Salic Law In Beroul's The Romance Of Tristan

The 12th century in Medieval Europe was a period characterized by a transition from a three-order society to a four-order society. This newly developed fourth order was comprised of what came to be known as the townspeople, who typically worked as merchants and traders. The development of this class followed the economic takeoff in Europe as trade began to expand and concomitantly cities began to rise. However, the transition to a trade-driven and centrally-governed society was not a smooth one. The new social class clashed with one of the old classes from the three-class system: the warrior class, who held different values and clung to the old ways. This warrior class, largely comprised of knights, was accustomed to acting with impunity, solving disagreements with violence, and prizing honor and reputation more than anything else. However, the traders valued lawful punishment, peace, and insisted on personal liability. The conflict between these two attitudes can be seen to be expressed in Beroul’s medieval book The Romance of Tristan. Part of what characterizes the
After King Mark takes Yseut back as his queen and banishes the barons who insisted that Yseut must prove her innocence, Yseut offers to clear her name by an ordeal of the barons’ choosing in the witness of King Arthur and his court. The oath that Yseut gives is a mix of warrior attitudes and trader notions. Though she performs the oath in a court-like setting, in front of King Mark, King Arthur and his court, and the townspeople, and the nature of her absolution is not violent, the mere fact that an unsubstantiated oath could absolve her is an expression of warrior attitudes, which prize honor; instead of trader notions, which value legally verified fact. In this society, an oath that is supported by respected members of the community means more than a