Marie de France from an illuminated manuscript

Marie de France ("Mary of France") was a poet evidently born in France and living in England during the late 12th century. Virtually nothing is known of her early life, though she wrote a form of continental French that was copied by Anglo-Norman scribes. Therefore, most of the manuscripts of her work bear Anglo-Norman traits. She also translated some Roman literature. The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The literature of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire written in the Latin language. ...

Although her actual name is now unknown, she is referred to as "Marie de France" after a line in one of her published works: "Marie ai nun, si sui de France," which translates as "My name is Marie, I am from France." Some of the most widely accepted candidates for the poet are Marie, Abbess of Shaftesbury and half-sister to Henry II, King of England; Marie, Abbess of Reading; Marie de Boulogne; Marie, Abbess of Barking;^[1] and Marie de Meulan, wife of Hugh Talbot.^[2][3][4] For other uses, see Shaftesbury (disambiguation) Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. ... Henry II of England 5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Marie of Boulogne was the Countess of Boulogne from 1159 to 1170. ... Barking is the principal town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. ...

Four works have been attributed to Marie de France: The Lais of Marie de France (a collection of short narrative poems not unlike shortened versions of romances), the "Ysopet" fables, a retelling of the Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and, most recently, a saint's life called La Vie seinte Audree or The Life of Saint Audrey. Scholars have dated Marie's works between about 1160 at the earliest, and about 1215 at the latest, though it is probable that they were written between about 1170 and 1205. One of her works, the Lais, is dedicated to a "noble king," another to a "Count William." It is thought that the king referred to is either Henry II of England or his eldest son, "Henry the Young King." The Count William in question is, most likely, either William of Mandeville or William Marshall. The Lais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrative poems in Anglo-Norman, generally focused on glorifying the concepts of courtly love through the adventures of their main characters. ... Ysopet or isopet (little Aesop) refers to a medieval collection of fables in French literature, specifically to versions of Aesops Fables. ... St. ... Æthelthryth (also Etheldreda, Ediltrudis, Audrey or Awdrey) (c. ... Events Eric IX of Sweden is succeeded by Karl Sverkersson. ... A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... Lais was a legendary prostitute or courtesan of ancient Greece who was active in Corinth. ... Henry II of England 5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as King of England (1154–1189), Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. ... Henry, the Young King Henry the Young King (February 28, 1155–June 11, 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. ... William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex (d. ...

It has been suggested that Marie de France was a member of the court Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was a patron of troubadours and other artists. In 1816, the English poet Matilda Betham wrote a long poem about Marie de France in octosyllabic couplets, "The Lay of Marie." Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine (or Aliénor), Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony and Countess of Poitou (1122[1] – April 1, 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the High Middle Ages. ... A troubadour composing lyrics, Germany c. ... Matilda Betham-Edwards (born 1836 in Suffolk; died 1919 in Hastings) was a novelist, travel writer and francophile. ...

See also

• Anglo-Norman literature

Anglo-Norman literature is literature composed in the Anglo-Norman language developed during the period 1066-1204 when the Duchy of Normandy and England were united in the Anglo-Norman realm. ...

External links

• International Marie de France Society
• Works by Marie de France at Project Gutenberg
  • French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France, available at Project Gutenberg.
• Complete bibliography of her works, including secondary literature (Archives de littérature du Moyen Âge, Arlima)

Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ...

References