Basic information about this romance:
- Late 13th Century
- Originated in Styria or Carinthia
- Middle High German Text
- 2manuscripts, one in Munich (Staatsbibliothek, 14th century), one in Fulda (Landesbibliothek, 15th century)
o Hs. A = München, Staatsbibl., Cgm 57, Bl. 1r-52v
o Hs. B = Fulda, Landesbibl., Hs. C 6
- Basic theme: falsely accused queen
- Close parallels to the Middle English romance EMARÉ
- Historical framework: Roman Empire, Greece, Crusade to the Iberian Peninsula
- Emperor tries to rape his daughter, Beaflor, she escapes
- Greek Count Mai falls in love with and marries Beaflor
- Mai’s mother hates her future daughter-in-law, tries to get her killed through falsified letters
- Beaflor escapes, and returns to Rome
- Mai commits matricide
- Mai travels to Rome to gain the pope’s forgiveness
- Mai and Beaflor meet again
- The Emperor admits his guilt, abdicates, and Mai assumes the throne of Rome
- Major themes:
- incest
- rape
- women’s roles
- mother-son relationship
- crusade
- political uprising of the people
- suicide
- matricide
- father-son relationship
- theme of childhood
- rhetorical skill
- parents’ love for their children