death of the last Angevin claimant, Duke Nicolas, having already taken place in 1473, the
house of Vaudémont came to power in the person of Duke René II (r. 1473–1508). He
was the ancestor not only of the ducal line until 1738 but also of the house of Guise and
of the rulers of Austria after 1780.
R.Thomas McDonald
[See also: BRABANT; CHARLES THE BOLD]
LORRAINE CYCLE
. The Lorraine Cycle of chansons de geste consists of four branches preserved in some
fifty manuscripts and fragments. The core of the cycle, Garin le Lorrain (16,617 lines),
was composed in the late 12th century and provides the lineal and thematic superstructure
of subsequent poems. Set in the reign of Pepin the Short, the story relates the bitter
rivalry between two feudal houses: the worthy Lotharingians (from Lorraine), led by
Garin and his brother, Bégon, engage in perpeptual struggle with the treacherous
Bordelais (from the region of Bordeaux), led by Fromont de Lens and Bernart de Naisil.
Succeeding branches prolong the conflict, extending the feud to the children of Garin and
Bégon as well as their children’s children. Throughout the remarkably lengthy and brutal
war, which appears to have no basis in historical fact, Pepin emerges as a weak and
avaricious ruler whose efforts often lead to further strife.
Nineteen surviving manuscripts attest to the success of Garin le Lorrain in the Middle
Ages. Several manuscripts attribute the poem’s composition to a certain Jehan de Flagy,
who is now believed to have reworked earlier versions. The first 1,000 lines of Garin
relate the exploits of Duke Hervis de Metz, father of Garin and Bégon and champion of
Charles Martel. The greater portion of the text, however, is devoted to the Lorraine-
Bordelais feud, which culminates in the deaths of Garin and Bégon. Generally faithful to
the early epic tradition, Garin le Lorrain is distinguished by its extraordinary
geographical precision.
The first continuation, Gerbert de Metz (14,795 lines early 13th c.), is never separated
from Garin in the nineteen extant manuscripts. Here, a new generation of Lotharingians
and Bordelais wages war with increasing ferocity. Garin’s son Gerbert initially sets out to
avenge his father’s death with the help of his cousins Hernaut and Gerin, but the mighty
feud degenerates into savagery, as Lotharingians and Bordelais alike engage in acts of
barbarity, including mutilation, disinterment, and the murder of children. The poem
concludes with the death of the Bordelais Fromondin.
The sequel to Gerbert comes down to us in two versions, Anseïs de Metz (14,597
lines; 13th-14th c., four manuscripts) and Yon, ou La vengeance Fromondin (6,672 lines;
13th c.; one manuscript). Yon, the earlier of the two, is noted for its incorporation of
events and characters from Raoul de Cambrai. Both Yon and Anseïs relate the acts of
retaliation that follow Fromondin’s death as well as the murder of Gerbert de Metz.
Whereas Yon ends with Ger-bert’s demise, Anseïs narrates at length the wars of
vengeance conducted by Gerbert’s son and his allies.
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