Maugis on his horse Bayard, fighting against the Infidels

Maugis fighting the Saracen Noiron in Aigremont

Maugris or Maugis was one of the heroes of the '' chansons de geste'' and romances of

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...

and the

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 '' chan ...

that tell of the legendary court of King

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

. Maugis was cousin to

Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian language, Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch language, Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ' ...

and his brothers, son of Beuves of Aygremont and brother to Vivien de Monbranc. He was brought up by Oriande the

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spiri ...

, and became a great enchanter. He won the magical horse

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) *Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places *Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community * Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood * Bayard, ...

and the sword Froberge which he later gave to Renaud.

French texts

The oldest extant version of the story of Maugris was the anonymous

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th ce ...

'' '' Quatre Fils Aymon'' dating from the late 12th century. It tells the tale of the four sons of Duke Aymon (Renaud de Montauban, Guichard, Allard and Richardet), their magical horse Bayard, and their adventures and revolt against the emperor Charlemagne. From the 13th century on, other texts concerning Maugris were created; together with the original, these are grouped as the "

cycle". These poems are: ''Maugis d'Aigremont'' (story of the youth of Maugis), ''Mort de Maugis'' (story of the death of Maugis), ''Vivien de Monbranc'' (story of the brother of Maugis), ''Bueve d'Aigremont'' (story of the father of Maugis, Bueve d'Aigremont, brother to Girart de Roussillon and Doon de Nanteuil).Hasenohr and Zink, 1257-8.

Italian texts

Along with Renaud (as ''Rinaldo''), Maugris, as ''Malagi'' or ''Malagigi'', is an important character in Italian Renaissance epics, including ''

Morgante ''Morgante'' (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483See Lèbano's introduction to the Tusiani translation, p. xxii.) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in its ...

'' by

Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his '' Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventu ...

, ''

Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a ro ...

'' by

Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem '' Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,

and ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was ...

'' by

Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's '' Orlando Innamorato'', describes th ...

References

* Hasenohr, Geneviève and Michel Zink, eds. ''Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: Le Moyen Age''. Collection: La Pochothèque. Paris: Fayard, 1992.
Knyght.org
- a site about knights. {{Europe-myth-stub Fictional characters introduced in the 12th century Matter of France Characters in Orlando Innamorato and Orlando Furioso French folklore Fictional French people