NOTES

 

 

KING ARTHUR AS VILLAIN IN THE THIRTEEN-CENTURY ROMANCE 'YDER" 

 

 

* Cet article a été initialement publié dans Mémoires de l'Institut national de France, t. 15, 1e Partie, 1842, p. 336-368. 

 

(1) La partie arthurienne du Roman de Brut par Wace, (éd.) I. Arnold and M. M. Pelan, Bibl. Française et Romane B-1, Frankfurt/Main, Paris 1962. Arthur's attitude towards his knights is very well expressed in Durmart Ie Galois, (éd.) J. Gildea, ViIlanova, 1965-1966, v. 8153 ff. : "Li rois sa prent a esjoir ; / Ne sa puet de parler tenir / Cant il veit so chevoierie / Par cui iI maintient saignorie. / "Dex' dist Ii rois a Saigremor, / Com est riches de bioi fresor / Qui bons chevaliers a o lui. / Mout riches at mout manans sui, / Quar j'ai les millors chevaliers / Que puist avoir rois ne princiers. / Jo vers eaz ne tenrai avoir / Car rois ne puet onor avoir / Se de chevaliers ne Ii vient. / Quant del roi Daire rne sovient / Qui las chevaliers avilla/ Et les vilains tos ensaucha, / Mout sui joians quant on me conte / Qu'il en fu mars viement a honte. / II ensoucha sers et vilains, / Et cil I'ocisent de lor mains. / Mar avilla les chevaliers ; / Rendus l'en fu ses drois loiers. / Mout doit on riche home blamer / Qui chevaliers ne vuet amer."

 

(2) Cf. G. Ashe, The Quest for Arthur's Britain, London, 1971, p. 7.

 

(3) For the much discussed character of King John, cf. C. Brooke, "From Alfred 10 Henry III 871-1272", A History of

England, t. 2, London, 1967, p. 216 ; D.M. Stenton, "English Society in Ihe Middle Ages", The Pelican Hislory of England, t. 1, London, 1965, p. 46ff. The wickedness of King John is treated in such pseudo-historical literary texts as Wistasse le Moine and Fouke Fitz Waryn. In Wistasse which seems to be written from a French point of view, John gives Wistasse, the Count of Boulogne's outlaw vassal and enemy, a house in London and rich presents, whereas Fouke has aroused the King's hatred when they were both children in the royal John deprives him of his heritage after he has become King of England and Fouke, as an outlaw, has many of the barons on his side.

 

(4) Cf. G. Ashe, King Arthur's Avalon, London, 1957, p. 283 et suiv.

 

(5) Cf. R.S. Loomis, "Edward II Arthurian Enthousiast", Speculum, 28 (1953), p. 114-127 ; Id., "Arthurian Influence on Sport and Spectacle", Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, (éd.) R. S. Loomis, Oxford 1969, p.553-559 ; M. Powicke, The Thirteenth Century 1216-1307, Oxford History of England, Oxford 1953, p. 516 ; (on Edward Ier) "He doubtless believed in the slory of Arthur and hod opened the tomb at Glastonbury in all good faith. He saw more than a symbol in his Welsh trophy, the crown of Arthur, just as he did in the cross of Neath or later in the stone of Scone (...) Yet Edward was a political realist. He lived in an age of political propaganda and he knew the value of it". See also p. 429.

 

(6) Der altfranzösische Yderroman, nach der einzigen bekannten Handschrift mit Einleitung, Anmerkungen und Glossar zum ersten Male herousgegeben von Heinrich Gelzer (Geselfschaft für Romanische Literatur, Band 31), Dresden 1913 ; all italics in the quotations are mine.

 

(7) It is now in Cambridge University library, Ms. Ee. 4. 26.

 

(8) The part concerning Yder in William of Malmesbury's work may be an interpolation in the interest of Glastonbury, cf. R.M. Fletcher, The Arthurian Material in the Chronicles, New York 1973, App. 326 ; see also Migne, P.L. 179, S.1701: De illustri Arturo. Yder is mentioned on the Modena archivolt (Ysdernus) together with Winlogee who is probably not Guenevere but Guenloie, his amie in the romance.

 

(9) It can rightly be argued that the author of Yder only developed a possibility of criticism which had been inherent in the genre from its very beginnings. Chrétien himself sometimes views the Arthurian world and the conduct of king and knights with irony and humour. This applies particularly to Yvain as has recently been shown by P. Noble, "Irony in 'ce Chevalier au lion", BBSIA XXX (1978), p. 196-208 ; in Yvain, the poet is contrasting the idealized reputation of Arthur's court with his own portrayal of it : "In a very discreet way Chrétien seems to be suggesting that perhaps the heroes and heroines of Arthur's court were not such courtly paragons after all (op.cit., p. 207). But in Yder there is no ironic or comic distance ot all ; the criticism is serious not benevolent. A comparison of Keu's character, reputation and conduct in the two texts, for example, reveals the fundamental difference of attitude.

 

(10) A. Adams and A.J. Kennedy, "Corrections to the Text of Yder", Beiträge zum Romanischen Mlttelaiterr, (dir.). K. Baldinger,Tübingen 1977, p.230-236 ; the authors propose for this quotation the reading euea for envea, preu for prou, loinz for loins, Ie suen sen for Ii suen sen.

 

(11) ManteI et Cor. Deux Lais du Xlle siècle, P. Bennelt, 1975, Introduction.

 

(12) Two Old French Gauvain Romances : Le Chevalier à l'Epée and La Mule sans Frein, (éd.) R.C. Johnston and D.D.R. Owen, Edinburgh / London 1972 ; in Espee it is the easily enamoured and as easiiy disappointed Gauvain who is ridiculed, whereas in Mule the whole Arthurlan court is mocked for its vital need of adventures by a damsel who incites Keu and Gauvain to look for her Frein which she herself has hidden.

 

(13) "Fragment du Vallet a la Cote Mautaillie", (éd.) P. Meyer and G. Paris, Romania, n° 26 (1897), p. 76-280. "Cil a la cote maltailliee" is mentioned in the prologue to Le Bel Inconnu, v. 49 and in Les Merveilles de Rigomer, v.7075, 10391 and 13596 which apparently was not known to Meyer and Paris. The hero's story is incorporated in the Tristan en Prose where his name is Brunor. These various reminiscences can only mean that our fragmentary verse romance was rather well known in its time.

 

(14) Cf. E. Köhler, "Ideal und Wicklichkeil in der höfischen Epik", Beiheft zur ZrPh 97, Tüibngen, 1970, 18 ff., 89 ff.

 

(15) The first version of Meliador was probably written when Froissart lived with Queen Philippa of Hainault at the English court, cf. A. Diverres, "The Geography of Britain in Froissart's Meliador", Mélanges R. Lejeune, t. 2, Gembloux 1969, p. 1399-1409 ; "The Irish Adventures in Froissart's Meliador", Mélanges J. Frappier, t. 1, Geneva, 1970, p. 235-251. Escanor was composed for or commissioned by Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Edward I. She probably met Girart d'Amiens in his home town in 1279, when she came to do homage to the King of France for the county of Ponthieu, which is mentioned in v.18882 "Pontiu"). Fergus was probably commissioned by Dervorguilla and John de Balliol about 1240, cf. B. Schmolke-Hasselmann, "Le Roman de Fergus : technique littéraire at intention polltique", paper presented at the XIIth Congress of the !nternational Arthurian Society in Regensburg, August 1979.

 

(16) For details cf. K.H. Göller, "Konig Arthur in den schottischen Chroniken", Anglia n°80, (1962), p. 390-404 ; König Arthur in der englischen Literatur des spälten Mittelalters, Göttingen, 1963.