This agreement, dated 1103 between King Henry I of
England and Count Robert of Flanders, clearly sets out
the obligations of both parties. As CHIVALRY grew more
important, feudal oaths became part of chivalric ideals.
When vassals swore fealty to their lords, they also, by
extension, swore loyalty to God. The lord or king was a
stand-in for God, so a vassal became morally bound to
remain loyal to one’s earthly lord. This system of loyal-
ties could get quite elaborate, as chivalry required one
also to defend and honor women as well, which caused
Gawain’s dilemma in SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT.
Gawain is above all interested in being a good Chris-
tian—that is, loyal to God. But he is also ARTHUR’s
knight, housed on his quest by Lord Bertilak and
tempted by Lady Bertilak. When he is propositioned by
the Lady, then, his oath to God to be chaste, his oath to
Bertilak as his new host, and his oath to serve and obey
ladies confl ict with one another, and Gawain must
negotiate his loyalties without breaking any oaths.
FURTHER READING
Strayer, Joseph R. Feudalism. Princeton, N.J.: Van Nostrand,
1965.
Alison Baker
FLORIS AND BLAUNCHEFLUR (FLORIS
AND BLANCHEFLOUR) ANONYMOUS (ca.
1250–1300) Floris and Blaunchefl ur, an anonymous
Middle English ROMANCE written in the southeast Mid-
lands dialect, exists in four manuscripts, all missing
the fi rst several leaves of the text. It is set in Spain,
where Floris, the son of the Muslim king Fenix, and
Blaunchefl ur, the daughter of a Christian servant, grow
up together and are inseparable. Afraid that Floris will
marry Blaunchefl ur when he comes of age, the king
desires to kill the girl, but the queen convinces him to
send Floris away and to sell the girl to a merchant, who
then sells Blaunchefl ur to the emir of Babylon. Floris
returns, and the king tells him that Blaunchefl ur has
died. Distraught, Floris attempts suicide, so his parents
tell him the truth. They help him disguise himself as a
merchant, and then, armed with a magical ring, he sets
out to rescue Blaunchefl ur.
Floris soon arrives in the emir’s city and learns of
the local custom: Each year the emir chooses a new
queen from among the maidens he keeps in a tower.
This year’s choice is Blaunchefl ur. Floris gains entry
into the tower by hiding in a basket of fl owers, and the
lovers are reunited. Soon after, the emir catches them
and brings them to judgment before his council. Moved
by the children’s mutual love, the emir’s men convince
him to pardon them in exchange for their story. Floris
then recounts their history, at which point the emir
dubs Floris a knight and releases the lovers, who then
marry in a church. The emir marries Claris, and the
tale ends with Floris learning of his father’s death and
returning with Blaunchefl ur to claim his kingdom of
Spain.
Along with KING HORN and Havelok the Dane, Floris
and Blaunchefl ur is among the earliest of the MIDDLE
ENGLISH romances. Its source, the Old French aristo-
cratic romance Floire et Blanchefl or, was composed
about a century prior. The Middle English version
deviates widely. The shortened tale, about one-third
the length of its analogue, is dynamic, with an empha-
sis on action, adventure, and dialogue. The result is a
straightforward poetic narrative with a tightly con-
structed plot.
Floris and Blaunchefl ur was a very popular medieval
narrative that was recounted in several VERNACULAR
(non-Latin) languages in addition to Middle English.
The Middle English version is written in short COU-
PLETs and features several popular romance motifs,
including the donning of disguises, the possession of
magical objects, the emphasis on love, and a happy
ending. While no eastern analogue has been found, the
romance’s Arabic themes and images, including the
emir’s harem and his enchanted garden, indicate a def-
inite eastern infl uence, and scholars have noted simi-
larities in plot between Floris and Blaunchefl ur and
some of the tales found in the anonymous Arabian
Nights.
Several plot points make Floris and Blaunchefl ur an
interesting example of its genre. For instance, it neglects
the conventional subject of knightly behavior in favor
of the idyllic love of its protagonists, which, with their
overcoming parental and governmental authority, cul-
minates in a dominant theme of amor omnia vincit (love
conquers all). That the lovers are children and not ado-
lescents (as in the Old French versions) underscores theFLORIS AND BLAUNCHEFLUR 189