Gormond et Isembart
Encyclopedia
Gormont et Isembart or Gormond et Isembart or Gormund et Isembard (English
: "Gormond and Isembart") is an Old French
chanson de geste
from the second half of the eleventh or first half of the twelfth century. Along with The Song of Roland
and the Chanson de Guillaume
, it is one of the three chansons de geste whose composition incontestably dates from before 1150; it may be slightly younger than The Song of Roland and, according to one expert, may date from as early as 1068. The poem tells the story of a rebellious young French lord, Isembart, who allies himself with a Saracen
king, Gormond, renounces his Christianity, and battles the French king. The poem is sometimes grouped with the Geste de Doon de Mayence
or "rebellious vassal cycle" of chansons de geste.
(unusual for a chanson de geste) verses in assonanced laisse
s (conserved in the Royal Library of Belgium
in Brussels
) written in a central France dialect, dating from c. 1130, and that form the end of a much longer poem. The content of the entire poem can be inferred from two sources:
Dating of the composition of the chanson is based on:
The young French lord Isembart is cruelly persecuted by the French court and his uncle, king Louis, and he goes into exile in England, joining the Saracen king Gormond and renouncing Christianity. Isembart incites Gormond to attack France, to destroy Isembart's own lands and surrounding country, and to burn down the Abbey
of Saint-Riquier
. The French king comes to battle them at Cayeux (Cayeux-en-Santerre
or Cayeux-sur-Mer
). (The surviving fragment begins here.) In the battle, after a series of victorious combats, Gormond falls to Louis, but the king is himself mortally injured when he tries to remain on his horse. The Saracen troops are briefly in chaos, but Isembart takes over the army. He eventually unhorses his own father. Four days later, the Saracens give up the battle and Isembart dies, returning to Christianity in his last breaths.
who burned the Abbey of Saint-Riquier in February 881 and were defeated by Louis III
six months later at Saucourt-en-Vimeu
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Gormond and Isembart") is an 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...
chanson de geste
Chanson de geste
The chansons de geste, Old French for "songs of heroic deeds", are the epic poems that appear at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known examples date from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, nearly a hundred years before the emergence of the lyric poetry of the trouvères and...
from the second half of the eleventh or first half of the twelfth century. Along with The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries...
and the Chanson de Guillaume
Chanson de Guillaume
The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de Willame is a chanson de geste from the first half of the twelfth-century The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de Willame (English: "Song of William") is a chanson de geste from the first half of the twelfth-century The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de...
, it is one of the three chansons de geste whose composition incontestably dates from before 1150; it may be slightly younger than The Song of Roland and, according to one expert, may date from as early as 1068. The poem tells the story of a rebellious young French lord, Isembart, who allies himself with a Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
king, Gormond, renounces his Christianity, and battles the French king. The poem is sometimes grouped with the Geste de Doon de Mayence
Doon de Mayence
Doon de Mayence was a fictional hero of the Old French chansons de geste, who gives his name to the third cycle of the Charlemagne romances dealing with the feudal revolts.There is no single unifying theme in the geste of Doon de Mayence...
or "rebellious vassal cycle" of chansons de geste.
The text
The extant work only survives in a fragment (two parchment sheets that had been used as a binding of a book) of 661 octosyllableOctosyllable
The octosyllable or octosyllabic verse is a line of verse with eight syllables. It is equivalent to tetrameter verse in iambs or trochees in languages with a stress accent. It is often used in French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese poetry...
(unusual for a chanson de geste) verses in assonanced laisse
Laisse
A laisse is a type of stanza, of varying length, found in medieval French literature, specifically medieval French epic poetry , such as The Song of Roland. In early works, each laisse was made up of assonanced verses, although the appearance of rhymed laisses was increasingly common in later...
s (conserved in the Royal Library of Belgium
Royal Library of Belgium
The Royal Library of Belgium is one of the most important cultural institutions in Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Dukes of Burgundy...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
) written in a central France dialect, dating from c. 1130, and that form the end of a much longer poem. The content of the entire poem can be inferred from two sources:
- a rhymed chronicle from the 13th century by Philippe Mousket;
- a 15th century German adaptation/translation, Loher und Maller (1437), of a prose version of a late 14th/early 15th century French romance, Lohier et Mallart.
Dating of the composition of the chanson is based on:
- a mention in the chronicles (finished 1088, revised 1104) of Hariulf, a monk of Saint-Riqiuer;
- allusions to the chanson in Historia Regum BritanniaeHistoria Regum BritanniaeThe Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
by Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
.
Plot
The reconstructed plot is as follows:The young French lord Isembart is cruelly persecuted by the French court and his uncle, king Louis, and he goes into exile in England, joining the Saracen king Gormond and renouncing Christianity. Isembart incites Gormond to attack France, to destroy Isembart's own lands and surrounding country, and to burn down the Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Saint-Riquier
Saint-Riquier
Saint-Riquier is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated northeast of Abbeville, on the D925 and D32 crossroads.-Abbey:...
. The French king comes to battle them at Cayeux (Cayeux-en-Santerre
Cayeux-en-Santerre
Cayeux-en-Santerre is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D76 road, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
or Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is a seaside town, situated on the D102 road, some northwest of Abbeville.-Population:-Places of interest:...
). (The surviving fragment begins here.) In the battle, after a series of victorious combats, Gormond falls to Louis, but the king is himself mortally injured when he tries to remain on his horse. The Saracen troops are briefly in chaos, but Isembart takes over the army. He eventually unhorses his own father. Four days later, the Saracens give up the battle and Isembart dies, returning to Christianity in his last breaths.
Historical sources
The poem appears based on an invasion of NorsemenNorsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
who burned the Abbey of Saint-Riquier in February 881 and were defeated by Louis III
Louis III of France
Louis III was the King of France, still then called West Francia, from 879 until his death. The second son of Louis the Stammerer and his first wife, Ansgarde, he succeeded his father to reign jointly with his younger brother Carloman II, who became sole ruler on Louis's death...
six months later at Saucourt-en-Vimeu
Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu
The Battle of Saucourt occurred between Danish forces of pagan Viking warriors and the Christian troops of Carolingian joint Kings Louis III of France and...
.
See also
- GoogleBooks Gormond et Isembart, edited by Alphonse Bayot. Gormond et Isembart: reproduction photocollographique du manuscrit unique, II. 181, de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique avec une transcription littérale. Misch & Thron, 1906.
- GoogleBooks George Baer Fundenburg, Feudal France in the French Epic: A Study of Feudal French Institutions in History and Poetry, Columbia University, 1918.