Benoît de Sainte-Maure and Le Roman de…

1160 CE

**Benoît de Sainte-Maure and Le Roman de Troie (c. 1160 CE)**

The French poet Benoît de Sainte-Maure, writing in the 12th century, composed the influential romance Le Roman de Troie (c. 1160), a courtly retelling of the Trojan War that introduced the love story of Troilus and Cressida. His work, part of the "romans antiques" (Old French adaptations of ancient history), was designed for an aristocratic audience, particularly the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England and consort of Henry II.

The Love Story of Troilus and Cressida

Benoît’s Roman de Troie adapted the Trojan War legend, incorporating the ideals of courtly love expected by his noble audience.
He invented the love triangle between:
- Troilus, the young Trojan prince.
- Briseis, the daughter of Calchas, a Trojan priest who defected to the Greeks.
- Diomedes, the Greek warrior who seduces Briseis after she is handed over to her father in a hostage exchange.
This love story, which did not exist in ancient sources, became one of the most enduring medieval romantic themes, inspiring later authors:
- Giovanni Boccaccio (Il Filostrato, 1330s) – First used the name Criseida.
- Geoffrey Chaucer (Troilus and Criseyde, c. 1380s) – Established the English tradition.
- Robert Henryson (The Testament of Cresseid, c. 1480s).
- William Shakespeare (Troilus and Cressida, 1602).

Though Benoît called her Briseis, the heroine’s name later evolved into Cressida, under which she became a literary archetype of inconstancy and betrayal.

Dedication to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Dating of the Roman de Troie

Deep within the poem, Benoît dedicates it to a "riche dame de riche rei", identified as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England.
Since Eleanor was imprisoned by Henry II in 1173, the poem must have been written before that date, placing its composition between 1160 and 1170.
The dedication suggests that Eleanor’s court was a center for chivalric literature, reinforcing her patronage of courtly romances and historical verse.

Benoît’s Other Major Work: Chronique des ducs de Normandie

Another major work attributed to Benoît de Sainte-Maure is the Chronique des ducs de Normandie, a lengthy verse chronicle tracing the history of the Norman dukes.
The oldest surviving manuscript (Tours, 1180–1200) is possibly the oldest known Old French text transcribed on the Continent.
The standard modern edition is by Carin Fahlin (Uppsala, 1951–195x, 3 volumes).

Legacy of Benoît de Sainte-Maure

Le Roman de Troie helped reshape the medieval perception of the Trojan War, merging antiquity with courtly ideals.
His creation of the Troilus-Cressida love story had lasting influence, inspiring some of the greatest literary works of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
His Chronique des ducs de Normandie contributed to the development of historical writing in Old French, bridging oral tradition with literary chronicle.

Benoît’s poetic retellings of both legend and history cemented his place as one of the key figures in medieval French literature, linking the mythic past to the chivalric culture of the 12th century court.