About
Chrétien de Troyes (c. 1135 – c. 1190) was a French poet and trouvère from Champagne, regarded as the inventor of the Arthurian chivalric romance. Active at the court of Marie de Champagne and later Philip of Flanders, he wrote in Old French in octosyllabic couplets, including Érec et Énide, Cligès, Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart, Yvain or the Knight with the Lion, and Perceval or the Story of the Grail. He introduced the Grail motif and the love story of Lancelot and Guinevere into Western literature. Dante praised him for making France preeminent in narrative poetry.
* 1135-01-01 — † 1181-01-01
Major works
- Érec et Énide (c. 1170)romance
- Cligès (c. 1176)romance
- Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette (c. 1177–1181)romance
- Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion (c. 1177–1181)romance
- Perceval ou le Conte du Graal (c. 1181–1190)romance
Key milestones
- c. 1170Composition of Érec et Énide, the first Arthurian romance.
- c. 1177–1181Wrote Lancelot and Yvain at the court of Marie de Champagne.
- c. 1181–1190Composed Perceval, left unfinished, dedicated to Philip of Flanders.
Themes
courtly lovechivalryquestArthurian marvelhonor and prowess
Sources: britannica.com · data.bnf.fr · oxfordbibliographies.com