The Vows of the Heron

The Vows of the Heron (Voeux du héron) c.1346 is a satirical Flemish poem, which purported to explain the causes of the Hundred Years' War in terms of the goading into action by a Low Country exile of Edward III of England.

Background

Robert III of Artois, in exile in England, was a significant bone of contention between England and France, as well as a persistent agitator of Edward to take action against France.[1]

Theme

The Vows presents Robert as offering Edward a heron at a royal banquet: "I believe I have caught the most cowardly bird...It is my intention to give the heron to the most cowardly one who lives or has ever lived: that is Edward Louis, disinherited of the noble land of France...because of his cowardice".[2] The poem satirizes Robert as the cunning instigator of the war;[3] and presents Edward as his naïve, blustering victim.[4]

While almost certainly a fictional account, modern historians consider that the poem nonetheless reveals a kind of truth about the relations of the two men, and the approach to war.[5]

See also

Further reading

  • J. L. Grigsby ed., The Vows of the Heron (1992)

References

  1. ↑ J. R. Tanner ed., The Cambridge Medieval History VOL VII (Cambridge 1932) p. 344
  2. ↑ Quoted in D Jones, The Plantagenets (London 2012) p.455
  3. ↑ D Kagay ed., The Hundred Years War Pt II (2006) p. 283
  4. ↑ Quoted in D Jones, The Plantagenets (London 2012) p.455
  5. ↑ D Kagay ed., The Hundred Years War Pt II (London 2006) p. 281
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