Medieval Chivalry Literature: Romances, Novels, and Key Works

The Tradition of Knightly Stories

The stories about knights date back to the songs of geste, narrated by minstrels at a time when the nobility held a great historical role. These narratives were transformed during the fifteenth century as society changed profoundly.

Chivalric Romances vs. Chivalric Novels

Medieval literature developed two distinct forms of knightly fiction:

Chivalric Romances (Books of Chivalry)

• Recreate a past and remote time: The action is located in distant and exotic landscapes.
• Fantastic elements: There are dragons, giants, and other creatures in a mysterious and fantastic setting.
• Characters: The characters are often quite superhuman.

Chivalric Novels

• Reflection of the environment: They are a reflection of the environment in which they are written; the action happens on known land.
• Elements: Great elements appear, but the characters and the facts possess a human dimension.

Tirant lo Blanc: A Masterpiece of Chivalric Fiction

Tirant lo Blanc (Joanot Martorell, c. 1413, Gandia–Valencia, 1468) was a gentleman who lived immersed in a world dominated by his way of understanding life, based on the values of his knightly estate.

He travels to England with the intention of finding a judge for a jousting match that finally took place. On this trip, the idea for his novel, Tirant lo Blanc, was probably born. It tells the adventures of war and love of the knight of that name, from the time he arrives in England for the king's wedding with the intention of entering the order of chivalry, until he dies in the Byzantine Empire after having liberated Constantinople from Turkish rule.

Scholars consider this work a complete and proficient novel. The argument is divided into five parts:

1. Tirant in England: The protagonist receives instruction about the laws of chivalry.
2. Tirant in Sicily and Rhodes: Accompanied by a child of the King of France, he participates in the defense of Rhodes.
3. Tirant in the Greek Empire: Tirant defends Constantinople against the Turks, serving as the Emperor's captain. He falls in love with the princess Carmesina and lives with her delicious erotic stories.
4. Tirant in North Africa: He struggles with the Saracens and similar episodes, mirroring a portion of the Curial.
5. Tirant's Free Rule: He returns to the Empire, marries Carmesina, and is granted rule, but dies of disease.

Curial and Guelfa: An Anonymous Love Affair

Curial and Guelfa is an anonymous work written between 1435 and 1462. It recounts a love affair between a humble knight (Curial) and a noble lady (Guelfa). It is structured into three books:

1. Book 1: Curial begins in the chivalrous world, helped by Guelfa. He is a poor young gentleman whom she wants to become the best knight in the entire court.
2. Book 2: Curial participates in many tournaments. He meets Lachesis, who falls in love with him, but Curial does not reciprocate.
3. Book 3: Curial travels to the East, where he meets Càmara and is made captive. Càmara falls in love with him, but Curial returns to marry Guelfa. Càmara, disillusioned, ends up committing suicide.