Fierabras and Floripas: A French Epic allegory, First modern English translation

Fierabras and Floripas tells the tale of two Saracen siblings who join forces with Charlemagne and his Peers. It was the most popular French epic tale in medieval England, not excluding the Song of Roland. Its expansive narrative explores both the limits of epic battle description and the usefulness of allegory to explore moral and spiritual issues. Two separate but successively performed original compositions, La Destruction de Rome and Fierabras are translated here. Both works belonged to a sub-branch of the “deeds of the king" song-cycle that focused on the legend and significance of the legendary relics of Christ’s passios. Illustrated with 13 original drawings from the Hannover, MS IV-578. Glossary of medieval terms, select bibliography, extracts from the work and its literary afterlife. First modern English translation.