Draco Normannicus
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The (Norman Dragon) is a
chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...
written by
Étienne de Rouen Étienne de Rouen (died ), also Stephen of Rouen and , was a Norman Benedictine monk of Bec Abbey of the twelfth century, and a chronicler and poet. The dukes of Normandy commissioned and inspired epic literature to record and legitimise their rul ...
(Stephen of Rouen), a Norman
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monk from Bec-Hellouin. Considered Étienne's principal work, it survives in the
Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library (, ), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City, and is the city-state's national library. It was formally established in 1475, alth ...
. The manuscript was initially anonymous, however it has been accepted for over one hundred years that Étienne is the undisputed author. It is a chronicle of the Normans' history, from their arrival in the former kingdom of
Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...
and the founding of Normandy up to the events which occurred during Étienne's life. There is an emphasis on the territorial conflicts which occurred between Kings
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
and Louis VII.


Content and name

The ''Draco'' (considered an
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
by some critics, such as Irene Harris and Elizabeth Kuhl) was based largely on the work of
Robert of Torigni Robert of Torigni or Torigny (; –1186), also known as Robert of the Mont (; ; also Robertus de Monte Sancti Michaelis, in reference to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel), was a Norman monk, prior, and abbot. He is most remembered for his chronicl ...
and
William of Jumièges William of Jumièges (born c. 1000 – died after 1070) () was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of the earliest writers on the subject of the Norman conquest of England. He is himself a shadowy figure, only known by his dedicatory let ...
' ''
Gesta Normannorum Ducum ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' (''Deeds of the Norman Dukes'') is a chronicle originally created by the monk William of Jumièges just before 1060. In 1070 William I had William of Jumièges extend the work to detail his rights to the throne of Engl ...
''. The poem itself is unfinished, and also adapts parts of the ''
Roman de Brut The ''Brut'' or ''Roman de Brut'' (completed 1155) by the poet Wace is a loose and expanded translation in almost 15,000 lines of Norman-French verse of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin '' History of the Kings of Britain''. It was formerly known ...
'' by
Wace Wace ( 1110 – after 1174), sometimes referred to as Robert Wace, was a Medieval Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the ''Roman de Rou'' that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his car ...
. The poem runs to nearly 4,400 lines, though it has lost at least two passages, estimated at around one hundred verses each. The conventional modern form of the title, , was chosen by Richard Howlett in his edition published in 1885. In the manuscript it occurs only in a different word order, as ''Normannicus Draco''. Howlett also translated the title as "the Norman Standard", rather than literally as "Norman Dragon", as the ''Draco'' is named for the dragon-shaped banners which the
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
followed into battle.


Historical characters mentioned

Matilda of England Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...
, daughter to King Henry I of England, later to become the Empress Matilda after her marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
, becomes a central point during the narrative, as well as Étienne's vision of the dynasty and historical identity of the Norman people. The work gives a detailed account on the funeral rites of Matilda, carried out by the archbishop of Rouen, Rotrou. In the poem, Étienne names
Morgan Le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...
definitively as the sister of the legendary
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
, and ruler of the isle of
Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...
. He also makes mention that Morgan is immortal, and has the ability to grant immortality to Arthur with the aid of the herbs found on the isle. In previous epics Morgan had not been named as sister to Arthur. Only in
Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...
' poem '' Erec and Enide'' was Morgan transformed from sorceress to sister, and this innovation was followed by Étienne in the ''Draco''.


Analysis

According to Martin Aurell, Étienne is the only author of the Arthurian legends known to have had a direct relationship with Henry II. Aurell believes that Étienne, growing up at a time when the Normans were committed to gaining independence from France, was completely devoted to the cause of Henry II, and that this ideology is clearly visible in the ''Draco''. Aurell states the poem has "the character of a piece of propaganda totally committed to the cause of Henry II" and that it includes a "violent diatribe against
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 â€“ 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...
", which Étienne wrote shortly before Becket was murdered in
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
in 1170. There are extensive passages devoted to the funeral rites of Matilda, who lived out her last twenty years at the priory of Notre Dame du Pré, on the outskirts of Rouen. Elizabeth Kuhl believes that as there is only one extant copy of the work remaining, it shows that the poem received little interest at the time it was written. However she states that assumptions on the meanings of how writing on historical matters should be presented led to the ''Draco'' being evaluated negatively, but in more recent times it is now accepted that "all historical writing arranges and makes sense out of its past and present in ways that are not inherent to events themselves". Initially, the ''Draco'' received no attention from scholars since, under the assumptions of how history ought to be written, it was deemed a failure, but when viewed from the latter perspective it is, according to Kuhl, an excellent example. Kuhl also states that another copy, which has since been lost, was known to have been made.


Footnotes


References


External links

* Stephen of Rouen: "Draco Normannicus". Ed. Richard Howlett. In: ''Chronicles of the reigns of Stephen, Henry II., and Richard I'', Vol. II. London: Longman, 1885. p. 589–786. (Full text archived at archive.or


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{refend 1160s books 12th-century books in Latin 12th-century history books History of Normandy Norman chronicles Cultural depictions of Henry II of England