Aucassin & Nicolette, and Other Mediæval Romances and Legends

In Short

This collection brings together medieval French narrative poems and prose tales, translated into clear English. Across its pages, brave young lords defy stern fathers, faithful women disguise themselves as squires to clear their names, and humble acrobats offer their only skills to the Virgin Mary in quiet crypts. Love tests every boundary, setting devoted couples against war, trickery, and long distance. Written to be recited before listening crowds, these stories endure because they capture the enduring warmth of human devotion, the sharp sting of betrayal, and the lighthearted humor of a world where ingenuity and faith win out.

The Story

The collection opens with the beloved story of Aucassin, the noble heir of Beaucaire, and Nicolette, a captive Saracen maiden of unknown birth. Aucassin’s father refuses to permit their union, shutting Nicolette in a chamber and locking Aucassin within a dark tower. Nicolette escapes by night into the moonlit streets, leaving a lock of her golden hair for her lover before fleeing to the forest. When Aucassin is released, he searches the woods, finds the bower she built, and rides away with her. Their wild journeys lead them across the sea to strange realms—including a land where the king lies in child-bed while the queen leads the army into battle with roasted apples and fresh cheeses. After further separations by pirates and distance, Nicolette discovers she is the daughter of the King of Carthage. Disguised as a minstrel, she returns to Beaucaire, where Aucassin now rules, and the faithful lovers are joyously wed.

Other tales in the volume explore devotion through different trials. In one narrative, a noble Emperor sends young Constant toward Byzantium bearing a sealed letter ordering his immediate execution upon arrival; yet through divine providence and fortunate turns, the young man survives and achieves his rightful place. Another tale follows a tumbler who feels unworthy of his monastic brethren because he knows no prayers or Latin; in secret, he performs his leaps, bounds, and acrobatic routines before the altar of the Virgin, until Our Lady herself descends with angels to fan his exhausted brow with a white napkin.

Love and cunning repeatedly overcome worldly obstacles. In a story of deep marital trust, Madame Jehane clips her hair, puts on squire's clothing, and serves her wrongfully accused husband as a loyal servant named John for seven years, ultimately proving her innocence and unmasking a traitor. In another tale, a clever knight named William loses his beloved to an arrangement made by his own grasping uncle; William outsmarts his rivals, wins a tournament, marries his true love at dawn, and eventually inherits the lands of both his uncle and the old prince. Throughout the book, divine intervention, quick wit, and selfless affection transform desperate journeys into lasting peace.

How It Unfolds

The lovers part Nicolette unbars the postern gate by night, sneaks past the town watch, and speaks to her imprisoned lover through a crevice in his tower before fleeing into the wild.

The battle of cheeses Aucassin travels to a foreign castle where he finds the king lying in child-bed, then rides to a battlefield where armies wage war by throwing baked apples, mushrooms, and fresh cheeses at one another.

The lethal warrant Constant rides toward Byzantium carrying a sealed letter from the Emperor that commands the castellan to execute the bearer on sight, completely unaware of the doom he carries in his hand.

The tumbler's prayer A humble performer secretly enters the abbey crypt and performs his finest leaps, bounds, and salutations before the statue of the Virgin Mary until he collapses from sheer exhaustion.

The celestial comfort As the weary acrobat lies spent on the stone pavement, the Queen of Heaven descends with a host of angels and gently fans his sweating brow with a white napkin.

The squire's true identity After seven years of faithful service in male disguise, the squire John reveals to Sir Robert that she is actually his long-lost wife, Madame Jehane, completely free of the treasonous charges laid against her.

The happy outcome Sir William marries his beloved at dawn despite his uncle's betrayal, winning the approval of the barons and eventually inheriting vast lands and wealth.

The People

• Aucassin: The noble son of the Count of Beaucaire, who cares nothing for knighthood or inheritance unless he can win Nicolette. His fierce devotion makes him reckless, willing to defy his father and strike foreign kings to keep his lady safe. He ends his journey as a happy ruler reunited with his bride.
• Nicolette: A Saracen captive of grace and resourcefulness who escapes prison, survives the wilderness, and uses her intelligence to navigate foreign courts. She cuts her golden hair, disguises herself as a minstrel, and successfully finds her way back to the man who loves her.
• Constant: A young man of high destiny who carries his own death warrant across the kingdom without knowing its contents. Protected by providence, he survives the plot against his life to achieve honor and high standing.
• The Minstrel of Our Lady: A gentle monk who knows no holy chants or Latin prayers and fears he is useless to his order. He offers his tumbling and acrobatic skills in secret, winning the personal gratitude and blessing of the Virgin Mary.
• Madame Jehane: A devoted noblewoman framed for a crime she did not commit. She disguised herself as a squire named John to follow and serve her husband for seven long years before revealing her identity and restoring her honor.
• Messire William: A brave and courteous knight denied his true love by a greedy relative. He relies on his skill in tournaments and quick action to marry his lady before anyone can stop him.

In Its Own Voice

"Woman cannot love man, as man loves woman; for woman's love is in the glance of her eye, and the blossom of her breast, and the tip of the toe of her foot; but the love of man is set deep in the hold of his heart, from whence it cannot be torn away."

Aucassin passionately argues to Nicolette through the walls of his ruined tower that his devotion runs deeper than any feeling she could possess.

"I, the Emperor of Byzantium, and lord of Greece, make him, the governor of my city, to know that as soon as he shall read this letter he shall slay, or cause to be slain, the bearer of this letter, forthwith, upon the delivery thereof."

The Emperor writes a cold, secretive warrant intended to end young Constant's life the moment he delivers the parchment to Byzantium.

"Then the sweet and courteous Queen herself took a white napkin in her hand, and with it, gently fanned her minstrel before the altar."

The Virgin Mary descends into the dark crypt to comfort the exhausted acrobat who offered his leaping and vaulting as his only form of prayer.

What It's Really About

At their heart, these tales examine the nature of devotion and the tension between worldly authority and personal fidelity. Fathers, emperors, and barons repeatedly attempt to impose their wills through forced marriages, secret executions, and social barriers. Yet the stories insist that genuine love and pure faith are far stronger than feudal obligation or wealth. Whether through a maiden cutting her hair to live as a humble squire or an illiterate acrobat dancing in a dark crypt, true commitment requires total selflessness. Divine grace consistently favors the innocent and the constant, turning human treachery into triumph and rewarding those who remain steadfast against every hardship.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy fairy tales, medieval lore, and classic courtly romances will find this collection endlessly charming. It offers a direct doorway into the imaginative landscape of thirteenth-century France, capturing the exact rhythms of stories meant to be performed out loud to eager crowds.

The prose flows with a light, pictorial swiftness—taking you quickly from moonlit gardens and ruined towers to absurd battlefields pelted with fresh cheeses. Reading it feels like stepping into a brightly painted medieval manuscript where high drama and playful humor sit side by side.

The main challenge for modern readers lies in the older storytelling conventions, such as sudden shifts into verse, repeated phrasing, and occasional medieval attitudes regarding social class and foreign lands. Yet these structural quirks are precisely what give the volume its historic flavor. The collection leaves you with a lasting impression of bright colors, gentle chivalry, and the timeless idea that sincere love can overcome any obstacle.