Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical settingVaeth, Joseph Anthony
History
Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical setting
Vaeth, Joseph Anthony
Martorell, Joanot, -1468. Tirant lo Blanch
A strong resemblance between Richard de Beauchamp and Guy of Warwick
is evident. Is it not probable that this similarity was to some
degree instrumental in causing Martorell to give the William of
Warwick episode a setting of the fifteenth century? There are several
references made to deeds of William of Warwick which cannot be found in
the English romance, _Guy of Warwick_. One of them, however, concerns
without doubt Richard de Beauchamp. When the hermit-king told the
countess where the arms were that he desired, she begged him to reveal
to her how he happened to know so much about her husband. He answered
that he was with the earl when the latter, as Capita Major of the city
of Rouen, won a signal victory over the large army of the French king.
Richard de Beauchamp was a popular hero, and if Martorell had been in
England, as he claims in his dedicatory letter, he might have heard of
many feats of the great knight and soldier that are not recorded in
history. However, we have already learned the method of our author, and
we must not expect too many historical data on any subject. But, as a
rule, he gives us sufficient real facts to determine what events or
periods in history he has in mind. Other historical personages cited
in connection with the William of Warwick episode are the Earl of
Salisbury, the Earl of Northumberland, the Duke of Clarence, and the
Prince of Wales. These names also indicate that the historical period
represented is the first half of the fifteenth century.
When Tirant asked the hermit to name the greatest living knights in
England, the latter gave the names of Sir John Stuart and the Duke of
Exeter. History mentions but one great knight named John Stuart, and
he was of this period. From 1419 to the time of his death in 1429, Sir
John Stuart of Darnley was fighting valiantly on the continent on the
side of the French. Charles VII appreciated his worth, and rewarded
him several times: first he granted him the seigneurie of Aubigny in
Berry, next the comté of Evreux in Normandy, and finally the “glorious
privilege of quartering the Royal arms of France with his paternal arms
of Stuart.” He fell fighting bravely in a battle near Orleans. In the
well-known old French play, “Le Mistère du Siège d’Orléans,” written
some time after his death, the following tribute is paid to him:
Est mort tout le noble barnaige
Qui deffendoit la fleur de lis
Ha! le connestable d’Escosse,
Le plus vaillant dans la terre,
Est demeuré à fine force
Qui estoit tant prudent en guerre
On ne pourroit son bruit exquerre
Tant estoit vaillant et hardi
Or le convient il mectre en terre.[66]
[66] _Documents inédits sur l’histoire de France, première
série_, Paris, 1862; p. 342.
Martorell did well to name him as one of the greatest knights of that
period.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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