The Vows Of The Heron
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''The Vows of the Heron'' (''Voeux du héron'') c.1346 is a satirical Flemish poem, which purported to explain the causes of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
in terms of the goading into action by a Low Country exile of
Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
.


Background

Robert III of Artois Robert III of Artois (1287 – between 6 October & 20 November 1342) was a French nobleman of the House of Artois. He was the Lord of Conches-en-Ouche, of Château de Domfront, Domfront, and of Mehun-sur-Yèvre, and in 1309 he received as appan ...
, in exile in England, was a significant bone of contention between England and France, as well as a persistent agitator of Edward to take action against France.


Theme

''The Vows'' presents Robert as offering Edward a
heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...
at a royal banquet: "I believe I have caught the most cowardly bird...It is my intention to give the heron to the most cowardly one who lives or has ever lived: that is Edward Louis, disinherited of the noble land of France...because of his cowardice". The poem satirizes Robert as the cunning instigator of the war; and presents Edward as his naïve, blustering victim. While almost certainly a fictional account, modern historians consider that the poem nonetheless reveals a kind of truth about the relations of the two men, and the approach to war.


Ethos

Johan Huizinga Johan Huizinga (; 7 December 1872 – 1 February 1945) was a Dutch historian and one of the founders of modern cultural history. Life Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two ...
emphasised as typically late medieval in the poem, what he called “the spirit of barbarian crudeness that it reveals”, as well as the self-mockery found within its grimness. One knight, Jean de Beaumont, is presented as claiming that: “When we are in the tavern, drinking strong wine,/When the ladies pass and look at us….Nature urges us to have desiring hearts/... ut whenour enemies are approaching us,/Then we should wish to be in a cellar so large”.


See also


Further reading

*J. L. Grigsby ed., ''The Vows of the Heron'' (1992)


References


External links


Vows of the Heron
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vows of the Heron, The 1346 works 14th-century poems Satirical poems War poetry Hundred Years' War literature Anonymous works Poems about birds Cultural depictions of Edward III of England