Page:Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical setting (IA cu31924026512263).pdf/155

 PART IV

THE HISTORICAL BASES UPON WHICH TIRANT'S SPHERES OF OPERATION ARE FOUNDED

CHAPTER I

THE WILLIAM OF WARWICK EPISODE

In the preceding part, wherein was made a comparative study of three important sources of Tirant to Blanch, we have had occasion to mention the real historical facts that form, in a more or less general way, the basis of Tirant's career while in the service of the Emperor of Constantinople. Let us now transfer our researches to the field of history and try to determine what historical events underlie the hero's various undertakings. Let us, moreover, examine all the features of Tirant lo Blanch that give any indication of historical influence, in order that we may attain a better understanding of the author's method in composing this work. The first question that confronts us is: What historical basis is to be found in the William of Warwick episode?

The hero of the English romance of Guy of Warwick is more or less a legendary personage. John Rous, a learned scholar and writer who lived between 1411 and 1491, in his writings concerning the legendary history of Warwickshire, names Guy as the second of the Saxon Earls of Warwick. We cannot cite any authentic historical facts about him. The story probably represents an old Saxon legend, perhaps in the form of a ballad, which in the course of time became a romance in French, and this was later translated into English. In the two