French poet Chrétien de Troyes is the Father of Arthurian Romance, Chrétien was instrumental in developing and popularizing the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Through his romantic adventures and pioneering use of courtly love, he transformed Arthurian legend and inspired generations of writers and artists.
Join me as I explore Chrétien’s background, his major literary works, his influences, and his lasting legacy. By the end, you’ll have gained an intimate understanding of this giant of medieval literature from my own personal perspective and experiences with his writings.
In this article, you will learn:
- The life of Chrétien de Troyes and what we know about him
- How he pioneered the Arthurian romance genre and courtly love
- An in-depth look at his major literary works and characters
- The influences behind Chrétien’s writing and themes
- His legacy and impact on Arthurian legend and literature
The Life of Chrétien de Troyes
Little is known about the personal life of Chrétien de Troyes. Based on details gleaned from his writings, he was likely born in the Champagne region of France, potentially in the city of Troyes, sometime around 1130-1140 CE. The name “Chrétien de Troyes” was possibly a pen name, translating simply to “Christian from Troyes”. His true identity remains a mystery.
From his educated, refined writing style, we can deduce that Chrétien had extensive schooling, likely provided by the Catholic Church. He demonstrates vast knowledge of classical Latin literature and the French vernacular, suggesting he trained as a cleric or musician.
Chrétien spent much of his literary career under the patronage of Marie de Champagne, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Marie’s court at Troyes was a center for the “courtly love” philosophy spreading through medieval European nobility. Chrétien wrote his famous Arthurian romances during the 1160s through 1180s for Marie and other aristocratic patrons.
Sadly, nothing definitive is known of Chrétien’s later life. He presumably died around 1190 while working on his final romance, Perceval, or the Story of the Grail. But his immortality was secured through his innovative use of Arthurian tales to explore ideals of chivalry, adventure, courtly love, and the mysteries of the Holy Grail.
A Pioneer Behind Romances and Courtly Love in Literature
Chrétien de Troyes wrote five major Arthurian romances in the latter 12th century:
- Erec and Enide
- Cligès
- Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart
- Yvain or the Knight with the Lion
- Perceval or the Story of the Grail
He also wrote several minor works, now lost, which he mentions in his introductions. What exactly were these “romances” pioneered by Chrétien?
Medieval romances were tales focused on chivalry, adventure, and love amongst the nobility. They often contained fantastical elements and quests in magical forests. This was a new style of courtly literature in Chrétien’s time, and his romances represent some of the earliest and best examples.
Chrétien’s works also contained the first explorations of “courtly love” in medieval literature. This was the idea of noble lovers engaging in highly idealized and often adulterous affairs.
For example, Chrétien invented the famous love between Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, King Arthur’s wife. While technically improper, their love is portrayed sympathetically as something noble and destined.
This new romantic vision of love was groundbreaking and controversial at the time, as marriages were usually political and loveless. Chrétien’s take on courtly love reflected shifting views of romance in 12th century noble culture.
So in summation, Chrétien pioneered both new styles of Arthurian storytelling and tantalizing themes of love. Next, let’s explore the plots and characters in his groundbreaking romances.
The Works of Chrétien de Troyes
During his prolific career, Chrétien de Troyes wrote five major Arthurian romances, each over 7,000 lines long. These include Erec and Enide, Cligès, Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart, Yvain or the Knight with the Lion, and his unfinished work Perceval or the Story of the Grail. Let’s look closer at the highlights of each tale.
Erec and Enide
This was Chrétien’s first romance, written around 1160. It follows Erec, one of King Arthur’s knights, who wins a falcon in a tournament and the hand of the beautiful Enide as a prize. After their wedding, Erec neglects his knightly duties to spend time with his devoted wife, tarnishing his reputation.
To prove his worth again, Erec embarks on a perilous quest into the woods, ordering Enide to follow without speaking. When she repeatedly warns Erec of dangers, disobeying him for his own protection, the story becomes a debate on whether love should outweigh obedience. Their trials ultimately restore Erec’s knightly honor and the couple returns joyfully to court.
Cligès
Cligès was written around 1176 and contains less Arthurian content. It partly draws inspiration from the legend of Tristan and Iseult as it tells the tale of Cligès falling in love with Fenice, the fiancée of his uncle. Playing dead with a potion, Cligès whisks Fenice away to live happily in secret as lovers.
Their affair is eventually discovered, leading to more adventures that once again showcase Chrétien’s poetic skills. But the Arthurian elements are minor, included primarily in the later scenes at court.
Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart
This famous tale introduced the beloved character Sir Lancelot and his adulterous love for Queen Guinevere. Chrétien wrote this around 1177-1181 for his patroness Marie de Champagne.
The story begins when Queen Guinevere is abducted by the villain Meleagant. Lancelot races to rescue her on a quest where he must suffer the shame of riding in a cart, only to find the queen upset he hesitated briefly before climbing aboard. Their dramatic reunion happens through a barred window before Lancelot passionately makes love to Guinevere all night.
Chrétien’s depiction of the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere lent prestige to the concept of courtly love outside of marriage. Prior to this, Lancelot did not exist in Arthurian legend and the romance between him and the queen was likely Chrétien’s innovation.
Yvain or the Knight with the Lion
Written around the same time as Lancelot, this less famous yet still influential romance follows Yvain, one of Arthur’s knights. Seeking adventure, Yvain defeats a knight guarding an enchanted fountain and falls in love with his widow Laudine.
After marrying her, Yvain forgets his promise to return quickly from adventuring with Gawain. His mind lost in grief, Yvain is cured and helped by a lion he saves. He must then complete valiant deeds to prove his love and win back Laudine.
The story explores conflicting loyalties between a knight’s sense of duty and his devotion to his wife. Chrétien seems to come down on the side of matrimonial love over knightly pursuits.
Perceval or the Story of the Grail
Chrétien’s final romance introduced the Holy Grail into Arthurian legend. Written around 1181-1190, the poem follows Perceval, a knight raised in seclusion who journeys to Camelot. In the hall of the Fischer King, he witnesses a grail procession but fails to ask about its meaning, losing the chance to heal the wounded king.
With the Fisher King’s mysterious castle and grail, Chrétien added a new spiritual dimension to Arthurian tales that fueled interest around this mythical object. Sadly, his story ends unfinished, with later poets writing their own continuations.
The Influences of Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien drew influence from a variety of sources in crafting his pioneering Arthurian romances. His patron Marie de Champagne exposed him to ideals of courtly love from southern French nobility. Chrétien himself mentions relying on source material given to him, including a pre-existing book about the Holy Grail.
Earlier Welsh and English Arthurian texts lent basic story elements. But his refined verse and structure owed much to Latin epic poetry like the Aeneid. Chrétien modeled his romance style after classical heroic epics, while making innovative adaptations like his psychological realism and forest adventures.
Over 100 years after Geoffrey of Monmouth introduced King Arthur to the mainstream, Chrétien saw the potential for reinventing these legends in dynamic new forms. By blending courtly love, classical themes, Celtic folklore, and his own poetic imagination, he perfected the Arthurian romance genre and changed how these beloved stories could be told.
The Legacy of Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian romances enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime and sparked a craze for King Arthur that continued for centuries. His works were translated into other European languages, including German and Norse, helping spread Arthurian lore outside of France. Writers across Europe emulated Chrétien’s style and borrowed characters and themes from his tales.
Some of the most famous examples include:
- Wolfram von Eschenbach adapting Perceval into the German epic Parzival
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight showing traces of Yvain
- The Welsh Mabinogion tales drawing from Chrétien’s romances
Chrétien’s depiction of Lancelot and Guinevere’s affair became cemented as a core piece of the legend. The Holy Grail grew into a mystical object of spiritual symbolism and epic quests. Scenes and adventures from his works became Arthurian canon.
Through the Vulgate Cycle and Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, the matrix of Chrétien’s tales formed the backbone of later Arthurian legend. Almost every modern adaptation, from Broadway musicals to Hollywood movies, owe an enormous debt to Chrétien elevating King Arthur from history to the realm of magical romance.
His sophisticated use of psychological realism and poetic structure also influenced the development of fiction techniques. Chrétien has been called “the inventor of the modern novel” for his pioneering work perfecting narrative romances independent of classical epic form.
For imaginatively transforming folklore into intricately crafted courtly romance, lending prestige to the Arthurian legends that has endured over centuries, and revolutionizing literary approaches to storytelling, Chrétien de Troyes stands as one of the most significant writers of medieval Europe.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve traced the life, works, influences, and legacy of the Father of Arthurian Romance, Chrétien de Troyes. While details remain cloudy about Chrétien the man, his contributions to medieval poetry and prose are undeniable. By blending courtly love and magical adventures into the first Arthurian romances, he crafted the template that still shapes King Arthur’s legend today.
I hope you’ve enjoyed journeying with me through Chrétien’s world of knights, ladies, love, and lore. No writer before or since has done more to transform Arthurian tales into vehicles for creative expression as well as windows into the cultural values of the Middle Ages. Through his elegant verse and the innovations within his pioneering romances, Chrétien de Troyes endures as one of European literature’s most legendary voices.
