Chivalry · Chapter
VI: The Story of the Satraps explained
Queen Anne of Bohemia, lonely and childless, befriends the priest Edward Maudelain, a bastard son of Lionel of Clarence who bears a striking resemblance to King Richard.
What happens
Queen Anne of Bohemia, lonely and childless, befriends the priest Edward Maudelain, a bastard son of Lionel of Clarence who bears a striking resemblance to King Richard. Their bond deepens through shared charity and theological discussion, while the King's uncles plot against him. Maudelain, torn between his love for Anne and his ambition to claim the throne, reveals his royal heritage and his intention to rule, leading to a poignant confrontation about power, sacrifice, and the limits of human agency.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Queenship
Queen Anne's loneliness and political marginalization contrast with Maudelain's claim to kingship, exploring the burdens and illusions of royal power.
Sacrifice and Suffering
Both Anne and Maudelain grapple with personal anguish and the desire to suffer for each other, echoing Christ's trivial yet profound sacrifice.
Illusion vs. Reality
The chapter contrasts the dream of refashioning the world with the grim reality of political machinations and human limitation.
Fate and Free Will
Maudelain's assertion of his heritage as 'Heaven's satrap' and his struggle with damnation highlight the tension between divine will and personal choice.
Characters to notice
- Queen Anne
Lonely and childless, she seeks affection through almsgiving and forms a deep friendship with Edward Maudelain, discussing theology and peasant ailments while the kingdom teeters on civil war.
- Edward Maudelain
A priest and bastard son of Lionel of Clarence, he resembles King Richard but is more passionate and dictatorial. He struggles with his love for Anne and his ambition to claim the throne as his heritage.
- King Richard
The second monarch of that name, he succeeded as an infant and now chafes against his uncles' guardianship, planning to assert his rule.
- Gloucester
The Duke of Gloucester, King Richard's uncle, plots against the King and consults the Pope about taking the crown, but is denied support.
- Harry of Derby
John of Gaunt's oldest son and the King's cousin, he is present at Gloucester's meeting, patiently awaiting events.
- Edmund of York
Another of the King's uncles, present at Gloucester's meeting, appearing half-asleep.
Key passages
“Je suis voix au désert criant Que chascun soyt rectifiant La voye de Sauveur; non suis, Et accomplir je ne le puis.”
I am a voice crying in the wilderness, that everyone should make straight the way of the Savior; I am not, and I cannot accomplish it.
The epigraph sets a tone of humble inadequacy, echoing John the Baptist's mission but acknowledging the speaker's inability to fulfill it.
“We walk among shining vapors, we aspire to overpass a mountain of unstable sparkling sand!”
We move through deceptive illusions, trying to climb a mountain made of shifting, glittering sand.
Maudelain expresses the futility of human ambition in a world governed by greed and hatred.
“If Christ Himself achieved so little that seemed great and admirable, how should we two hope to do any more?”
If even Christ accomplished so little that appeared grand, how can we expect to achieve more?
Queen Anne reflects on the triviality of Christ's earthly ministry to question the possibility of meaningful change.
“I am King of England. I am Heaven's satrap here, and answerable to Heaven alone. It is my heritage.”
I am the King of England, God's representative on earth, accountable only to Heaven. This is my birthright.
Maudelain asserts his claim to the throne, invoking divine authority to justify his ambition despite the cost of war.
