Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical setting

by Joseph Anthony Vaeth

But this supposition loses much of its force when we consider that his mother was a Catalan, and consequently it is probable that he knew, or, at least, understood the Catalan language. Then, too, Martorell, who was so fond of making elaborate descriptions of court life, fails to reveal this tendency in telling about Tirant’s visit to the Portuguese court at Lisbon, while this hero was on his way from Brittany to Sicily. A few cold, matter-of-fact statements of that brief stay are the only homage he renders to the kingdom of his patron. Surely that was an excellent opportunity to sing the praises of Portugal, its heroes, and its rulers, but to our great surprise no such attempt is made. This fact is indeed astonishing, and causes us to doubt that the book was written under the direction or at the request of a Portuguese. Moreover, at the very time that Martorell was engaged in the composition of Tirant lo Blanch, the Portuguese were doing what they had been doing for years, performing heroic exploits in their wars against the Moors on the African shores opposite the Spanish peninsula. In the book under consideration the hero conquers that very territory, but the Portuguese efforts find no place in the account of that victorious campaign. And yet that conquest had a historical basis, for it was founded on conditions and events described in Muntaner’s Chronica.[25] We cannot help asking ourselves the question: Why did Martorell wholly disregard the great deeds of valor of the Portuguese heroes? He has given proof of being well versed in the history of his times, and surely he had heard and read of their prowess. The answer that suggests itself is, that the experiences of his native land with Barbary as narrated in the Chronica were uppermost in his mind, and while he was writing the book the exploits of the Portuguese probably did not occur to him. If such was the case, it is highly probable that he did not reside at the Portuguese court, and perhaps Prince Ferdinand was not much more than a name to him. In the kind of work undertaken by the author, a work based principally on historical events and the customs of the times, intermingled with literary productions and problems that confronted Christianity and involved the destiny of nations, the absence of traces of Portuguese influence from the fields of history and of literature, or from any other field, causes us to doubt seriously that the book was originally in Portuguese.[26]

[25] Chronik des Edlen En Ramón Muntaner, edited by Dr. Karl Lang, Bibliothek des literarischen Vereins in Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 1844.

[26] See page 152.

Moreover, Martorell, who was to write this book, was a Catalan. Was he as excellent a master of Portuguese as he was of his native tongue? We have no definite information in that regard upon which we may rely. Surely he was courageous to write such a voluminous work in Portuguese, if he did not control that language with ease. When he drew his material from Lull’s and from Metge’s works (see pp. 79-89), did he translate it into Portuguese and then turn it back into Catalan without consulting the corresponding passages in the sources? If such was the case, there would have been a greater difference in the parallel passages. But a man who is a master of the two languages would never take that trouble. And why should he try to make the passages exactly alike? Now, what was Martorell to write about? About a great hero whose name was Tirant lo Blanch and whose deeds were so much admired by Prince Ferdinand. But this Tirant lo Blanch is not a historical personage, he is an imaginary individual, a literary character. If the Catalan Tirant had not yet been written, if there was not even such a literary character, how, then, could the Prince have become so enthusiastic about him?

The strongest argument in favor of a Portuguese original is the fact that de Galba states that he translated the final fourth part from the Portuguese. But we must remember that Martorell says that he will translate the Portuguese into Catalan, and for that reason de Galba was obliged to say the same. But the same style, vocabulary, method of composing the work, the point of view and characteristics of the author are in evidence throughout the book. For this reason it may seem that Martorell wrote the whole work in Portuguese and then translated three-fourths of it into Catalan. He died and de Galba completed it. But if the latter had translated the fourth part, we feel that we should have been able to discover some differences in style, spelling and vocabulary, and an absence of some of the favorite expressions of Martorell. If he had composed that part we should not have had much difficulty in detecting it. Consequently we cannot believe that Tirant lo Blanch was first written in Portuguese, and then translated into Catalan.

However, we accept in full faith the statement of the author that he is a Valencian. The contents of his work corroborate it. He knew that Ferdinand was Prince of Portugal; but did the latter ask him to translate the English original? We cannot believe that there was such a book in English, and consequently we doubt that Tirant was written at this request. We shall probably never be able to discover whether Martorell was personally acquainted with Prince Ferdinand, or whether he ever was in communication with him. The details of the dedicatory letter point in that direction, but perhaps that was only an ingenious way of the author to induce us to give credit to his statements. However that may be, there was probably some good reason for dedicating the work to the prince, but very likely we shall never know just what that reason was.

If we cannot believe that there was an English original, and we doubt that the book was first written in Portuguese, then it is probable that we shall conclude that Tirant lo Blanch was first written in Catalan. Perhaps an attempt to prove that it is a Catalan production will help us solve the problem.

In the composition of this book, material drawn from Catalan history and Catalan literature has been utilized. The former we shall discuss in other parts of this work, but we take up at this time two of the literary sources. First let us give a series of parallel passages from Raymond Lull’s Libre del Orde d’Cauayleria and from Tirant lo Blanch in order to see what can be gained from a study of these.

Libre del Orde d’Cauayleria	Tirant lo Blanch
[1a] En aquell temps en la entrada	[1b] Lo virtuos rey de Anglaterra
del gran iuern sesdevench	perque a total oci e languiment
que un gran Rey molt noble	nos sotsmetessen: delibera, puix
e de bones costumes be habundos,	hauie contractat matrimoni, de
hac manades corts: e per	fer cridar cort general afi que
la gran fama qui fon per la terra	si fes gran exercici darmes. La
de sa cort, hun assaut scuder	fama fon divulgada per tots los
tot sol, en son palaffre caualcant,	regnes de cristians, de la grandissima
anava a la cort per esser adobat	festa que lo famos Rey
a noueyl cauayler: on per lo	preparaua. Seguis que un gentilom
trebayl que hac sostengut d’son	de linatge antich e natural
caualcar, dementre que anaua	de Bretanya, anant en companyia
en son palaffre adormis. E en	de molts altres gentils
aquella hora lo cauayler qui en	homens qui a la gran festa
la forest fahia sa penitencia ffon	anauen aturas mes darrer de
vengut a la ffont contemplar	tots e adormis sobrel roci fatigat
Deu e menysprear la vanitat de	del treball del gran cami que
aquest mon, seguns que cascun	fet hauia. Son cauall lexa lo
jorn hauia acustumat.	cami e pres per una senda qui
Dementre que lescuder caualcaua	dreçava ala delitosa font hon
en axi, son palaffre exi d’l	lermita staua qui en aquell cas
cami e mes se per lo boscatge,	se delitaua legir un libre qui es
e ana tant la hon li plach per lo	nomenat arbre de batalles. E
boscatge, tro esdevench en la	feya continuament gracies, com
fontana hon lo cauayler estava	aquell libre legia, a nostre
en oracio. Lo cauayler qui viu	Senyor Deu de les singulars
venir lescuder lexa sa oracio e	graties que en aquest mon hauia
assech se en lo bel prat a la	aconseguides servint lorde de
ombra del arbre, e comença a	caualleria. E stant axi veu
legir a .i. libre que tenia en la	venir per pla un home a cauall;
fauda.	e conegue que venia dormint;
	lexas de legir e nol volgue despertar.
Lo palaffre con fo a la font	Com lo roci fon dauant
bech de laygua, e lescuder qui	la font e veu laygua, acostasi
senti en durment que son palaffre	per voler beure: e per que tenia
nos mouia, despertas, e	la falça regna en larço de la
viu denant si lo cauayler qui fo	çella no podia: e tant bascha
molt veyl, e hac gran barba e	que fon forçat al gentilom ques
lonchs cabels, e romputs vestiments:	despertas: e obrint los hulls, se
per la velea e per la	veu dauant un hermita ab molt
penitencia que fasia fo magre	gran barba tota blancha: e quasi
e descolorit, e per les lagremes	les vestidures rompudes: e mostrauas
que gitaua, sos hulls foren apoquits,	flach e descolorit. E
e ac esguart d’molta santa	aço causaua la molta penitencia
vida.	que feya continuament, e per
	les moltes lagremes quels seus
	hulls destillauen li eren los hulls
	molt apoquits. Lo conspectu
	seu era de home admirable e de
	gran sanctedat.
[2a] Con lo cauayler ausi parlar	[2b] Con lermita hoy parlar al
de cauayleria et remembra lorde	gentilom que anaua per rebre
de cauayleria	lorde de caualleria, recordant li
	lorde quina cosa es, e tot ço que
e so quey pertany	pertany a caualler, lansa un gran
a cauayler, adonchs gita .j. suspir	sospir e entra en gran pensament,
et entra en consirer membrant	essent en recort de la
en lo honrament en lo	grandissima honor en que caualleria
qual cauayleria lo auia longament	lauia longament mantengut.
mantengut.
[3a] Com, fiyl, so dix lo cauayler,	[3b] E com, dix lermita, no saps
e no saps tu qual es la regla e	tu qual es la retgla e lorde de
lorde de cauayleria? e com pots	caualleria? E com pots tu demanar
tu demanar cauayleria tro sapies	caualleria fins que sapies
lorde de cauayleria? cor negun	lorde, car negun cavaller no pot
cauayler no pot mantenir lorde	mantenir lorde si nol sap e tot
que no sap, ni pot amar son	lo que pertany a lorde:
orde ni so que pertany a son
orde, si no sap lorde de cauayleria,
ni sap conexer lo fayliment
que sia contra son orde.
Ni negun cauayler no deu fer	e negun caualler sino sap
cauayler si no sap lorde de	lorde de caualleria no es caualler,
cauayleria, cor desordenat cauayler	car desordenat caualler es
es qui fa cauayler e no	qui fa altre caualler e no li sap
li sap mostrar les custumes quis	mostrar los costums que pertanyen
pertanyen a cauayler.	a caualler.
[4a] Bel amic, ço dix lo cauayler,	[4b] Mon fill, dix lermita, tot lorde
la regla e lorde de cauayleria es	es en aquest libre scrit, lo qual
en aquest libre en lo qual jo lig	yo lig algunes veguades, perque
alcunes vegades per ço quem	sia en recort de la gratia que
fassa remembrar la gracia et la	nostre senyor
merce que Deus ma feta en
aquest mon, per ço cor honraua	ma feta en aquest mon, per ço
e mantenia lorde de cauayleria a	com honraua e mantenia lorde
tot mon poder. Cor en axi con	de caualleria de tot mon poder.
cauayleria dona tot ço que pertany	E axi com caualleria dona tot
a cauayler, en axi cauayler	ço que pertany a caualler, axi
deu donar totes ses forses a	caualler deu donar totes ses
honrar cauayleria.	forces a honrar caualleria.
[5a] E per ayso de tot lo poble	[5b] E per aquesta causa de tot
foren fets milanaris, e de cascun	lo poble foren fets millenars e de
.M. fo elet e triat .j. home pus	cascun miller fonch elet un
amable, pus savi, pus leyal e	home, mes amable e de mes
pus fortz, e ab pus noble coratge,	afabilitat, mes savi, mes leal,
ab mes densenyaments e de	mes fort e ab mes noble animo,
bons nodriments que tots los	ab mes virtuts e bones costumes
altres. Encercat fo en totes les	que tots los altres. E apres feren
besties qual es pus beyla bestia,	cercar de totes les besties qual
e pus corrent e que pusca sostenir	seria mes bella mes corrent, e
mes de trebayl, ni qual es pus	que pogues sostenir maior treball,
covinent a servir home. E cor	e qual fos mes covinent per
cauayl es la pus nobla bistia e	a la servitut de lome,
la pus covinent a servir home,
per ayso de totes les besties hom	e de totes
eleech cauayl e dona lo al home	elegiren lo cauall e donaren lo a
qui fo elet de .M. homens: e	lome qui fonch elet de mil homes
per ayso aquel home ha nom	hu: e perço aquell home ague
cauayler. Com hom ac aiustada	nom caualler com aguessen aiustada
la pus nobla bistia al pus noble	la mes noble bestia ab lo
home...	mes noble home.