Châtelaine de Vergy
Encyclopedia
The Châtelaine de Vergy or Chastelaine de Vergy is an anonymously-written short 13th century romance
of courtly love
in old French
.
). The work has come down to us in 10 manuscripts. The oldest extant version was written in 1288, and the presumed date for the composition of the work is 1271-1288. Some critics believe that the romance (other than the ending) is a roman à clé and that elements are based on true events.
The depiction of love in the work is exemplary of the courtly love tradition, with its emphasis on a relationship between a brave and handsome knight and a married woman, and on secrecy and utter commitment to a mistress' rules.
The Châtelaine de Vergy was apparently very popular in courtly circles. There exists, as well, a 15th century prose version of the tale, and the plot was reused by Marguerite de Navarre
in one of her Heptameron
short stories (tale LXX).
who is the lover of the Châtelaine of Vergy (the wife of a châtelain
and niece to the Duke). The Châtelaine has accepted this knight's love on one condition: that he must keep their relationship secret from everyone, and he is able to visit his mistress when, by their pre-arranged signal, she walks her dog alone in her garden.
When the Duchess of Burgundy falls in love with the knight, he is forced to spurn her advances. In her anger, the duchess then tells her husband that the knight is unfaithful and has tried to seduce her, and the Duke accuses the knight of treachery. To save his honor, and to avoid being exiled (and thus forced to distance himself from his mistress), the knight (once the lord has promised to keep his secret) reveals to his lord where his heart truly lies, thus violating his promise to his mistress.
The Duke reveals the truth of the knight's love to his wife, and, at the feast of Pentecoste, the Duchess makes a cruel inside joke to the Châtelaine about her lover and her "well-trained dog". The Châtelaine realizes her lover has not kept his promise and she dies in despair. The knight discovers her body and kills himself. The Duke finds both bodies, and exacts vengeance on his wife by killing her with the knight's sword, and then becomes a knight Templar
.
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
of courtly love
Courtly love
Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife....
in old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
.
Overview
The romance consists of 968 lines of verse in 8 syllable rhymed couplets (the work is in the same poetic form as the majority of medieval French romans, although significantly shorter than the romances of Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perhaps he named himself Christian of Troyes in contrast to the illustrious Rashi, also of Troyes...
). The work has come down to us in 10 manuscripts. The oldest extant version was written in 1288, and the presumed date for the composition of the work is 1271-1288. Some critics believe that the romance (other than the ending) is a roman à clé and that elements are based on true events.
The depiction of love in the work is exemplary of the courtly love tradition, with its emphasis on a relationship between a brave and handsome knight and a married woman, and on secrecy and utter commitment to a mistress' rules.
The Châtelaine de Vergy was apparently very popular in courtly circles. There exists, as well, a 15th century prose version of the tale, and the plot was reused by Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre , also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of Henry II of Navarre...
in one of her Heptameron
Heptameron
The Heptameron is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite of Navarre, published in 1558. It has the form of a frame narrative and was inspired by The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio...
short stories (tale LXX).
Plot
The Châtelaine de Vergy tells the story of an un-named knight in the service of the Duke of BurgundyDuchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
who is the lover of the Châtelaine of Vergy (the wife of a châtelain
Châtelain
Châtelain was originally merely the French equivalent of the English castellan, i.e. the commander of a castle....
and niece to the Duke). The Châtelaine has accepted this knight's love on one condition: that he must keep their relationship secret from everyone, and he is able to visit his mistress when, by their pre-arranged signal, she walks her dog alone in her garden.
When the Duchess of Burgundy falls in love with the knight, he is forced to spurn her advances. In her anger, the duchess then tells her husband that the knight is unfaithful and has tried to seduce her, and the Duke accuses the knight of treachery. To save his honor, and to avoid being exiled (and thus forced to distance himself from his mistress), the knight (once the lord has promised to keep his secret) reveals to his lord where his heart truly lies, thus violating his promise to his mistress.
The Duke reveals the truth of the knight's love to his wife, and, at the feast of Pentecoste, the Duchess makes a cruel inside joke to the Châtelaine about her lover and her "well-trained dog". The Châtelaine realizes her lover has not kept his promise and she dies in despair. The knight discovers her body and kills himself. The Duke finds both bodies, and exacts vengeance on his wife by killing her with the knight's sword, and then becomes a knight Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
.