Tracing Proteus: A Possible Identity for “Godefroiz de Leigni,” the Continuator of Chrétien de Troyes’s Lancelot

This article examines select passages from the twelfth-century Vézelay Chronicle that may shed light on the identity of the otherwise unknown “Godefroiz de Leigni,” the continuator of Chrétien de Troyes’s Chevalier de la Charrette. The possible identification of this “Godefroiz” intersects questions that have long captivated both readers and scholars of the Charrette, including the historicity of its authors, the text’s narrative structure, the cultural politics of Marie de Champagne’s patronage, and the broader dynamics of medieval literary creation and continuations. The first part of the article traces the itinerant activities of “Gaudefredus de Latiniaco,” a renegade monk and skillful orator from Lagny-sur-Marne. The second part examines the plausibility that this former monk of Vézelay later completed the Charrette, drawing on evidence from his clerical status, rhetorical ability, connections to Marie de Champagne’s intellectual circles, and Vézelay’s literary milieu. It also explores the protean nature of the continuation, which merges seamlessly with Chrétien’s voice and complicates traditional notions of medieval authorship.