Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Huon de Bordeaux
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Read Next
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Discover
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike

Huon de Bordeaux

French poem
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Huon-de-Bordeaux
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Huon de Bordeaux, Old French poem, written in epic metre, dating from the first half of the 13th century. Charlot, son of the emperor Charlemagne, lays an ambush for Huon, son of Séguin of Bordeaux; but Huon kills Charlot without being aware of his identity. Huon is then saved from hanging by performing a series of seemingly impossible tasks.

Thought to be based on Huon d’Auvergne—a hypothetical earlier version that told a much grimmer other-world story—Huon de Bordeaux marks the transition from the epic chanson de geste, based on national history, to the roman d’aventure, or romance. Huon de Bordeaux had a great vogue in England through a prose translation by John Bouchier, Lord Berners, that was printed c. 1534 by Wynkyn de Worde. This was used as a source book by Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, and John Keats.