Chrétien de Troyes

(c. 1165 - c. 1180)

Among the earliest written sources of Arthurian legends are Geoffrey of Monmouth’s fictional History of the Kings of Britain and Chrétien’s five romances. Chrétien introduced the story the idea of Camelot, the relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere, and the quest for the Holy Grail. Little is known about the author, a French poet who may not ever have visited England, but he is thought to have been associated with the court of Marie of Champagne, a daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine.