Short, Ian, ed., The Anglo-Norman Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle of William de Briane (Anglo-Norman Text Society 25. Oxford) Read this source online
Text name(s): Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle of William de Briane; Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi
Number of pages of primary source text: 42
Author(s):
Dates: 1210 - 1220
Archival Reference: London, British Library Arundel MS 220
Original Language(s):
- Anglo-Norman
Translation:
- Original language included.
Translation Comments:
Geopolitical Region(s):
- Spain
- England
- British Isles
- France
County/Region:
Record Types:
- Chronicle, Annals
- Literature - Prose
Subject Headings:
- Royalty / Monarchs
- Nobility / Gentry
- Clergy - Priests, Bishops, Canons
- Historiography
- Literature - Folklore, Legends
- Crusades
- Carolingians
- Muslims / Islam
Apparatus:
- Index
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Introduction
Comments:
The Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle was a Latin work, purporting to be by legendary warrior archbishop Turpin who appears in the Song of Roland, telling further stories of Charlemagne’s crusade against Spain. Although probably written around 1140 at St Denis, it was accepted as genuine history in the middle ages, and was translated many times into French. The Anglo-Norman prose version by William de Briane is the third oldest translation. As with many translations of the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, this one was commissioned by a nobleman, Warin fitz Gerold, from a Norman family whose crusading tradition made the work more attractive. This is the first edition of this particular version of the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, and contains a select bibliography (2 pp.), notes to the text (21 pp.), a selective glossary of Anglo-Norman words (7 pp.), and an index of proper names (5 pp.)
Introduction Summary:
The helpful introduction (25 pp.) gives a broader context for understanding this version of the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, explaining previous versions of the text and their reception, and what is known of the author, his patron, and the circumstances of its commission. It further discusses the manuscripts in which the text survives and on which the edition is based, as well as the linguistic characteristics of the text.
Cataloger: EGK
