royal funeral ceremonies; mourning; procession; ritual and power