- Gautier d'Arras
Gautier d'Arras (died c. 1185,
Arras ) was a Flemish or French "trouvère ".He is called "Galterus attrebatensis" or "Walterus de Altrebat" in many contemporary Latin documents, the first of which dates from 1160, where he is mentioned as a property owner in Arras (Atrebatum in Latin). Gautier appears to have been a knight of Arras who between 1160 and 1170 held many important fiefs of
St. Vaast's Abbey and between 1166 to 1185 was an official at the court ofPhilip of Flanders . An apparent will is known dating from 1185, in which his wife Agnes and oldest son Roger are named.He dedicated his romance of "Eracle" to
Theobald V, Count of Blois (d. 1191); among his other patrons were Marie, countess of Champagne, daughter of Louis VII andEleanor of Guienne andBaldwin IV, Count of Hainaut ."Eracle", the hero of which becomes emperor of
Constantinople asHeraclius , is purely a "roman d'aventures" and enjoyed great popularity. His second romance, "Ille et Galeron", dedicated to Beatrix, the second wife ofFrederick Barbarossa , treats of a similar situation to that outlined in the lay of "Eliduc" byMarie de France .See the "Œuvres de Gautier d'Arras", ed. E Løseth (2 vols, Paris, 1890); "Hist. litt. de la France", vol. xxii (1852); A Dinaux, "Les Trouvères" (1833-1843), vol. iii.
References
* F. A. G. Cowper, "More Data on Gautier d'Arras", PMLA, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Mar., 1949), pp. 302-316
*1911
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