Gui of Burgundy Part 2

Adam's Notes for January 15, 2024

Today we’re looking at the second half of Gui of Burgundy. You can read part one here.

But before we jump back into our epic I want to share this bit from Kibler and Jones’ intro that really sums up what I like about this one:

It is obvious that twenty-six years of military campaigns in Spain, compared to the seven of the Song of Roland, is pure invention. This invention, however, makes possible the very original core of the story: a meeting of two generations of warriors, a confrontation between young and old, their military tactics, and attitudes towards the heathen enemy. What the fathers were unable to achieve, the sons successfully carry out, through some wise and surprising decisions. Although he does not hesitate to kill enemies or force them to convert, Gui dares to make friends with Muslims, to follow their proposed stratagems, and even, on two instances, to trust part of his army to his new allies. In doing so, and although still deferring to religious tenets, he initiates the possibility of a new mental attitude in which appreciation, trust, and respect can exist between adversaries. This story also creates a young hero – Gui – to the detriment of the celebrated and renowned Roland, whose arrogant attitude is not portrayed favorably. The epic wraps the encounter of the two generations in a subtle form of humor and irony that pervades the whole work. However, the liberating laughter that delights the reader also broaches serious questions, like the legitimacy and responsibility of power, the meaning and consequences of war, and the relativity of religious, ethnic, and family prejudice. In all these domains, the young open a breach in the traditional canvas championed by their elders.

So, to quickly recap where we left off: Charlemagne and his knights have been in Spain for 26 years, while a new generation of knights have grown up in France without their fathers. These younger knights elect Gui of Burgundy to be their new king, and he immediately takes them to Spain to help Charlemagne, but Gui also wants to capture the five cities eluding Charlemagne’s grasp before he goes to meet the old king.

When we left off last time, Gui and a delegation of only ten soldiers have infiltrated King Huidelon’s city, defeated the giant gatekeeping guard, and were about to enter Huidelon’s hall to confront him…

Just as the delegation arrives, Huidelon confesses to his men that he is afraid of Charlemagne and his barons, and he recounts the twenty-six years of war between them. There are some speeches between the French and the Saracens, and then some fighting. This battle is my favourite in the whole poem because there are some great details: bodies thrown into the fireplace, a lopped-off head flying six feet, then Huidelon ducking behind a pillar and jumping out of the window down into the moat to escape. Real Errol Flynn stuff all around. There’s a hunchback guarding the highest tower — sadly, the French throw him from the window and it’s said his heart stops beating before he lands in the moat. I wonder if there’s some shared tradition that this and Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame are drawing on? The French are victorious but find the castle low on provisions, bad news for them, and now Huidelon besieges them within it, cutting Gui off from the rest of his army. A week passes and they run out of food. Bertrand’s advice: we acted arrogantly, because we are strong but few in number. But so did Huidelon, because he attacked us even though we came as messengers. So let’s accuse him of treason, which will anger him and force him to fight to defend his honour.

So they shout out the window to Huidelon and a trial by combat is arranged, with Huidelon’s son Danemont fighting as his champion and the young French knights arguing over who should fight on behalf of Gui, but Gui decides to fight for himself. Because he’s starving, Huidelon feeds Gui first, so that it’s a fair fight. Gui even talks Huidelon into feeding the rest of his guys too, and then Huidelon gives Gui a good horse, so that no one can complain the fight was unfair. There’s a lot of preamble before the battle, it’s kind of annoying really, because you know Gui is going to win. Dragolant, Huidelon’s other son, says that it is written in holy scripture that no pagan can hurt a Christian, so he and his men will prepare an ambush to slay Gui if he gets the upper hand on Danemont—very confusing logic here (it’s possible that Dragolant is somehow a Slav, but that would still make him pagan—it’s just really weird).

The combat is fierce but a bit formulaic, though at one point both combatants are knocked out and the French Archbishop demands they be picked up and put back on their horses, which Huidelon consents to. And curiously, Danemont wears a Bavarian helmet, when usually the gestes like to describe both French and Saracen armour as being forged in exotic eastern locales. At one point Gui is dealt a blow that sends him flying 100 feet, but of course you know he’s going to win this thing.

Or he would, except Dragolant and his goonsquad interrupt the fight to try and assassinate Gui, which causes a general brawl to break out. But this actually pisses off Huidelon, who has a sense of honour and hates betrayal. So he gives Gui a fresh warhorse and takes the French and the Saracens alike into his city. He apologizes for Dragolant’s behaviour, and complains that accusing fingers will point at him in Charlemagne’s court. Then Huidelon asks Gui to be taken to Charlemagne’s court, where he will surrender all his lands and possessions to Charlemagne’s power, and Dragolant’s head will be cut off—no more pointing fingers. It’s hard to buy this sudden face turn on Huidelon’s part, but I think you have to remember that this is par for the course for aristocrats throughout European history. When the going gets tough, change sides. So Gui rejoins his army, taking Huidelon and co. with him. Danemont recognizes King Gui as the knight he fought, but Huidelon doesn’t believe it.

Back at Luserne, Charlemagne complains that King Gui hasn’t arrived yet. Naimon advises him to send 15,000 troops to search him out. After a bit of confusion the two sides meet, and King Gui warns his young knights, “Not a one of you is of such high rank / That I wouldn’t have his head chopped off / If he were to reveal himself to his father.” But in a private conference, Duke Naimon starts to put the pieces together. He asks who King Gui’s father is, but Gui gets upset and says he’ll chop off Naimon’s head if he persists, so Naimon lets it drop.

Next, they consider the case of Huidelon and his sons. Naimon’s verdict: an unbaptized man, a pagan, can’t be blamed for breaking with chivalry and coming to the aid of his brother, so a pardon is in order for Dragolant. Huidelon is so impressed with this that he wants to convert to Christianity, and so he and 30,000 of his men are baptized, but are allowed to keep their names (a footnote explains that this was a sign of honour, as usually a convert adopted a Christian name). Things get a bit sidetracked as Huidelon’s wife Marguerite decides to throw a party celebrating all this, but then Gui remembers they still have to conquer Maudrane on the Sea, the Tower of Augorie, and besieged Luserne.

King Gui tells his father Samson of Burgundy that he won’t meet with Charlemagne until all the cities have been conquered. So Charlemagne’s 15,000 men led by Naimon et al return to Luserne, and give a good report to Charlemagne. Charlemagne tells Samson he thinks Gui is his son, but Samson isn’t sure.

I understand this is all getting a bit longwinded, and I think the poem understands it’s time to wind down too, so thanks for sticking with me.

Meanwhile Huidelon promises to deliver Augorie to King Gui. Gui’s army has “o many worthy young men / That although the lead troops set off at dawn, / The last men did not mount up before noon!” Huidelon takes a combined force of his own men “armed in Persian fashion” and Gui’s into Augorie. Meanwhile, the women start to complain to Gui that they want to see Charlemagne and their husbands. He tells them to be patient, it might yet be ten years before he conquers the elusive cities. Huidelon’s nephew Escorfaut commands Augorie, and Huidelon tells him he lost his kingdom to King Gui. Escorfaut promises war. Danemont and the French knights are irritated Escorfaut’s boasting, but Escorfaut overhears them and can see by their faces that the some of Huidelon’s knights were born in France. He demands an explanation and Danemont tells the truth. Huidelon demands Escorfaut surrender. The French drop their capes and unsheathe their swords.

The fighting doesn’t last long: Escorfaut surrenders and begs his uncle Huidelon to have mercy on him. He has to talk his 30,000 men into surrendering, and for a moment it looks like they might not obey, but in the end they do.

There’s one city left before meeting Charlemagne at Luserne, but Escorfaut warns them it will be difficult: Maudrane is a city of marble and steel, with fifteen towers “Each surrounded by a rapid-flowing stream, / And fifteen gates with ingenious locking mechanisms, / Each of which has a rotating bridge.”

Once again Huidelon leads a combined force into the city, but this time the French are bound hand and foot, but not too tightly, so that they can escape and fight when the time is right. Things go well until one of the Saracens assaults a captive, at which point Danemont pulls out his sword. Huidelon demands King Amaudras of Maudrane surrender and convert, but Amaudras says, “I would rather be thrown into a blazing fire / And be completely burned front and back / Than believe in the one who was tortured by tyrants. / If he couldn’t help himself, he certainly couldn’t protect me.”

Archbishop Renies tries to reason with Amaudras, but this time it doesn’t go any better:

When Amaudras heard this, he rolled his eyes
And said to Renier, “Your worthless sermon
Won’t get me to believe in the one who suffered in Jerusalem
And died a miserable death on an old wooden plank.
I won’t believe in him any more than in a stinking dog.”
When Renier heard this, he was deeply saddened.
He raised his fine steel sword
And dealt Amaudras a sharp blow in the middle of his head,
Splitting him in half all the way down to his feet.
“He certainly is a fine priest,” said noble Huidelon.
“Indeed,” said his son Dragolant, “he is good at hearing confession,
But not too joyful in administering penance:
Bright blood is already flowing all the way down to his waist.”

The city is taken after a fierce battle and Amaudras’s head is chopped off.

So that’s it, only Luserne left to capture, and time for Charlemagne and King Gui to reconcile.

Charlemagne weeps, that he will never get home. His men tell him to have faith, King Gui will help. At that moment, Roland and Oliver are coming down from the mountain they have been guarding for three days when they spot a messenger who has come to tell Charlemagne that King Marsile (the evil king from The Song of Roland) wants a piece of him. Charlemagne asks his paladins for advice. Ganelon says lets leave this city, we’ll never take it, Gui and his guys aren’t coming. Duke Naimon disagrees. Charlemagne puts Ganelon and his clan of traitors on lookout duty. Sure enough, they spot King Gui and his army riding to Luserne, but Ganelon tells Charlemagne it’s actually more Saracens, presumably Marsile’s lot. Ganelon almost manipulates the two sides into fighting, but Duke Naimon figures it out and sets things right.

Charlemagne and King Gui meet in a field between their armies, and Gui tells his story so far. The young knights reveal themselves to their fathers, and the women take part in the reunion as well. Only Roland and Oliver don’t have sons among the young knights, because they’re still too young (I think it’s usually implied that Roland died at 19, but stories manipulate his age as need be), but Oliver’s sister/Roland’s fiancée Aude is there. For eight days there are festivities outside the walls of Luserne, but then Charlemagne says it’s time to send the women back to France, which everyone agrees upon.

The ladies left the army, grieving bitterly.
They kissed and embraced their husbands,
Many of whom they would never again see alive.
The emperor Charles promised them safe conduct,
So, by day and night they traveled in the wagons
Until all had returned to his kingdom.
When the day decided by Charles arrived,
Each of the ladies held a proper banquet.
The men were eagerly awaited throughout the kingdom,
But when they failed to arrive, the ladies grieved bitterly.

Charlemagne gives Huidelon back his kingdom and distributes the rest of the conquered land accordingly. At night he’s visited by an angel, who tells him to go on pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostella, promising if he does this he will hear good news after. 

So Charlemagne says he’ll take eight men along, and leave King Gui in charge of the siege of Luserne, but no one is to attack before Charlemagne returns. But King Gui has a horn sounded to signal an attack before Charlemagne has gone one league. The pagan forces arm inside the city, but King Aquilant also has a warship prepared for his escape. The battle starts up with Saracnes dropping hot pitch and all that sort of stuff from the city wall. Luserne’s wall comes tumbling down and Gui and his men enter the city. Roland, attacking from the other side, is unaware of the breach. King Aquilant makes his escape, but God sends a wind that smashes his ship into the pier, and so he and his thirty kings.

The fight goes for the French, obviously, and King Gui takes the palace and says he will present the city to Charlemagne, which has the effect of really pissing off Roland. Roland wants to give the city to Charlemagne because that’s what he does. Gui says no way. The barons have to separate them to keep them from fighting. Charlemagne finally makes it back from his pilgrimage, and Roland and Gui start fighting like children. Roland presents the city to Charlemagne but Gui insists that he captured it himself.

The poem then ends with Charlemagne resolving the dispute, sort of like a parent forcing children to reconcile:

Charles immediately ended the dispute,
Then issued an order at the top of his voice
That all leave the city at once.
Then the king lay down in the grassy meadow
And prayed to God, who created the sky and the dew,
That this city meet an unhappy fate
So that it might no longer be coveted by anyone.
Indeed, before anyone could walk a league,
The entire city was submerged in water.
When the barons saw this, they were greatly pleased
And all bowed their heads to pray to heaven.
Then the king commanded the army to break camp
And go to Roncevaux, where they would meet a dire fate.
Truly, those who went there joyfully
Would never again return.
Go with God, my lords; the song is finished.
May you all be commended to Him. Amen.

---

Bluesky codes:

bsky-social-7q5y4-5khlt

bsky-social-nfedt-xau5i

bsky-social-g7koc-nh4cb

---

---

Thanks for reading, especially if you’ve made it this far. This has been Adam’s Notes for January 15, 2024. My name is Adam McPhee, and you can find me on Twitter, Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Goodreads.