Great Men, Heroic Deeds: The Influences of the Nine Heros During the Late Middle Age
Graduation Date
Spring 1998
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Leslie Ross, PhD
Abstract
The Nine Heroes tapestries, now located in The Cloisters collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, are a series of three late-fourteenth century French tapestries illustrating nine celebrated men recognized for their famous heroic deeds. The first tapestry is devoted to three ancient heroes: Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar. The second tapestry shows three Hebrew heroes: Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus. The third tapestry depicts three Christian heroes: Charlemagne, Arthur, and Godfrey of Bouillon. From the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, these nine illustrious men appeared widely in art and literature. By examining medieval literature in conjunction with the image of chivalry and the institution of knighthood, this study looks at how these men were used as symbolic tools to support and preserve the medieval heroic ideal.
-Thesis excerpt-