“Suite Vulgate du Merlin” is part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle, a widely read series of Arthurian romances among the nobility of the Middle Ages. The narratives contained in them would be told by troupes of travelling poets known as trouvères. To preserve the delicate pages, researchers developed a noninvasive procedure to digitize the codex through imaging and CT scans, resulting in a virtual 3D model that the scientists can study without having to open it.

Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, a specialist in French medieval texts, recognized the importance of the manuscript and called the discovery a “one in a life time experience.” The scans not only unveiled the story, but demonstrated medieval-style bookbinding that could assist in following the manuscript’s chain of custody.

From Jacket Copy to Historic Find
It dates back to 2019, when Sian Collins, previously at Cambridge and now head of special collections and archives at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, was examining estate records from Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk, which was owned by the Vanneck family. What had been indexed as a 14th-century Sir Gawain story was written in Old French and cited characters like Gawain and, yes, Excalibur.

More analysis returned two scenes: The first tells of a battle in which Gawain, his brothers and king Loth fight four Saxon kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés and Brandalus. The second scene is King Arthur’s court and Merlin, disguised as a handsome harpist, plays at a feast. He is wearing a silk tunic and jeweled harness—not just the room, but the whole house is illuminated by his finery.

Preserving the Past
With the “Suite Vulgate du Merlin,” composed around 1230, we break in on the scene of Arthur’s coronation, focusing instead on the early years of his reign. The young king has to contend with British barons eager for war and a Saxon invasion. In all of this adversity, Merlin plays an instrumental part, giving advice and even shape-shifting so as to help Arthur.

As printed books became fashionable in the late 1500s, older manuscripts were often thrown away or recycled, Dr. Fabry-Tehranchi explained. The parchment pages, sought for their durability, were a common material for the dust covers of book bindings. At the same time, English readers were finding it increasingly difficult to understand Old French, with modernized editions such as Sir Thomas Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur” now in play.

Dr Laura Campbell, who has worked on the Bristol Merlin, another rare find, points out just how much easier it would have been for modern audiences to access these updated Arthurian stories. Not involved in this project, she explained the significance of such finds for the understanding of medieval European literary and cultural history.