Draco Normannicus

The Draco Normannicus is a chronicle written circa 1167-1169 by Stephen of Rouen (Etienne de Rouen), a Norman Benedictine monk from Bec-Hellouin. The Draco (considered an epic by some critics, such as Irene Harris and Elizabeth Kuhl) was based largely on the work of Robert of Torigni and William of Jumièges Gesta Normannorum Ducum. The poem itself is unfinished, and also adapts parts of the Roman de Brut by Wace. Considered Stephen's principle work it survives in the Vatican Library. In the manuscript the poem runs to nearly 4,400 lines, though it has lost at least two passages, estimated at around one hundred verses each. The manuscript was initially anonymous, however it has been accepted for over one hundred years that Stephen is the undisputed author.

The conventional modern form of the title, Draco Normannicus, was chosen by Richard Howlett in his edition published in 1885. In the manuscript it occurs only in a different word order, as Normannicus Draco. Howlett also translated the title as "the Norman Standard", rather than literally as "Norman Dragon", as the Draco is named for the dragon shaped banners which the Normans followed into battle. It is a chronicle of the Normans' history, from their arrival in the former kingdom of Neustria, and the founding of Normandy up to the events which occurred during Stephen's life. There is an emphasis on the territorial conflicts which occurred between Henry II and Louis VII.

Historical characters mentioned

Matilda of England, daughter to King Henry I of England, later to become the Empress Matilda after her marriage to Henry V, becomes a central point during the narrative, as well as Stephen's vision of the dynasty and historical identity of the Norman people. The work gives a detailed account on the funeral rites of Matilda, carried out by the archbishop of Rouen, Rotrou.

In the poem, Stephen names Morgan Le Fay definitively as the sister of Arthur, and ruler of the isle of Avalon. He also makes mention that Morgan is immortal, and has the ability to grant immortality to Arthur with the aid of the herbs found on the isle. In previous epics Morgan had not been named as sister to Arthur. Only in Chrétien de Troyes poem Erec and Enide was Morgan transformed from sorceress to sister, and this innovation was followed by Stephen in the Draco.

Reception

According to Martin Aurell, Stephen is the only author of the Arthurian legends known to have had a direct relationship with Henry II. Aurell believes that Stephen, growing up at a time when the Normans were committed to gaining independence from France, was completely devoted to the cause of Henry II and that this ideology is clearly visible in the Draco. Aurell states the poem has "the character of a piece of propaganda totally committed to the cause of Henry II" and that it includes a "violent diatribe against Thomas Becket", which Stephen wrote shortly before Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. There are extensive passages devoted to the funeral rites of Matilda, who lived out her last twenty years at the priory of Notre Dame du Pré, on the outskirts of Rouen.

Elizabeth Kuhl believes that as there are only one extant copy of the work remaining, it shows that the poem received little interest at the time it was written. However she states that assumptions on the meanings of how writing on historical matters should be presented led to the Draco being evaluated negatively, but in more recent times it is now accepted that "all historical writing arranges and makes sense out of its past and present in ways that are not inherent to events themselves". Initially the Draco and received no attention from scholars as under what was once assumed how history ought to be written, it was deemed a failure, but when viewed from the latter perspective it is, according to Kuhl, an excellent example. Kuhl also states that another copy, which has since been lost was known to have been made.

External links

• Stephen of Rouen: "Draco Normannicus". Ed. Richard Howlett. In: Chronicles of the reigns of Stephen, Henry II., and Richard I, Vol. II. London: Longman, 1885. p. 589–786. (Full text archived at archive.org [1])