Lillich, Meredith P. The Stained Glass of Saint-Père de Chartres. Middletown: Wesleyan
University Press, 1978.
van der Meulen, Jan. Chartres: Biographie der Kathedrale. Cologne, 1984.
——. Chartres: Sources and Literary Interpretation: A Critical Bibliography. Boston: Hall, 1989.
CHASTELAINE DE VERGY
. This anonymous romance of 948 octosyllabic lines was written between 1203 and 1288.
It turns on a series of broken promises. A knight, having sworn never to reveal his love
for the Chastelaine, is obliged to confess it to the Duke of Burgundy because of the
infatuation he has inspired in the duchess. He is thus caught between his promise to his
lady land his allegiance to his lord. The jealous duchess contrives to extract the secret
from her husband, who is caught between his promise and his loyalty to the duchess.
When the duchess reveals her knowledge of the secret love to the Chastelaine, the latter
becomes so distraught she dies. After her maid explains the cause of her death to her
lover, he stabs himself. The duke, realizing his role in the tragedy, kills his wife and
buries the three victims before departing on crusade.
The tale has inspired various interpretations, from roman à clef, to a retelling of
traditional themes, to a criticism of fin’amor, It has also been suggested that the jealous
duchess belongs more to the fabliau than to the courtly romance. One of the most
intriguing of medieval tales, it continues to inspire diverse interpretations.
Charity Cannon Willard
[See also: COURTLY LOVE]
Arrathoon, Leigh A., ed. and trans. The Lady of Vergy. New York: Cross-Cultural
Communications, 1984.
Stuip, R.E.V., ed. La Chastelaine de Vergi, édition critique du ms. B.N. f.fr. 375...suivie de
l’édition diplomatique de tous les manuscrits connus du XIIIe et du XIVe siècle. The Hague:
Mouton, 1970.
Whitehead, Frederick, ed. La Chastelaine de Vergi. Manchester: Manchester University Press,
1944.
Lakits, Pál. La Châtelaine de Vergi et l’évolution de la nouvelle courtoise. Debrecen: Kossuth
Lajos Tudomanyegyetern, 1966.
Zumthor, Paul. “De la chanson au récit: la Chastelaine de Vergi” Vox Romanica 27 (1968):77–95.
CHASTELLAIN, GEORGES
(1415–1475). Born in Flanders at Alost, Georges Chastellain studied at the University of
Louvain and went to war against the French under Philip the Good. After ten years in
France in the service of Charles VII (1435–46), he returned to Burgundy, where he
served in many capacities at court before Philip appointed him official chronicler of the
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