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Doon de Mayence[1] also known asDoolin de Maience,[2]Doon de Maience[3] orDoolin de Mayence[4] was a fictional hero of theOld Frenchchansons de geste, who gives his name to the thirdcycle of theCharlemagneromances dealing with the feudal revolts.
There is no single unifying theme in thegeste of Doon de Mayence. The rebellious barons are connected by the poets with Doon by fictitiousgenealogical ties and all are represented as opposingCharlemagne, although their adventures—insofar as they possess a historical basis—generally occur before (or after) his reign.
The general insolence of their attitude to the sovereign suggests that Charlemagne is here only apseudonym for his weaker successors. The tradition of a traitorous family of Mayence (Mainz), which was developed in Italy into a series of stories about criminals, appeared later than theCarolingian cycle. A contributor to theChronicle of Fredegar states (iv. 87) that the army ofSigebert III was betrayed from within its own ranks by men of Mayence, in a battle fought with Radulf on the banks of theUnstrut inThuringia.
The chief heroes of the poems which make up Doon de Mayence areOgier the Dane,the four sons of Aymon, andHuon of Bordeaux. Doon himself was probably one of the last characters to be clearly defined, and thechanson de geste relating his exploits was drawn up partly with the view of supplying a suitable ancestor for the other heroes—in modern terms, aprequel. The second half of the poem, detailing Doon’s wars in Saxony, is perhaps based on historical events but the first half, a separate romance dealing with his romantic childhood, is a fiction dating back to the 13th century. Doon had twelve sons, of whom the most noteworthy are:
The history of these figures is given inDoon de Mayence,Gaufrey, the romances relating to Ogier,Aye d’Avignon, the fragmentaryDoon de Nanteuil,Gui de Nanteuil,Tristan de Nanteuil,Parise la Duchesse,Maugis d’Aigremont,Vivien l’amachour de Monbranc,Renaus de Montauban (orLes Quatre Fils Aymon) andHuon de Bordeaux.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Doon de Mayence".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 419.
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