Between the Family Ties and a Vassal’s Obligations: Aymon of Dordogne in the Two Versions of Renaut de Montauban – chanson de geste and Its Prose Adaptation

This article attempts to answer the questions concerning ways of resolving conflicts between two types of obligations: those owed to one’s family and those resulting from feudal relations. An analysis of literary portrayals such a conflict of obligation and its solutions is carried out here on the basis of the heroic epic (chanson de geste) Renaut de Montauban, with Aymon, the father of rebellious brothers opposing Charles the Great as a protagonist who has to make a choice between his loyalty to the monarch and taking the side of his own children. The article compared two versions of the story: the one from the 13th-century manuscript Douce 121 and its 15th-century prose adaptation, included in the manuscript Sloane 960. The two versions are juxtaposed in order to find out if Aymon’s attitude to his obligations is depicted differently depending on the time of creating the text. First, an analysis is presented of the oath (forjurement) made by Aymon before the monarch, in which he accepts the obligation not to help his children, and to fight against them. Then, on the basis of selected fragments of both versions, the protagonist’s understanding of material support and the duty to fight against his own children is discussed. The comparative analyses of the two versions indicate that much as Aymon does not exclude the possibility of offering material support to his sons, e.g. by supplying them with food or money, he never considers the possibility of providing a military support. On the contrary, he is actively engaged in a fight against them, which may be a consequence of the oath. According to the law, breaking the oath by offering military support was penalized by death, whereas material support could result in a less grievous punishment. It is also demonstrated that the duties with respect to one’s family are treated much more seriously in the later version of the epic, with a clear suggestion that they should outweigh the obligations to the feudal lord.

This article attempts to answer the questions concerning ways of resolving conflicts between two types of obligations: those owed to one’s family and those resulting from feudal relations. An analysis of literary portrayals such a conflict of obligation and its solutions is carried out here on the basis of the heroic epic (chanson de geste) Renaut de Montauban, with Aymon, the father of rebellious brothers opposing Charles the Great as a protagonist who has to make a choice between his loyalty to the monarch and taking the side of his own children. The article compared two versions of the story: the one from the 13th-century manuscript Douce 121 and its 15th-century prose adaptation, included in the manuscript Sloane 960. The two versions are juxtaposed in order to find out if Aymon’s attitude to his obligations is depicted differently depending on the time of creating the text. First, an analysis is presented of the oath (forjurement) made by Aymon before the monarch, in which he accepts the obligation not to help his children, and to fight against them. Then, on the basis of selected fragments of both versions, the protagonist’s understanding of material support and the duty to fight against his own children is discussed. The comparative analyses of the two versions indicate that much as Aymon does not exclude the possibility of offering material support to his sons, e.g. by supplying them with food or money, he never considers the possibility of providing a military support. On the contrary, he is actively engaged in a fight against them, which may be a consequence of the oath. According to the law, breaking the oath by offering military support was penalized by death, whereas material support could result in a less grievous punishment. It is also demonstrated that the duties with respect to one’s family are treated much more seriously in the later version of the epic, with a clear suggestion that they should outweigh the obligations to the feudal lord.