Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances

E211845

Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances are a foundational corpus of 12th-century French narrative poems that shaped the legends of King Arthur and his knights, introducing key characters and themes such as Lancelot’s love for Guinevere and the quest for the Holy Grail.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Arthurian literature corpus
Old French literature
chivalric romance cycle
medieval narrative poetry
approximateDate circa 1170–1190
circulation medieval manuscript tradition
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of France
creator Chrétien de Troyes
culturalImpact shaped the canonical image of King Arthur and his knights in Western culture
form rhymed verse
genre Arthurian romance
courtly romance
includesWork Cligès
Erec et Enide
Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette
Perceval, le Conte du Graal
Yvain, le Chevalier au Lion
influenced Post-Vulgate Cycle
linked to: Vulgate Cycle

Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur
linked to: Le Morte d'Arthur

Vulgate Cycle
later Arthurian prose cycles
language Old French
literaryMovement courtly literature
literarySignificance foundational corpus of Arthurian romance tradition
helped codify the ideals of chivalry and courtly love in European literature
mainCharacter Enide
Erec
Gawain
Guinevere
linked to: Queen Guinevere

King Arthur
Lancelot
linked to: Sir Lancelot

Perceval
Yvain
meter octosyllabic rhyming couplets
notableContribution developed the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere
introduced Lancelot as a central Arthurian hero
linked to: Sir Lancelot

provided the earliest extensive narrative of the Holy Grail quest
setting Arthurian Britain
Camelot
linked to: King Arthur's court
sourceMaterial Celtic legends
earlier Arthurian traditions
theme chivalry
courtly love
fidelity
honor
knightly adventure
spiritual quest
timePeriod 12th century

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

King Arthur's court literarySource Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
King Arthur's Britain describedIn Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
Queen Guinevere appearsIn Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
Arthurian legend majorSource Chrétien de Troyes' romances
linked to: Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
Sir Kay appearsInWork Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian romances
linked to: Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
Le Chevalier de la Charrette partOf Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian cycle
linked to: Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
The Lady of the Lake appearsIn Arthurian romances
linked to: Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances
Bedevere appearsIn French Arthurian romances
linked to: Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances