Ménestrel of Reims

The Ménestrel of Reims was an anonymous minstrel (French: Ménestrel ) in France in the 13th century. Almost nothing is known about his person, except that he was a traveling singer and poet from Reims who wrote a "world history" around 1260.

The story of Menestrel is a sequence of satirical to slippery anecdotes and little stories, the chronological beginning of which dates back to about 1150 and goes back to the reign of King Louis IX. of the Holy (r. 1226–1270). The main focus of Ménestrels is on the history of France and the Crusades, which he peppered with parables and legends and in which he incorporated current gossip and rumors that were brought to him. In order to reach his audience, he used the common vernacular, took sides to flatter and allowed chronological errors. The historical truthfulness of the story is therefore low, its primary goal served to amuse and educate the audience of noble societies in castles, as well as the citizens in the cities. However, it does offer a revealing insight into contemporary attitudes and cultural offerings.

literature

• Natalis de Wailly (ed.): Récits d'un ménestrel de Reims au XIIIe siècle. Paris 1876