Aymeri de Narbonne

Lore & Background

Aymeri de Narbonne is the hero of an eponymic early 13th century chanson de geste (c.1205-1225) attributed to Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube. The poem comprises 4,708 verses grouped into 122 rhymed laisses; the verses are all decasyllables except for a short six syllable line at the end of each laisse. In the poem, Charlemagne, returning home from Spain after the tragic events of The Song of Roland, comes upon the city of Narbonne and offers it as a fief to whichever of his knights will conquer it, but all refuse except the young Aymeri. Once lord of the city, Aymeri seeks the hand of Hermengarde, daughter of Didier, king of the Lombards in Pavia, and sister of Boniface. After various adventures, including difficulties with a German lord named Savari and attacks from the Saracens, the marriage occurs. The poem ends with a prediction about their future children, seven boys and five girls.

Aymeri also appears in the chanson de geste Girart de Vienne, also by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube, where he plays a role in the complex instigation of his four uncles to war against the Emperor. The hero also appears in the chanson de geste entitled Narbonnais (c.1210) by an anonymous author from the Brie region. In the part on the departure of Aymeri's children, Aymeri sends six of his sons out to seek their own fiefs, while keeping the youngest son Guibert. In the part on the Siege of Narbonne, taking advantage of the departure of the sons, the Saracens attack Narbonne and nail Guibert to a cross. The youngest son is saved and races to the court to seek help, but learns that Charlemagne has died, leaving his son Louis emperor. The seven sons and Louis' army eventually defeat the Saracens.

Aymeri de Narbonne is also the hero of a probable 13th century chanson de geste entitled Mort Aymeri (de Narbonne). In this poem, at the end of his life, Aymeri battles to retake his city and is eventually mortally wounded along with two of his sons, and they are buried in Narbonne.

Reader's Guide

Aymeri de Narbonne is a central figure in the Old French chansons de geste, particularly within the Narbonnais Cycle, which is itself often grouped with the Cycle of Guillaume d'Orange and the greater Geste of Garin de Monglane. His significance lies in his role as a legendary hero of the Matter of France, embodying the ideals of knighthood and Christian warfare against the Saracens in the time of Charlemagne. The character may be conflated with a later historic figure, Aimery II of Narbonne, Viscount of Narbonne from around 1106 to 1134, suggesting a blending of legend and history. The poems featuring Aymeri—Aymeri de Narbonne, Narbonnais, and Mort Aymeri—were reworked into prose versions in the 15th century and adapted by the Italian Andrea da Barberino around 1410 for his prose version Storie Nerbonesi. The Venice 4 manuscript of The Song of Roland also contains the taking of Narbonne and Aymeri receiving it at his father's behest. These texts preserve the epic tradition of the chansons de geste and contribute to the broader literary legacy of medieval French heroic poetry.

Gallery