Doon de Mayence also known as Doolin de Maience, Doon de Maience or Doolin de Mayence was a fictional hero of the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

chansons de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th ...

'', who gives his name to the third cycle of the

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

romances dealing with the feudal revolts. There is no single unifying theme in the ''geste'' of Doon de Mayence. The rebellious barons are connected by the poets with Doon by fictitious

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

ties and all are represented as opposing

, although their adventures—insofar as they possess a historical basis—generally occur before (or after) his reign. The general insolence of their attitude to the sovereign suggests that Charlemagne is here only a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

for his weaker successors. The tradition of a traitorous family of Mayence (

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

), which was developed in Italy into a series of stories about criminals, appeared later than the

Carolingian cycle The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French ''cha ...

. A contributor to the

Chronicle of Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

states (iv. 87) that the army of Sigebert was betrayed from within its own ranks by men of Mayence, in a battle fought with Radulf on the banks of the

Unstrut The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

. The chief heroes of the poems which make up Doon de Mayence are

Ogier the Dane Ogier the Dane (french: ; da, ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (ca. 1220), which belongs to the ''Geste de ...

the four sons of Aymon ''The Four Sons of Aymon'' (french: esQuatre fils Aymon, nl, De Vier Heemskinderen, german: Die Vier Haimonskinder), sometimes also referred to as ''Renaud de Montauban'' (after its main character) is a medieval tale spun around the four sons ...

, and

Huon of Bordeaux Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th-century French epic poem with romance elements. ''Huon of Bordeaux'' The poem tells of Huon, a knight who unwittingly kills Charlot, the son of Emperor Charlemagne. He is given a reprieve from ...

. Doon himself was probably one of the last characters to be clearly defined, and the ''chanson de geste'' relating his exploits was drawn up partly with the view of supplying a suitable ancestor for the other heroes—in modern terms, a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

. The second half of the poem, detailing Doon’s wars in Saxony, is perhaps based on historical events but the first half, a separate romance dealing with his romantic childhood, is a fiction dating back to the 13th century. Doon had twelve sons, of whom the most noteworthy are: * Gaufrey de Danemarche, the father of

* Doon de Nanteuil, whose son Gamier married the beautiful Aye d’Avignon * Griffon d’Hauteville, father of the arch-traitor Ganelon *

Duke Aymon Duke Aymon of Dordone (Italian: ''Amone'', German: ''Haimon'', ''Heime'') is a character in the Old French Matter of France, appearing in ''chansons de geste'' and Italian romance epics depicting the adventures of Charlemagne and his knights. The ...

de Dordone or Dourdan, whose

four sons ''Four Sons'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed and produced by John Ford and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie first published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' as "Grandmother Bernle Learns Her ...

(including

Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ''chanson de geste'' known as ' ...

) were relentlessly pursued by Charles * Beuves d’Aigremont, whose sons were the enchanter Maugris and Vivien de Monbranc * Sevin (or Seguin), the father of

* Girart de Roussillon, hero, married to Bertha, opponent of Charles * Others, less renowned The history of these figures is given in ''Doon de Mayence'', ''Gaufrey'', the romances relating to Ogier, ''Aye d’Avignon'', the fragmentary ''Doon de Nanteuil'', ''Gui de Nanteuil'', ''Tristan de Nanteuil'', ''Parise la Duchesse'', ''Maugis d’Aigremont'', ''Vivien l’amachour de Monbranc'', ''Renaus de Montauban'' (or ''Les Quatre Fils Aymon'') and ''Huon de Bordeaux''.

References

Literary characters Fictional knights Matter of France Chansons de geste {{lit-char-stub