Few documents describe the ethnicity of the Moors in medieval Europe with as much passion, boldness, and clarity as Sir Moriaen. This metrical romance, rendered into English prose from the Middle Dutch version of Lancelot, narrates the adventure of a heroic Moorish knight, perhaps a Christian convert, believed to have lived during the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Moriaen (also spelled Moriaan, Morion, Morien) is a 14th-century Arthurian romance in Middle Dutch. A 4,720-line version is preserved in the vast Lancelot Compilation, and a short fragment exists at the Royal Library in Brussels. It is considered the first known novel to feature a Black leading character, making it a significant work in the history of literature.
An Exceptional Black Knight
Moriaen is described with a striking emphasis on his appearance:
He was all black, as I have told you: his head, his body, and his hands were all black, leaving only his teeth. His shield and his armour were also those of a Moor, and black as a raven.
Initially referred to simply as “the Moor,” Moriaen presents himself as both a foreign and fascinating figure in the Arthurian world. He challenges, fights, and eventually earns the unwavering respect and admiration of Lancelot. Moriaen is both frank and eloquent. Gawain, whose life was saved on the battlefield by Moriaen, “paid close attention and smiled at the words of the Black Knight.”
Lancelot collection – KB 129 A 10 – 116v-117r
Even Gawain is guilty of prejudice when Moriaen first appears on the scene:
Yet Gawain thought that the man they had met looked more like a devil than a human, if he had not heard him call upon God.
As always in this poem, race does not matter because the Moorish knight embodies Christianity.
Moriaen is also depicted as a formidable warrior:
His blows were so mighty; did a spear fly towards him, to harm him, it troubled him no whit, but he smote it in twain as if it were a reed; naught might endure before him.
This exceptional physical strength, combined with his loyalty and heroism, makes Moriaen an iconic figure of medieval chivalry.
The Ambiguity of Racial Representation
The text repeatedly emphasizes Moriaen’s skin color while praising his knightly virtues:
Black as pitch; it was common in his country (the Moors are black as burnt embers). But in all that men praised in a knight, he was loyal, according to his kind. Though he was black, what was the worse?
This juxtaposition of physical strangeness and moral nobility highlights a tension inherent in medieval literature, where otherness is both recognized and transcended by chivalric values. Although his race provokes some shock and even fear upon first encounters, Moriaen’s Christian faith and adherence to courtly manners allow him to be accepted at Arthur’s court, regardless of his skin color. This illustrates a complex perspective on race and social class during this period.
The Tale of Moriaen’s Conception and Quests
Drawing of Moriaen by Caroline Watts in 1901 -Wikimedia Commons
The romance begins with the story of Moriaen’s conception. While searching for Lancelot thirteen years prior, Aglovale had traveled through Moorish lands and fallen in love with a beautiful princess. They pledged their betrothal, but refusing to abandon his quest before Lancelot was located, Aglovale left before they could marry. He left her pregnant with his son, Moriaen, who would grow into a tall, handsome youth, “black of face and limb.”
While growing up in the Moorish lands, Moriaen faced a tough past due to his father’s abandonment—he was deemed “fatherless” and shamed. In pursuit of his father, Moriaen knights himself and grows increasingly stronger by battling the knights he encounters along his journey. Of his prowess, the romance says:
Sir Moriaen’s blows were so mighty; did a spear fly towards him, to harm him, it troubled him no whit, but he smote it in twain as if it were a reed; naught might endure before him.
Of his dress, it states:
[H]is shield and his armour were even those of a Moor, and black as a raven.
The narrative proper begins years later, as Moriaen seeks his father, he and his mother having been disinherited from their lands. The action takes place just before the quest for the Holy Grail, and the knights Lancelot and Gawain are out searching for Percival, a new knight and the brother of Aglovale. After Moriaen tells his story to Lancelot and Gawain, who promise to help him find his father, the knights embark on a series of adventures showcasing their talents. In the end, father and son are reunited, and Aglovale travels to the land of the Moors to marry his lover and win back her rightful lands.
The author attempts to synchronize the romance with episodes from Chrétien de Troyes’s Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Lancelot-Grail. He or she notes at the beginning that some versions of the story have Percival himself as Moriaen’s father but decides to follow the convention that Percival died a virgin.
The circumstances of Sir Moriaen’s birth are similar to those of Gahmuret and Belacane’s son, Feirefiz, in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival; like the Lancelot Compilation, Parzival is also based on an earlier version of the Grail story. In this case, Gahmuret is Parzival’s father, making the half-Saracen Feirefiz the Grail knight’s brother rather than his nephew or son.
A Legacy in Medieval Literature
The story of Sir Moriaen stands as a fascinating and complex representation of race, chivalry, and identity in medieval literature. While his Blackness is repeatedly emphasized, it does not define his worth—his heroism, skill in battle, and unwavering loyalty are what earn him respect in Arthurian legend. The romance challenges preconceived notions of the time, illustrating that nobility and virtue transcend physical appearance.
Though Sir Moriaen remains lesser known compared to other Arthurian tales, its significance endures. As one of the earliest known stories to feature a Black protagonist in European literature, it serves as a unique glimpse into medieval perceptions of race and the possibilities of inclusion within chivalric narratives. Whether viewed as an anomaly or a testament to the diversity of medieval storytelling, Sir Moriaen remains an extraordinary figure in the world of Arthurian legend.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
Top Image: Aarau, Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek, MsWettF 16: 1, p. 39 – Silbereisen: Chronicon Helvetiae, Part I – http://www.e-codices.ch/en/kba/0016-1/39
By Lorris Chevalier
Few documents describe the ethnicity of the Moors in medieval Europe with as much passion, boldness, and clarity as Sir Moriaen. This metrical romance, rendered into English prose from the Middle Dutch version of Lancelot, narrates the adventure of a heroic Moorish knight, perhaps a Christian convert, believed to have lived during the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Moriaen (also spelled Moriaan, Morion, Morien) is a 14th-century Arthurian romance in Middle Dutch. A 4,720-line version is preserved in the vast Lancelot Compilation, and a short fragment exists at the Royal Library in Brussels. It is considered the first known novel to feature a Black leading character, making it a significant work in the history of literature.
An Exceptional Black Knight
Moriaen is described with a striking emphasis on his appearance:
He was all black, as I have told you: his head, his body, and his hands were all black, leaving only his teeth. His shield and his armour were also those of a Moor, and black as a raven.
Initially referred to simply as “the Moor,” Moriaen presents himself as both a foreign and fascinating figure in the Arthurian world. He challenges, fights, and eventually earns the unwavering respect and admiration of Lancelot. Moriaen is both frank and eloquent. Gawain, whose life was saved on the battlefield by Moriaen, “paid close attention and smiled at the words of the Black Knight.”
Even Gawain is guilty of prejudice when Moriaen first appears on the scene:
Yet Gawain thought that the man they had met looked more like a devil than a human, if he had not heard him call upon God.
As always in this poem, race does not matter because the Moorish knight embodies Christianity.
Moriaen is also depicted as a formidable warrior:
His blows were so mighty; did a spear fly towards him, to harm him, it troubled him no whit, but he smote it in twain as if it were a reed; naught might endure before him.
This exceptional physical strength, combined with his loyalty and heroism, makes Moriaen an iconic figure of medieval chivalry.
The Ambiguity of Racial Representation
The text repeatedly emphasizes Moriaen’s skin color while praising his knightly virtues:
Black as pitch; it was common in his country (the Moors are black as burnt embers). But in all that men praised in a knight, he was loyal, according to his kind. Though he was black, what was the worse?
This juxtaposition of physical strangeness and moral nobility highlights a tension inherent in medieval literature, where otherness is both recognized and transcended by chivalric values. Although his race provokes some shock and even fear upon first encounters, Moriaen’s Christian faith and adherence to courtly manners allow him to be accepted at Arthur’s court, regardless of his skin color. This illustrates a complex perspective on race and social class during this period.
The Tale of Moriaen’s Conception and Quests
The romance begins with the story of Moriaen’s conception. While searching for Lancelot thirteen years prior, Aglovale had traveled through Moorish lands and fallen in love with a beautiful princess. They pledged their betrothal, but refusing to abandon his quest before Lancelot was located, Aglovale left before they could marry. He left her pregnant with his son, Moriaen, who would grow into a tall, handsome youth, “black of face and limb.”
While growing up in the Moorish lands, Moriaen faced a tough past due to his father’s abandonment—he was deemed “fatherless” and shamed. In pursuit of his father, Moriaen knights himself and grows increasingly stronger by battling the knights he encounters along his journey. Of his prowess, the romance says:
Sir Moriaen’s blows were so mighty; did a spear fly towards him, to harm him, it troubled him no whit, but he smote it in twain as if it were a reed; naught might endure before him.
Of his dress, it states:
[H]is shield and his armour were even those of a Moor, and black as a raven.
The narrative proper begins years later, as Moriaen seeks his father, he and his mother having been disinherited from their lands. The action takes place just before the quest for the Holy Grail, and the knights Lancelot and Gawain are out searching for Percival, a new knight and the brother of Aglovale. After Moriaen tells his story to Lancelot and Gawain, who promise to help him find his father, the knights embark on a series of adventures showcasing their talents. In the end, father and son are reunited, and Aglovale travels to the land of the Moors to marry his lover and win back her rightful lands.
The author attempts to synchronize the romance with episodes from Chrétien de Troyes’s Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Lancelot-Grail. He or she notes at the beginning that some versions of the story have Percival himself as Moriaen’s father but decides to follow the convention that Percival died a virgin.
The circumstances of Sir Moriaen’s birth are similar to those of Gahmuret and Belacane’s son, Feirefiz, in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival; like the Lancelot Compilation, Parzival is also based on an earlier version of the Grail story. In this case, Gahmuret is Parzival’s father, making the half-Saracen Feirefiz the Grail knight’s brother rather than his nephew or son.
A Legacy in Medieval Literature
The story of Sir Moriaen stands as a fascinating and complex representation of race, chivalry, and identity in medieval literature. While his Blackness is repeatedly emphasized, it does not define his worth—his heroism, skill in battle, and unwavering loyalty are what earn him respect in Arthurian legend. The romance challenges preconceived notions of the time, illustrating that nobility and virtue transcend physical appearance.
Though Sir Moriaen remains lesser known compared to other Arthurian tales, its significance endures. As one of the earliest known stories to feature a Black protagonist in European literature, it serves as a unique glimpse into medieval perceptions of race and the possibilities of inclusion within chivalric narratives. Whether viewed as an anomaly or a testament to the diversity of medieval storytelling, Sir Moriaen remains an extraordinary figure in the world of Arthurian legend.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
Click here to read more from Lorris Chevalier
Further Readings:
Brandsma, Frank, ‘‘Al Was Hi Sward, Wat Scaetde Dat?’: Emotions and Courtly Cultural Exchange in the Roman van Moriaen.” Arthuriana, Vol. 29:4 (2019)
Top Image: Aarau, Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek, MsWettF 16: 1, p. 39 – Silbereisen: Chronicon Helvetiae, Part I – http://www.e-codices.ch/en/kba/0016-1/39
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