A page from the beginning of the 1491 edition.

Tirant lo Blanc, written by the Valencian knight Joanot Martorell, finished by Martí Joan De Galba and published in Valencia in 1490, is an epic romance and one of the key works in the evolution of the Western novel. The mediaeval spelling is Tirant lo Blanch; a literal English translation of the title would be The White Knight or Tirant the White, who is the main character of the romance. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (552x686, 59 KB) Sumari Pròleg del Tirant lo blanc Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tirant lo Blanc ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (552x686, 59 KB) Sumari Pròleg del Tirant lo blanc Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tirant lo Blanc ... Pavement of a Valencia street, with arbour. ... Joanot Martorell (1413–1468) was the Valencian author of the novel Tirant lo Blanch, which is written in Valencian (Catalan). ... Martí Joan de Galba (d. ... Events Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, Martí Joan De Galba is published. ... The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. ... As a literary genre, romance refers to a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Influence

Tirant lo Blanc is one of the most important books of Catalan literature and has been described as one of the best books ever written. It is considered a major influence for Miguel de Cervantes' book, Don Quixote de la Mancha, which was written a century later. In the following fragment of the Quixote, the priest and the barber throw to the bonfire books of Don Alonso (Don Quixote): Catalan in Europe Catalan IPA: (català ) is a Romance language, the official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian) and Catalonia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Don Quixote de la Mancha (now usually spelled Don Quijote by Spanish-speakers; Don Quixote is an archaic spelling) (IPA: ) or El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha) is a novel by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...

-"God bless me!" said the curate with a shout, "'Tirante el Blanco' here! Hand it over, gossip, for in it I reckon I have found a treasury of enjoyment and a mine of recreation. Here is Don Kyrieleison of Montalvan, a valiant knight, and his brother Thomas of Montalvan, and the knight Fonseca, with the battle the bold Tirante fought with the mastiff, and the witticisms of the damsel Placerdemivida, and the loves and wiles of the widow Reposada, and the empress in love with the squire Hipolito--in truth, gossip, by right of its style it is the best book in the world. Here knights eat and sleep, and die in their beds, and make their wills before dying, and a great deal more of which there is nothing in all the other books. Nevertheless, I say he who wrote it, for deliberately composing such fooleries, deserves to be sent to the galleys for life. Take it home with you and read it, and you will see that what I have said is true."

There are a lot of studies about Tirant lo Blanc, and comparisons between Tirant lo Blanc and Don Quijote de la Mancha show many parts that are similar between the two books. The Castilian author said "as far as style is concerned, this is the best book in the world". Although regarded as a masterpiece of late Medieval literature, it is not commonly known now due to the treatment that political history has given to Catalan literature, but it was a success and reprinted and translated or plagiarised many times during the 16th century. This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. ...

Plot

Tirant lo Blanc is a story about a knight — Tirant — from Brittany, who has a series of adventures across Europe (he joins in knightly competitions in England and France) until the Emperor of the Greeks asks him to help in the war against the Turks. Tirant accepts, is made Megaduke of the Empire, becomes the captain of an army, defeats the Turks and saves the Empire, then battles Moors in many regions of the Oriental Mediterranean and Northern Africa, but dies just before he can marry the pretty heiress of the Empire. Traditional coat of arms Modern flag (Gwenn-ha-du) Historical province of Brittany région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Painting of Emperor Basil II, exemplifying the Imperial Crown handed down by Angels. ...

Some parts of Tirant bear certain parallels with the life of Admiral Roger de Flor, the leader of the Almogavars (Catalan and Aragonese mercenaries that helped the Byzantine Empire to fight the Turks), and who was murdered by the Byzantines. There are also similarities with the Hunyadi. Roger de Flor, a catalan military adventurer of the 13th and 14th century, was the second son of a German falconer surnamed Blum (flower) in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who fell at Tagliacozzo (1268). ... The Almogavars (Almogàvers in Catalan; Almogávares in Spanish) were a class of (mainly) Catalan soldiers, well-known during the Christian reconquista (reconquest) of the Iberian peninsula. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Catalan, Spanish, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th in Spain  32 114 km²  6,3% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 2nd in Spain  6 995 206  15,9%  217,82/km² GDP Total (2004) GDP: €157,124 billion GDP per /capita: $26,550... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 269 027  2,9%  26,59/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Byzantine Empire (native Greek name: - Basileia tōn Romaiōn) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Byzantine Empire (native Greek name: - Basileia tōn Romaiōn) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Hunyadi (also Hunyady in historical sources) is a notable Hungarian noble family, with Vlach (Romanian) origins. ...

The loss of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire (1453) was considered at the time to be a major blow to Christian Europe. In writing his novel Martorell perhaps rewrote history to fit what he wanted it to be. Map of Constantinople. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ...

Movie

A film based on the book was released in early 2006. Though it retains the original title, the film was made in English. Tirant lo Blanc is a movie based on the book of the same name. ...

Bibliography

Two modern translations of the book into English include:

• Tirant Lo Blanc, translated by David H. Rosenthal (1983, 1996), ISBN 0-8018-5421-0
• Tirant Lo Blanc: The Complete Translation (Catalan Studies, Vol 1), translated by Ray La Fontaine (1994), ISBN 0-8204-1688-6

External links

• The White Knight: Tirant lo Blanc, available freely at Project Gutenberg edited and translated into English by Robert S. Rudder
• Tirant lo Blanch, handheld edition at PalmCAT.org (English and Catalan editions)
• Tirant lo Blanch (in Catalan)
• Tirant lo Blanc: An Analysis of its Transitional Styles by Suzanne S. Hintz