Top of page

Book/Printed Material Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette

About this Item

Title

  • Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.

Other Title

  • Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette

Summary

  • Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette (Lancelot, the knight of the cart) is the third Arthurian novel written by Chrétien de Troyes (circa 1135-circa 1181). It was composed between 1176 and 1181 at the request of Marie de Champagne. This novel in octosyllabic verses is part of the Holy Grail cycle, the four volumes of which are kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France under shelf-marks FR 113 to FR 116. This copy of the novel was commissioned by book lover Jacques d'Armagnac, duke of Nemours and count of La Marche, between 1470 and 1475. He called upon illuminator Evrard d'Espinques (1414-1494), from Cologne, to illustrate the work. In the novel, Lancelot sets out to rescue Queen Guinevere, who has been kidnapped and is being kept prisoner by Meleagant. To reach his goal, Lancelot has to overcome a number of obstacles and make sacrifices along an initiatory journey. One of these sacrifices is the source of the "knight of the cart" in the title. In order to save his lady, Lancelot reluctantly must get into a convict cart driven by a cattle keeper, a sign of utmost social shame in the Middle Ages. By doing so, he loses his honor and is ostracized under the very code of knighthood that requires him to make the sacrifice. This novel is a good example of fin'amor or fol'amor (courtly love), the ideal love story in medieval literature.

Names

  • Chrétien, de Troyes, active 12th century Author.
  • Evrard, d'Espinques, 1414-1494 Illuminator.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1470 to 1475]

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • -  400 to 600
  • -  Arthurian romances
  • -  French poetry
  • -  Grail -- Legends
  • -  Guenevere, Queen (Legendary character)
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Knights and knighthood
  • -  Lancelot (Legendary character)
  • -  Literature, Medieval
  • -  Poetry
  • -  Romances

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in Middle French (ca. 1400-1600).
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Illuminated Manuscripts from Europe

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668063

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Chrétien, De Troyes, Active 12Th Century Author, and D'Espinques Evrard. Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1475, 1470] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668063/.

APA citation style:

Chrétien, D. T. & Evrard, D. (1470) Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1475] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668063/.

MLA citation style:

Chrétien, De Troyes, Active 12Th Century Author, and D'Espinques Evrard. Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1475, 1470] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668063/>.