Curial E Güelfa
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''Curial e Güelfa'' is an anonymous Catalan
chivalric romance As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of high medieval and early modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalri ...
of the fifteenth century, notable for incorporating elements of Italian humanism. Known from a single manuscript and unpublished until the twentieth century, it is today considered a highly original masterpiece. The romance is set in the late thirteenth century. Curial and Güelfa, the title characters, are a knight and his lady. Curial travels widely, performing deeds of chivalry, but a rift opens between him and Güelfa. During further travels, he is shipwrecked and enslaved in a pagan land. He escapes with a fortune and, after defeating the pagans, is reunited with Güelfa.


Date, place and authorship

''Curial'' was probably written in the period 1443–1448 or thereabouts. Since it refers to the
Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
'' langue'' of Spain, it was probably completed before 1462, when that ''langue'' was divided between
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
and Castile. It is written in the Valencian dialect of Catalan, which was then the prestige dialect, since
Alfonso the Magnanimous Alfonso the Magnanimous (Alfons el Magnànim in Catalan) (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfons V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfons I) from 1442 until his death. He was in ...
, king of Aragon, had made
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
his chief residence prior to 1432. The author appears to have knowledge of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
and Castilian. The text was probably written in Italy. There have been many attempts to identify the author with known historical persons. Antoni Ferrando Francés suggests that he was Joan Olzina, Alfonso's secretary. Maria Teresa Ferrer i Mallol suggests Lluís Sescases, Alfonso's librarian. Most recently, Abel Soler has suggested Íñigo Dávalos, a Castilian who served Alfonso in Valencia and Italy. There is no scholarly consensus in favour of any of these proposals. It has been suggested that the work is a translation from Italian. Although this is not accepted, the essentially Italian character of the work is generally acknowledged. It has also been suggested, on the basis of its uniqueness, that ''Curial'' is a 19th-century forgery of
Manuel Milà i Fontanals Manuel Milà i Fontanals (; May 4, 1818 – July 16, 1884) was a Spanish scholar. He was born at Vilafranca del Penedès, near Barcelona, and was educated first in Barcelona, and afterwards at the University of Cervera. In 1845, he became prof ...
. The text is generally accepted as authentic today. The physical attributes of the manuscript (ink, paper, binding) are characteristic of the 15th century.


Textual history

Only a single
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
of ''Curial e Güelfa'' is known. It is now MS 9750 in the
Spanish National Library Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
in Madrid. It was ignored or forgotten until rediscovered by Manuel Milà i Fontanals in 1876. The
first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition is all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a book pr ...
appeared in print in 1901. The work bears no date, title or dedication, since the first quire of the manuscript is missing. The romance itself is complete, although a few blank spaces suggest it was copied from an incomplete draft version. It is not the
autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...
. As it stands, it contains 224
folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...
s (448 pages) of
watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...
ed paper. The binding is in the
Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...
style with iron clasps, typical of Castile. The handwriting is of Catalan notarial style. The manuscript was probably made by an Aragonese- or Castilian-speaking scribe. There have been two English translations. There are also translations into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and German.Publisher's description
of .


Synopsis

''Curial e Güelfa'' is a conventional title, reflecting the names of its two main characters. It was coined, in the Spanish form ''Curial y Güelfa'', by
Antoni Rubió i Lluch Antoni Rubió i Lluch (; Valladolid 1856 – Barcelona 1937) was a Spanish historian and intellectual, and a Catalan patriot influenced by the Catalan Renaissance. A Hellenist and a medievalist, he left his mark on the study of the Catalan pr ...
, the editor of the 1901 edition. Curial is a poor knight and a vassal of the
marquis of Montferrat The marquises and dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po River, Po and east of Turin. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the northwest o ...
. Güelfa is the sister of the marquis and a widow of the
duke of Milan Milan was ruled by dukes from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. List of dukes of Milan House of Visconti In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti was titled Duke ...
. The action in ''Curial e Güelfa'' takes place in Italy, Germany, Hungary, France, England, Greece, the Holy Land, Egypt and Tunisia. It refers to
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, but not to
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
. It is set during the reign of King
Peter III of Aragon Peter III of Aragon (In Aragonese, ''Pero''; in Catalan, ''Pere''; in Italian, ''Pietro''; November 1285) was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as ), and Count of Barcelona (as ) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he con ...
(1276–1285). While its "sentimental framework" is Italian, its cultural framework is French. The deeds of chivalry mostly take place in France. ''Curial'' is divided into three books. Each has a prologue and is subdivided into chapters. The chapters lack headings. In the manuscript, spaces have been left for the addition of
initial In a written or published work, an initial is a letter at the beginning of a word, a chapter (books), chapter, or a paragraph that is larger than the rest of the text. The word is ultimately derived from the Latin ''initiālis'', which means '' ...
s at the start of each chapter, but these were never done. In the assessment of
Martí de Riquer Martí is a Catalan name and may refer to: People Surname *Antoni Martí (1963–2023), Andorran architect and politician *Cristóbal Martí (1903–1986), Spanish footballer * David Martí (born 1971), Spanish Oscar winner for best makeup * Dolo ...
, ''Curial'' is "a strikingly original work, written with skill, an excellent style, and a good narrative sense."


First book

In the first book, Curial convinces Güelfa to take him under her protection. She appoints her majordomo, Melchior de Pandó, to tutor him. As a result of rumours about his relationship with Güelfa spread by two jealous courtiers, Curial is banished from court by the marquis. Curial and Jacob of Cleves learn that the duchess of Austria has been falsely accused of adultery. They travel to Austria, where Curial defeats the knights who had made the false accusation. The duchess's father, the
duke of Bavaria The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...
, offers the hand in marriage of his other daughter, the beautiful Laquesis. Although Curial falls in love with her, he refuses her hand. When Güelfa learns of the marriage proposal, she becomes extremely jealous. Curial returns to Montferrat, where, with the help of three Catalan knights, he defeats the Neapolitan knight Boca de Far in a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
held by the marquis.


Second book

In the second book, Curial goes to attend a tournament held by the
king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...
in
Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, ...
. He is accompanied by Güelfa's maid Arta (calling herself Festa). Along the way, he engages in many acts of knight errantry and joins four Aragonese knights. At Melun, he fights for Güelfa. He takes the side of the Aragonese and Burgundians against the French and Bretons. King Peter of Aragon fights incognito. Curial defeats every foe in the presence of Laquesis. Afterwards, Güelfa orders him to remain in Paris, where he defeats the knight called the "Boar of Vilahir". Curial eventually returns to Montferrat to clear his name from certain slander, but Güelfa renounces her protection of him until the French court meeting at Le Puy intervenes on his behalf.


Third book

In the third book, Curial wanders throughout the Holy Land and Greece. At
Saint Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai ...
in Sinai, he meets the reformed Boar of Vilahir, now a
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
. In a dream, he visits
Mount Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; , ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is, and historically has been, especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the c ...
, where the
Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
ask him "whether
Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
' defeat of
Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...
in the
Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
was in accord with the laws of
chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...
." On his return voyage, he is shipwrecked in Tunisia. There he is forced to work seven years as a slave for Fàraig, whose daughter Càmar falls in love with him. He refuses her and she commits suicide, leaving him a large treasure she stole from her father. Through the intervention of the Aragonese ambassador, Curial is freed. Curial returns to Montferrat in disguise, but Güelfa recognized him when he sings the "elephant song". Still she will not take him back. He goes to the French court, is heavily rewarded and falls into luxury and debauchery. He then raises and army to fight the
Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...
and rescues Güelfa's brother in battle. He is restored to the marquis's favour and is rewarded by the emperor of Constantinople. Finally, Curial attends a tournament before the French court at Le Puy. The court intercedes for him and Güelfa takes him back. The two are wed.


Source material and influences

The plot of ''Curial'' is taken from novella 61 of the vernacular Italian '' Cento novelle antiche'' of the 13th century. In its
realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...
, ''Curial'' has some resemblance to contemporary French chivalric narratives, such as '' Livre des faits du bon messire Jehan le Maingre, dit Boucicaut'' and '' Livre des faits de Jacques de Lalaing''. The basic plot is similar to that of '' Le Petit Jehan de Saintré'', a contemporary romance by
Antoine de la Salle Antoine de la Sale (also ''la Salle'', ''de Lasalle''; 1385/861460/61) was a French courtier, educator and writer. He participated in a number of military campaigns in his youth and he only began writing when he had reached middle age, in the late ...
. Most of its identifiable sources, however are Italian. It draws heavily on the works of the early Italian humanists:
Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
,
Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...
and
Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...
. Boccaccio's '' Filocolo'' and Benvenuto da Imola's commentary on Dante's ''
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...
'' have been identified as models. It also draws on the
Matter of Britain The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the list of legendary kings of Britain, legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Art ...
. The author of ''Curial'' was familiar with the story of ', a copy of which was catalogued in the royal library in Valencia in 1417. The song which Curial composes for Güelfa upon his return from Tunisia is ''Atressi com l'aurifany'', in fact composed by
Rigaut de Berbezilh Rigaut de Berbezilh (also Berbezill or Barbesiu; , ) was a troubadour (floruit, fl. 1140–1163Aubrey, 8.Gaunt and Kay, 290.) of the petty nobility of County of Saintonge, Saintonge. He was a great influence on the Sicilian School and is quoted ...
. There are also classical borrowings. The role of Càman is that of
Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located ...
lifted from
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
's ''
Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...
''. The ''Mythologiae'' of
Fulgentius Fulgentius is a Latin male given name which means "bright, brilliant". It may refer to: *Fabius Planciades Fulgentius (5th–6th century), Latin grammarian *Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (5th–6th century), bishop of Ruspe, North Africa, possib ...
is cited in the preface to the third book. The name of Laquesis is that of
Lachesis Lachesis ( ; ; from , 'to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods'), in ancient Greek religion, was the middle of the Three Fates, or Moirai; the others were her sisters, Clotho and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Laches ...
from
Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born  BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
's ''
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
'', the Latin translation of
Manuel Chrysoloras Manuel (or Emmanuel) Chrysoloras (; c. 1350 – 15 April 1415) was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek classical scholar, Renaissance humanist, humanist, philosopher, professor, and translator of ancient Greek texts during the Renaissance. Serv ...
and
Uberto Decembrio Uberto Decembrio (1350–1427) was a Milanese Renaissance Humanist who worked for the Viscontis. He justified Visconti tyranny, tyranny meaning absolute rule by someone without noble title. In his ''De Re Publica'', dedicated to Filippo Maria Vis ...
having reached Naples in 1440. ''Curial''s description of the chivalrous King Peter matches that in the chronicle of
Bernat Desclot Bernard Desclot (in Catalan: Bernat Desclot) was a Catalan chronicler whose work covering the brief reign of Peter III of Aragon (1276–1285) forms one of the four '' Catalan Grand Chronicles'' through which the modern historian views thirteen ...
. The names of two characters appear to be based on real figures of 15th-century Naples: Melcior de Pando being based on the Pandone counts of
Venafro Venafro (Latin: ''Venafrum''; Greek: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of 11,079, having expanded quickly in the post-war period. Geography Situated at the foot of Mount Santa Croce, elevat ...
, Boca de Far on the knight Bucca di Faro. Abel Soler argues that the echoes of the chronicles of Desclot and
Ramon Muntaner Ramon Muntaner () (1265 – 1336) was a Catalan mercenary and writer who wrote the '' Crònica'', a chronicle of his life, including his adventures as a commander in the Catalan Company. He was born at Peralada. Biography The Catalan Com ...
were mediated by Italian historiography and are not reflective of the author's direct acquaintance.


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend 1440s books Medieval Catalan literature Valencian literature Catalan-language novels Romance (genre) Chivalry