Aymeri de Narbonne
Encyclopedia
Aymeri de Narbonne is a legendary hero of Old French
chansons de geste and the Matter of France
. In the legendary material, as elaborated and expanded in various medieval texts, Aymeri is a knight in the time of Charlemagne
's wars with the Saracen
s after the Battle of Roncevaux Pass
. He is son of Hernaut and the grandson of Garin de Monglane
. He conquers the city of Narbonne
, marries a princess named Hermengarde or Hermenjart, and fathers seven sons (Guibert, Bernart, Guillaume, Garin, Hernaut, Beuve and Aymer), the most famous being Guillaume d'Orange
, the hero of several popular chansons de geste.
(author, as well, of Girart de Vienne
which Aymeri de Narbonne follows in four of the five extant manuscripts of this poem). The poem comprises 4,708 verses grouped into 122 rhyme
d laisse
s; the verses are all decasyllable
s except for a short six syllable line at the end of each laisse (a similar use of shorter lines appears in the chansons de geste Aliscans
and the Chanson de Guillaume
). In Aymeri de Narbonne, Charlemagne, returning home from Spain after the tragic events of The Song of Roland
, comes upon the city of Narbonne
and offers the city as a fief to whichever of his knights will conquer it, but all the knights refuse because of their despair, except for the young Aymeri. Once he becomes lord of the city, Aymeri seeks the hand of Hermengarde, sister of the king of the Lombards
in Pavia
. After various adventures, including difficulties with a German lord named Savari (to whom Hermengarde had been promised previously) and attacks from the Saracens, the marriage occurs. The poem ends with a prediction about their future children, seven boys and five girls. The poem was reworked into two prose versions in the 15th century.
The Venise
manuscript of The Song of Roland contains, after the end of that poem, a version of the tale of Aymeri taking Narbonne.
The character also appears in the chanson de geste Girart de Vienne
, also by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube. In that poem, he incites his four uncles to war against the Emperor.
The hero also appears in the chanson de geste entitled Narbonnais (c.1210) by an anonymous author from the Brie region. The poem comprises 8,063 decasyllable verses grouped into assonanced laisses. The manuscripts which contain the work all place it alongside other texts (Aymeri de Narbonne, Siège de Barbastre) and the title has lent itself to the entire cycle, called "the Narbonnais Cycle", which is itself often grouped with the "Cycle of Guilluame d'Orange" (itself part of the greater "Geste of Garin de Monglane
"). Narbonnais was once considered to contain two distinct parts (before the critical edition of H. Suchier in 1898), and they have received their own titles: Le Département des Enfanz Aymeri (The Departure of the Children of Aymeri) and Le Siège de Narbonne (The Siege of Narbonne). Linked to this text, there also exists a Latin prose fragment preserved at The Hague
. A prose version of Narbonnais was made in the 15th century. The work was also adapted by the Italian Andrea da Barberino
around 1410 for his prose version Storie Nerbonesi. In the part on the departure of Aymeri's children: Aymeri sends six of his sons out to seek their own fiefs, while keeping the youngest son Guibert. The sons are successful and eventually come to the court of Charlemagne in Paris. In the part on the Siege of Narbonne: taking advantage of the departure of the sons, the Saracens attack Narbonne and nail Guibert to a cross. The youngest son is saved however, and races to the court to seek help, but he learns that Charlemagne has died, leaving his son Louis emperor. The seven sons and Louis' army eventually defeat the Saracens.
Aymeri de Narbonne is also the hero of a (probable 13th century) chanson de geste entitled Mort Aymeri (de Narbonne) (The Death of Aymeri), also called Les Sagittaires. The poem comprises 4,176 decasyllable verses grouped into assonanced and rhymed laisses. In this poem: at the end of his life, Aymeri battles to retake his city (he and his knights resort to dressing as women) and then must battle the Sagittaires, pagan centaur
s, to save fourteen thousand maidens. In the end, Aymeri and two of his sons are mortally wounded and buried in Narbonne.
, who was the Viscount of Narbonne
from around 1106 to 1134.
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
chansons de geste and the Matter of France
Matter of France
The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French chansons de geste, and was later adapted into a variety of...
. In the legendary material, as elaborated and expanded in various medieval texts, Aymeri is a knight in the time of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
's wars with the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s after the Battle of Roncevaux Pass
Battle of Roncevaux Pass
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass was a battle in 778 in which Roland, prefect of the Breton March and commander of the rear guard of Charlemagne's army, was defeated by the Basques...
. He is son of Hernaut and the grandson of Garin de Monglane
Garin de Monglane
Garin de Monglane, or Montglane, the creation of Conrad von Stöffler in 1280, is a fictional aristocrat who gives his name to the second cycle of Old French chansons de geste, La Geste de Garin de Monglane...
. He conquers the city of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, marries a princess named Hermengarde or Hermenjart, and fathers seven sons (Guibert, Bernart, Guillaume, Garin, Hernaut, Beuve and Aymer), the most famous being Guillaume d'Orange
William of Gellone
Saint William of Gellone was the second Count of Toulouse from 790 until his replacement in 811. His Occitan name is Guilhem, and he is known in French as Guillaume d'Orange, Guillaume Fierabrace, and the Marquis au court nez.He is the hero of the Chanson de Guillaume, an early chanson de geste,...
, the hero of several popular chansons de geste.
Texts
Aymeri de Narbonne is the hero of an eponymic early 13th century (c.1205-1225) chanson de geste (based on earlier poems) attributed to Bertrand de Bar-sur-AubeBertrand de Bar-sur-Aube
Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube was an Old French poet from the Champagne region of France who wrote a number of chansons de geste. He is the author of Girard de Vienne, and it is likely that he also wrote Aymeri de Narbonne...
(author, as well, of Girart de Vienne
Girart de Vienne
Girart de Vienne is a late twelfth-century Old French chanson de geste by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube. The work tells the story of the sons of Garin de Monglane and their battles with the Emperor Charlemagne and it establishes the friendship of the epic heroes Olivier and Roland.The poem comprises...
which Aymeri de Narbonne follows in four of the five extant manuscripts of this poem). The poem comprises 4,708 verses grouped into 122 rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
d laisse
Laisse
A laisse is a type of stanza, of varying length, found in medieval French literature, specifically medieval French epic poetry , such as The Song of Roland. In early works, each laisse was made up of assonanced verses, although the appearance of rhymed laisses was increasingly common in later...
s; the verses are all decasyllable
Decasyllable
Decasyllable is a poetic meter of ten syllables used in poetic traditions of syllabic verse...
s except for a short six syllable line at the end of each laisse (a similar use of shorter lines appears in the chansons de geste Aliscans
Aliscans
Aliscans is a chanson de geste of the late twelfth century. It recounts the story of the disastrous but fictional battle of Aliscans in France, between Christian and pagan armies. The name 'Aliscans' presumably refers to the Alyscamps in Arles...
and the Chanson de Guillaume
Chanson de Guillaume
The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de Willame is a chanson de geste from the first half of the twelfth-century The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de Willame (English: "Song of William") is a chanson de geste from the first half of the twelfth-century The Chanson de Guillaume or Chançun de...
). In Aymeri de Narbonne, Charlemagne, returning home from Spain after the tragic events of The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries...
, comes upon the city of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
and offers the city as a fief to whichever of his knights will conquer it, but all the knights refuse because of their despair, except for the young Aymeri. Once he becomes lord of the city, Aymeri seeks the hand of Hermengarde, sister of the king of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
in Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
. After various adventures, including difficulties with a German lord named Savari (to whom Hermengarde had been promised previously) and attacks from the Saracens, the marriage occurs. The poem ends with a prediction about their future children, seven boys and five girls. The poem was reworked into two prose versions in the 15th century.
The Venise
Venise
Venise may refer to:* Venice, in certain languages, like French, for instance* Venise, a commune of the Doubs département, in France...
manuscript of The Song of Roland contains, after the end of that poem, a version of the tale of Aymeri taking Narbonne.
The character also appears in the chanson de geste Girart de Vienne
Girart de Vienne
Girart de Vienne is a late twelfth-century Old French chanson de geste by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube. The work tells the story of the sons of Garin de Monglane and their battles with the Emperor Charlemagne and it establishes the friendship of the epic heroes Olivier and Roland.The poem comprises...
, also by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube. In that poem, he incites his four uncles to war against the Emperor.
The hero also appears in the chanson de geste entitled Narbonnais (c.1210) by an anonymous author from the Brie region. The poem comprises 8,063 decasyllable verses grouped into assonanced laisses. The manuscripts which contain the work all place it alongside other texts (Aymeri de Narbonne, Siège de Barbastre) and the title has lent itself to the entire cycle, called "the Narbonnais Cycle", which is itself often grouped with the "Cycle of Guilluame d'Orange" (itself part of the greater "Geste of Garin de Monglane
La Geste de Garin de Monglane
La Geste de Garin de Monglane is the second cycle of the three great cycles of chansons de geste created in the early days of the genre. It centres around Garin de Monglane....
"). Narbonnais was once considered to contain two distinct parts (before the critical edition of H. Suchier in 1898), and they have received their own titles: Le Département des Enfanz Aymeri (The Departure of the Children of Aymeri) and Le Siège de Narbonne (The Siege of Narbonne). Linked to this text, there also exists a Latin prose fragment preserved at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. A prose version of Narbonnais was made in the 15th century. The work was also adapted by the Italian Andrea da Barberino
Andrea da Barberino
Andrea Mangiabotti, called Andrea da Barberino was an Italian writer and cantastorie of the Quattrocento Renaissance. He was born in Barberino di Val d'Elsa and lived in Florence...
around 1410 for his prose version Storie Nerbonesi. In the part on the departure of Aymeri's children: Aymeri sends six of his sons out to seek their own fiefs, while keeping the youngest son Guibert. The sons are successful and eventually come to the court of Charlemagne in Paris. In the part on the Siege of Narbonne: taking advantage of the departure of the sons, the Saracens attack Narbonne and nail Guibert to a cross. The youngest son is saved however, and races to the court to seek help, but he learns that Charlemagne has died, leaving his son Louis emperor. The seven sons and Louis' army eventually defeat the Saracens.
Aymeri de Narbonne is also the hero of a (probable 13th century) chanson de geste entitled Mort Aymeri (de Narbonne) (The Death of Aymeri), also called Les Sagittaires. The poem comprises 4,176 decasyllable verses grouped into assonanced and rhymed laisses. In this poem: at the end of his life, Aymeri battles to retake his city (he and his knights resort to dressing as women) and then must battle the Sagittaires, pagan centaur
Centaur
In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
s, to save fourteen thousand maidens. In the end, Aymeri and two of his sons are mortally wounded and buried in Narbonne.
Historic sources
The "Aymeri" of the poems may be conflated with a later historic figure, Aimery II of NarbonneAimery II of Narbonne
Aimery II was the Viscount of Narbonne from around 1106 until his death.He was the eldest son of Aimery I of Narbonne and Mahalt , daughter of Robert Guiscard and Sichelgaita and widow of Raymond Berengar II of Barcelona. This made him a half-brother of Raymond Berengar III...
, who was the Viscount of Narbonne
Viscount of Narbonne
The Viscount of Narbonne was the secular ruler of Narbonne in the Middle Ages. Narbonne had been the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania, until the eighth century, after which it became the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. Narbonne was nominally subject to the Carolingian Counts of...
from around 1106 to 1134.