VII to the south of France, may even have its role, intersecting with the theme of
pilgrimage to Saint-Gilles.
The structure of the text, the diversity of tone, and the novelty of the role accorded
Guillaume make the Charroi one of the cycle’s most original poems. The first half of the
work is a stirring encounter between King Louis the Pious and his vassal, who requests
recompense for his services; the second is a lively and sometimes humorous tale of
conquest. Nowhere else are Guillaume’s heroic qualities so in evidence: not only an
invincible warrior, he is also an epic poet, recounting with moving vigor the deeds of
Béranger or exhorting his men to crusade with his account of Saracen atrocities. Thanks
to suggestions from his nephew Bertrand, this bard is also a counselor of mythic stature:
so that peace may reign in the kingdom, the wise vassal must ask to conquer his fief from
the Saracens. Finally, Guillaume’s doubts and hesitations when he is faced with knightly
challenges provide him a new depth of characterization.
François Suard
[See also: CHANSON DE GESTE; GUILLAUME D’ORANGE CYCLE]
McMillan, Duncan, ed. Le charroi de Nîmes: chanson de geste du XIIe siècle. 2nd ed. Paris:
Klincksieck, 1978.
Frappier, Jean. Les chansons de geste du cycle de Guillaume d’Orange. 2 vols. Paris: Société
d’Édition d’Enseignement Supérieur, 1965, Vol. 2, pp. 179–253.
Mancini, Mario. Socièta feudale e ideologia nel Charroi de Nîmes. Florence: Olschki, 1972.
CHARTER
. Record of a private contract, act, or transaction, most often a donation, sale, exchange,
will, or marriage agreement, written in Latin (or occasionally the vernacular) on
parchment by a cleric or notary. The legal force of the private charter, written up by
monastery or bishop or powerful lord, was ambiguous and changed over the centuries. At
first, its value lay primarily in the fact that it listed witnesses to the act or deed, who
could be called forward in the event of a dispute. The legal force of the private contract
gradually came to lie in the contract itself, and demands would be made for the written
document to be produced in cases of disputes; eventually, it was the seals of public
authorities—bishops, abbots, lords, and even ladies—affixed to it that gave it its force.
Charters written by notaries, found earliest in the towns of the Midi, contain the much
wider range of business transactions found among townsmen; the authenticity of charters
written up by notaries lay in the notary’s possession of his cartulary notes, which could
be used as proof of its authenticity.
Constance H.Berman
[See also: CARTULARY; NOTARIES]
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 390