Jacob Van Maerlant
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Jacob van Maerlant (c. 1230–40 – c. 1288–1300) was a
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
poet of the 13th century and one of the most important
Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarch ...
authors during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
.


Biography

Jacob van Maerlant was born near
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
. He became
sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...
of Maerlant, in the island of
Oostvoorne Oostvoorne is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westvoorne, and lies about north of Hellevoetsluis. In 2001, the town of Oostvoorne had 5,403 inhabitants, the built-up area of the town was , and ...
, where he lived for some time, employed as a sexton, whence his surname "de Coster". Later he resided at Damme, near
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
, where, according to tradition, he held the position of town clerk. His early works are
Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarch ...
translations of French
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
s. Jacob's most serious work in the field of romance poems was his ''Historie van Troyen'' (c. 1264), a poem of some forty thousand lines, translated and amplified from the ''Roman de Troie'' of
Benoît de Sainte-Maure Benoît de Sainte-Maure (; died 1173) was a 12th-century French poet, most probably from Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine near Tours, France. The Plantagenets' administrative center was located in Chinon, west of Tours. ''Le Roman de Troie'' His 40,000 ...
. From this time Jacob rejected romance as idle, and devoted himself to writing scientific and historical works for the education and, enlightenment of the Flemish and Dutch nobility. His ''Heimelicheit der Heimelicheden'' (c. 1266) is a translation of the ''Secreta secretorum'', a manual for the education of princes, ascribed throughout the Middle Ages to
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
. ''Van der Naturen Bloeme''J. van Maerlant, Van der Naturen Bloeme, met miniaturen, fol. oude band met sloten, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag, KA_16 (XVI 9869) is a free translation of ''De natura rerum'', a natural history in twenty books by a native of
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...
,
Thomas of Cantimpré Thomas of Cantimpré (Latin: Thomas Cantimpratensis or Thomas Cantipratensis) (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, 1201 – Louvain, 15 May 1272) was a Flemish Catholic medieval writer, preacher, theologian and a friar belonging to the Dominican Order. He is bes ...
; and his ''Rijmbijbel'' is taken, with many omissions and additions, from the ''Historia scholastica'' of
Petrus Comestor Petrus Comestor, also called Pierre le Mangeur (died 22 October 1178), was a twelfth-century French theological writer and university teacher. Life Petrus Comestor was born in Troyes. Although the name ''Comestor'' (Latin for 'eater', ''le Ma ...
. He supplemented this metrical paraphrase of
scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
history by ''Die Wrake van Jherusalem'' (1271) by
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
. He also translated a ''Life of St. Francis'' (''Leven van St. Franciscus'') from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
of
Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister G ...
. Jacob's most extensive work is the '' Spiegel Historiael'', a rhymed chronicle of the world, translated, with omissions and important additions, from the ''Speculum historiale'' of
Vincent de Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...
. It is dedicated to Count Floris V and was begun in 1283, but was left unfinished at the poet's death. Continuations were given by
Philip Utenbroeke Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
and
Lodewijc van Velthem Lodewijk van Velthem was a Flemish poet and priest of the late 13th and early 14th century writing in Middle Dutch. Biography Very little is known about the life of Lodewijk van Velthem. He was said to be from Brabant, and from descriptions of wh ...
, a Brabant priest. He wrote three
Arthurian King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a Legend, legendary king of Great Britain, Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest tradition ...
works: ''Torec'', which survives in the massive
Lancelot Compilation The Lancelot Compilation is the name given to a Middle Dutch collection, produced ca. 1320, containing seven Arthurian romances folded into the three parts of the Lancelot-Grail cycle. Lancelot in Dutch Arthurian romance must have been widespread ...
, and two romances based on the works of Robert de Boron: ''Historie van den Grale'' and ''Boec van Merline'', which tell the stories of
Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several t ...
and
Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
. Jacob is also the author of a number of strophic poems, which date from different periods of his life. Of these the best known is the ''Wapene Martijn'' ("Alas! Martin") so called from the opening words. It is a dialogue on the course of events held between the poet himself and a character named Martin. Altogether there are three parts, of which the above-mentioned is the first. The other two parts are known as ''Dander Martijn'' ("Second Martin") and ''Derden Martijn'' ("Third Martin"). Other poems of this kind are ''Van ons Heren wonden'', a translation of the hymn ''Salve mea! o patrona''; ''Die Clausule van der Bible'', an allegorical poem in praise of the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
; the , which bewails the sad situation of the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
. Jacob's last poem ''Van den Lande van Oversee'' was written after the fall of
Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...
(1291) and is a stirring summons to a crusade against the infidels, with bitter complaints about abuses in the Church. The ''Geesten'' were edited by Franck (
Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
, 1882). Complete editions of the strophic poems were given by E. Verwijs (Groningen, 1880) and by J. Franck and J. Verdam (Groningen, 1898). Based on doctoral research (Van Anrooij 1997), it is now thought likely that Jacob was also the author of the hitherto anonymous ''Van neghen den besten'' ("On the Nine Worthies"). This would be his last work. It is one of the few works with European distribution whose source text was written in
Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarch ...
. The work had a profound and lasting impact on the honor code of the Western European knightly elite. Jacob died in the closing years of the 13th century. The greater part of his work consists of translations, but he also produced poems that prove him to have had real original poetic faculty. Among these are ''Die Clausule van der Bible'', ''Der Kerken Clage'', imitated from a ''Complainte'' of Rutebeuf, and the three dialogues entitled ''Martijn'', in which the fundamental questions of theology and ethics were discussed. Although Jacob was an orthodox
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, he is said to have been called to account by the priests for translating the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
into the vulgar tongue. In spite of his orthodoxy, Jacob was a keen
satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...
of the corruptions of the clergy. He was one of the most learned men of his age, and for two centuries was the most celebrated of Flemish poets.


Biographical Uncertainty

The date and year of his birth are unknown. Estimates range between 1230 and 1240, as his oldest work, ''Alexanders geesten'' (The Deeds of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
), was likely written shortly after 1260. Jacob's place of birth and information regarding his parents are also unknown. His language was analyzed by the Dutch linguists Amand Berteloot and Evert van den Berg, who came to the conclusion that he learned to speak in the
County of Flanders The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries. From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypr ...
, somewhere south of the city of
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
, Belgium. Jacob's place and time of death is also unknown. Tradition holds that Jacob must have been alive in 1291, because he is considered to be the author of the poem ''Vanden lande van Overzee'' (On the Land across the Sea), which discusses the fall of the last Christian city in the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
, Saint-Jean d'Acres. This poem, which survived in only one manuscript (UB Groningen, Ms. 405), has no name attached to it. None of the texts in this manuscript bears the name of its author. However, he has historically been seen as the author of this poem, particularly by Nineteenth-century Dutch scholars. This claim was based on a verse in the 19th and last stanza: "Ghi heren, dit is Jacobs vont,", meaning 'Gentlemen, this is Jacob's creation'. For the 19th century, this was more than enough proof that the poet could not have been anybody else than Jacob van Maerlant. This is most likely an unsound theory as Jacob only referred to himself as such in his early life. By the time it is purported he wrote this poem, he was just using his last name 'Maerlant'. A recent examination of this manuscript by historian Jos Biemans confirmed that it is unlikely he was the author of this poem.


Attributed works

*''Alexanders Geesten'' *''Historie van den grale'' *''Merlijns boeck'' *''Istory van Troyen'' *''Der naturen bloeme'' *''Rijmbijbel'' *''Spieghel historiael'' *''Sinte Franciscus' Leven'' *''Wapene Martijn'' *''Tweede Martijn'' *''Van der Drievoudecheide'' *''Verkeerde Martijn'' *''Der Kerken claghe'' *''Van den lande van overzee'' *''Heimelykheid der heimelykheden'' *''Lapidarijs'' *''Leven van Ste. Clara'' *''Sompniariis' *''Torec'' *''Van neghen den besten''


See also

*
Dutch literature Dutch language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, Be ...
*
Flemish literature Flemish literature is literature from Flanders, historically a region comprising parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Until the early 19th century, this literature was regarded as an integral part of Dutch literature. After Bel ...


Bibliography

* Evert van den Berg, "Waar kwam Jacob van Maerlant vandaan?", in Amand Berteloot
''Verslagen en mededelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde''
1993, p. 30-77. *Jos Biesmans, 'Het Gronings-Zutphense Maerlant-handschrift. Over de noodzakelijkheid der handschriftenkunde', in: ''Queeste'' 3 (1996), p. 107-219. *
Frits van Oostrom Frits van Oostrom (born 15 May 1953 in Utrecht, Netherlands) is University Professor for the Humanities at Utrecht University. In 1999 he was a visiting Professor at Harvard for the Erasmus Chair. From September 2004 to June 2005, he was a fe ...
, ''Maerlants wereld''. Amsterdam 1996. *Karina van Dalen-Oskam, ''Studies over Jacob van Maerlants Rijmbijbel''. Hilversum 1997. *Ingrid Biesheuvel, ''Maerlants werk. Juweeltjes van zijn hand''. Amsterdam 1998. *Willem Kuiper
'Die Destructie van Jherusalem in handschrift en druk'
in: ''Voortgang, jaarboek voor de neerlandistiek'' 25 (2007), p. 67-88. *Claudine A. Chavannes-Mazel
''Maerlants Rijmbijbel in Museum Meermanno. De kracht van woorden, de pracht van beelden.''
Met vertalingen uit het Middelnederlands van het handschrift 10 B 21 door Karina van Dalen-Oskam en Willem Kuiper. Den Haag 2008.


References

*


External links



* ttp://cf.hum.uva.nl/dsp/ljc/maerlant/ Page on Jacob van Maerlant at Project Laurens Janszoon Coster with electronic versions of a few of his worksbr>Diplomatic transcription of MS 10 B 21 Museum Meermanno
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob van Maerlant 13th-century births 1300 deaths Writers of Arthurian literature Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire Flemish poets Flemish writers (before 1830) 13th-century historians from the Holy Roman Empire Middle Dutch writers Writers from Bruges People from Damme People from Westvoorne 13th-century poets 13th-century people from the county of Flanders