At the heart of Wolfram von Eschenbach's Willehalm are Saracens: instrumental figures in the
driving themes of conquest loyalty vassalage chivalry love-service and redemption that run
through the text. When compared with Wolfram's French sources La Prise d'Orange and Aliscans
Willehalm is revealed to be innovative yet true to the themes and figures of the original
chansons de geste indicating that Wolfram continued the retelling process that also played a
part in the composition of his French sources. This book explores the role of Saracens in these
texts the implications of their conversion to Christianity and the portrayal of the ideals of
chivalry as their depiction undergoes development from twelfth-century France to
thirteenth-century Germany. The text begins with the cultural-historical setting and the
development of key ideals and concepts and then analyses the Saracen figures in the texts
presenting an integrated reading of Willehalm and its source material and revealing Wolfram's
intentions in his depiction of Saracens.
