Blondel de Nesle facts for kids
Blondel de Nesle was a famous French trouvère. This means he was a poet and musician during the Middle Ages. People believe he was either Jean I of Nesle (who lived from about 1155 to 1202) or his son, Jean II of Nesle (who died in 1241).
The name 'Blondel de Nesle' is linked to about 24 or 25 courtly songs. Some researchers think Blondel was Jean II of Nesle, a town near Amiens. Jean II was called 'Blondel' because of his long, blond hair. He got married in 1202 and later joined the Fourth Crusade.
However, other researchers suggest the poet might have been Jean I, Jean II's father. Jean I was the Lord of Nesle from 1180 to 1202. He took part in the Third Crusade. This might explain why a legend later connected him with King Richard I of England. It's still not completely clear if 'Blondel' was truly a nickname. Many old records that could help solve this mystery are now lost.
If the songs are correctly identified and dated, Blondel was very important to other musicians in Europe. They often used his melodies in their own works. For example, one of his tunes was used in the famous collection of songs called Carmina Burana.
The Legend of Blondel and King Richard
By the year 1260, Blondel's name became part of a popular story. This story was in a book called Récits d'un Ménestrel de Reims, which was mostly made-up. The legend says that after King Richard of England was captured in 1192, the minstrel Blondel found him.
The story claims Blondel saw Richard from his window and sang a verse of a song they both knew. Later versions of this story say that Blondel traveled from one castle to another. He would sing a special song that only he and King Richard knew. The imprisoned King Richard would then sing the second verse back. This helped Blondel figure out where the king was being held. After finding Richard at Dürnstein, Blondel either helped the king escape or told his friends where he was.
In reality, there was no mystery about where King Richard was held. His captors made his location widely known. They wanted to get a ransom (money) for him. The name 'Blondel' is a common surname in Normandy. Records show that King Richard gave some land to a person named Blondel. However, we don't know if this person is connected to the legend or the famous poet.
Blondel's Story in Modern Times
The legend of Blondel wasn't very popular in the Middle Ages. But it became much more famous in the late 1700s.
- It was the basis for an opera by André Ernest Modeste Grétry called Richard Coeur-de-lion (1784).
- In 1822, Eleanor Anne Porden used the legend in her long poem Cœur De Lion. In her version, Blondel is actually Richard's wife, Berengaria of Navarre, in disguise.
- A poem by Johann Gabriel Seidl called "Blondels Lied" was set to music by Robert Schumann in 1840.
- Throughout the 1800s, the legend became a key part of the stories told about King Richard.
- In the 1962–63 ITV British TV series Richard the Lionheart, Blondel was a character who appeared often.
- The legend also inspired Blondel, a 1983 musical by Stephen Oliver and Tim Rice. This play is a funny rock opera set during the Third Crusade. In the musical, Blondel is shown as an artist who wants to be famous as a composer and performer, even as he searches for his captured king.
