"Honor and Charity are Brought Low": The Old French "Lament" for the Countess of Boulogne

Authors

Kathy M. Krause, University of MIssouri-Kansas CityFollow

Abstract

This article explores an Old French poetic lament on the death of the countess of Boulogne found on the last folio of Arras, Bibliothèque Municipale, manuscript 163 (olim 184) in a hand fairly contemporaneous with, but different from those found on the previous folios. The only known Old French example of a planctus, or poetic lament, for a real, historical woman (as opposed to a Biblical figure or a trouvère’s beloved), the stanzas were most likely written to lament Mathilde III de Boulogne, who inherited the county of Boulogne from her mother Ide (†c.1218) and who died without a direct heir in 1260. The stanzas are very much political, rather than personal, regretting the loss of the countess quacountess. As such, they provide a fascinating glimpse of contemporary attitudes towards a reigning countess and her responsibilities, one that demonstrates just how deeply status trumped gender in the Middle Ages.

Recommended Citation

Krause, Kathy M. (2023) ""Honor and Charity are Brought Low": The Old French "Lament" for the Countess of Boulogne," Medieval People: Vol. 38: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/medpros/vol38/iss1/5