View source for Jacob van Maerlant

{{short description|13th-century Flemish poet}}
{{fnh|Jacob|van Maerlant|lang=Medieval}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more footnotes needed|date=December 2017}}
{{POV|date=September 2022}}
{{Rough translation|West Flemish|West-Vlams||date=September 2022}}
}}

[[File:Jacob van Maerlant.jpg|thumb|Jacob van Maerlant]]
[[File:Damme Jacob van Maerlant.JPG|thumb|Statue of Jacob van Maerlant in [[Damme]], by {{Interlanguage link|Hendrik Pickery|nl}}]]

'''Jacob van Maerlant''' (c.&nbsp;1230–40&nbsp;– c.&nbsp;1288–1300) was a [[Flemings|Flemish]] poet of the 13th century and one of the most important [[Middle Dutch]] authors during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name="Cath">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Jacob van Maerlant}}</ref>

==Biography==
{{Rough translation|West Flemish|West-Vlams|section||date=September 2022}}
Jacob van Maerlant was born near [[Bruges]] and initially worked as a [[sacristan]] in [[Maerlant]], located on the island of [[Oostvoorne]]. He later became a [[Sexton (office)|sexton]], which earned him the surname "de Coster." Afterward, he moved to Damme, near Bruges, where he is believed to have served as the town clerk.

In the beginning, Jacob focused on translating [[French language|French]] [[romance (heroic literature)|romance]]s into [[Middle Dutch]]. However, his most significant work in the realm of romance poetry was his ''Historie van Troyen'', composed around 1264. This epic poem, consisting of approximately forty thousand lines, was a translation and expansion of [[Benoît de Sainte-Maure|Benoît de Sainte-Maure's]] Roman de Troie.
[[File:Der naturen bloeme - Jacob van Maerlant - KB KA 16 - 040v-041r.jpg|thumb|Strange peoples in ''Der naturen bloeme'']]
From this time Jacob rejected romance as idle, and devoted himself to writing scientific and historical works for the education and, enlightenment of the Flemish and Dutch nobility. His ''Heimelicheit der Heimelicheden'' (c. 1266) is a translation of the ''Secreta secretorum'', a manual for the education of princes, ascribed throughout the Middle Ages to [[Aristotle]]. ''Van der Naturen Bloeme''<ref>J. van Maerlant, Van der Naturen Bloeme, met miniaturen, fol. oude band met sloten, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag, KA_16 (XVI 9869)</ref> is a free translation of ''De natura rerum'', a natural history in twenty books by a native of [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]], [[Thomas of Cantimpré]]; and his ''Rijmbijbel'' is taken, with many omissions and additions, from the ''[[Historia scholastica]]'' of [[Petrus Comestor]]. He supplemented this metrical paraphrase of [[scripture]] history by ''Die Wrake van Jherusalem'' (1271) by [[Josephus]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Maerlant, Jacob van|volume=17|page=298}}</ref> He also translated a ''Life of St. Francis'' (''Leven van St. Franciscus'') from the [[Latin]] of [[Bonaventure]]. Jacob's most extensive work is the ''[[Spiegel Historiael]]'', a rhymed chronicle of the world, translated, with omissions and important additions, from the ''Speculum historiale'' of [[Vincent de Beauvais]]. It is dedicated to [[Floris V, Count of Holland|Count Floris V]] and was begun in 1283, but was left unfinished at the poet's death. Continuations were given by [[Philip Utenbroeke]] and [[Lodewijc van Velthem]], a Brabant priest.<ref name="Cath"/> He wrote three [[Arthurian]] works: ''Torec'', which survives in the massive [[Lancelot Compilation]], and two romances based on the works of [[Robert de Boron]]: ''Historie van den Grale'' and ''Boec van Merline'', which tell the stories of [[Joseph of Arimathea]] and [[Merlin]].

Jacob is also the author of a number of strophic poems, which date from different periods of his life. Of these, the best known is the ''Wapene Martijn'' ("Alas! Martin") so called from the opening words. It is a dialogue on the course of events held between the poet himself and a character named Martin. Altogether there are three parts, of which the above-mentioned is the first. The other two parts are known as ''Dander Martijn'' ("Second Martin") and ''Derden Martijn'' ("Third Martin").<ref name="Cath"/>

Other poems of this kind are ''Van ons Heren wonden'', a translation of the hymn ''Salve mea! o patrona''; ''Die Clausule van der Bible'', an allegorical poem in praise of the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]]; the {{lang|nl|Disputacie van onser Vrouwen ende van den helighen Cruce}}, which bewails the sad situation of the [[Holy Land]]. Jacob's last poem ''Van den Lande van Oversee'' was written after the fall of [[City of Acre|Acre]] (1291) and is a stirring summons to a crusade against the infidels, with bitter complaints about abuses in the Church. The ''Geesten'' were edited by Franck ([[Groningen (city)|Groningen]], 1882). Complete editions of the strophic poems were given by E. Verwijs (Groningen, 1880) and by J. Franck and J. Verdam (Groningen, 1898).<ref name="Cath"/>

Based on doctoral research (Van Anrooij 1997), it is now thought likely that Jacob was also the author of the hitherto anonymous ''Van neghen den besten'' ("On the Nine Worthies"). This would be his last work. It is one of the few works with European distribution whose source text was written in [[Middle Dutch]]. The work had a profound and lasting impact on the honor code of the Western European knightly elite.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Jacob died in the closing years of the 13th century. The greater part of his work consists of translations, but he also produced poems that prove him to have had real original poetic faculty. Among these are ''Die Clausule van der Bible'', ''Der Kerken Clage'', imitated from a ''Complainte'' of [[Rutebeuf]], and the three dialogues entitled ''Martijn'', in which the fundamental questions of theology and ethics were discussed.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Although Jacob was an orthodox [[Roman Catholic]], he is said to have been called to account by the priests for translating the [[Bible]] into the [[Vernacular|vulgar]] tongue. In spite of his orthodoxy, Jacob was a keen [[Satire|satirist]] of the corruption of the clergy. He was one of the most learned men of his age, and for two centuries was the most celebrated of Flemish poets.<ref name="EB1911"/>

[[File:Bird Illustration from Der Naturen Bloeme.jpg|thumb|A drawing of a bird from the German manuscript Der Naturen Bloeme]]

==Biographical uncertainty==
{{POV|date=September 2022}}
The date and year of his birth are unknown. Estimates range between 1230 and 1240, as his oldest work, ''Alexanders geesten'' (The Deeds of [[Alexander the Great]]), was likely written shortly after 1260. Jacob's place of birth and information regarding his parents are also unknown. His language was analyzed by the Dutch linguists Amand Berteloot and Evert van den Berg, who came to the conclusion that he learned to speak in the [[County of Flanders]], somewhere south of the city of [[Bruges]], Belgium.

Jacob's place and time of death is also unknown. Tradition holds that Jacob must have been alive in 1291, because he is considered to be the author of the poem ''Vanden lande van Overzee'' (On the Land across the Sea), which discusses the fall of the last Christian city in the [[Holy Land]], [[Acre, Israel|Saint-Jean d'Acres]]. This poem, which survived in only one manuscript (UB Groningen, Ms. 405), has no name attached to it. None of the texts in this manuscript bears the name of its author. However, he has historically been seen as the author of this poem, particularly by Nineteenth-century Dutch scholars. This claim was based on a verse in the 19th and last stanza: "Ghi heren, dit is Jacobs vont", meaning 'Gentlemen, this is Jacob's creation'. For the 19th century, this was more than enough proof that the poet could not have been anybody else than Jacob van Maerlant. This is most likely an unsound theory as Jacob only referred to himself as such in his early life. By the time it is purported he wrote this poem, he was just using his last name 'Maerlant'. A recent examination of this manuscript by historian Jos Biemans confirmed that it is unlikely he was the author of this poem.

==Attributed works==
[[File:Der naturen bloeme - Jacob van Maerlant - KB KA 16 - 107v-108r 3D.jpg|thumb|''Der naturen bloeme'', KB KA 16]]
[[File:Die Heimelicheit der heimelicheden - KB 76 E 5, folium 061v.jpg|thumb|Beginning of ''Die Heimelicheit der heimelicheden'' - KB 76 E 5, folium 061v]]
*''Alexanders Geesten''
*''Historie van den grale''
*''Merlijns boeck''
*''Istory van Troyen''
*''Der naturen bloeme''
*''Rijmbijbel''
*''Spieghel historiael''
*''Sinte Franciscus' Leven''
*''Wapene Martijn''
*''Tweede Martijn''
*''Van der Drievoudecheide''
*''Verkeerde Martijn''
*''Der Kerken claghe''
*''Van den lande van overzee''
*''Heimelykheid der heimelykheden''
*''Lapidarijs''
*''Leven van Ste. Clara''
*''Sompniariis'
*''Torec''
*''Van neghen den besten''

==See also==
{{portal|Poetry}}
*[[Dutch literature]]
*[[Flemish literature]]

==Bibliography==
* Evert van den Berg, "Waar kwam Jacob van Maerlant vandaan?", in Amand Berteloot: [http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_ver016199101_01/_ver016199101_01_0011.php ''Verslagen en mededelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde''] 1993, p.&nbsp;30-77.
*Jos Biesmans, 'Het Gronings-Zutphense Maerlant-handschrift. Over de noodzakelijkheid der handschriftenkunde', in: ''Queeste'' 3 (1996), p.&nbsp;107-219.
*[[Frits van Oostrom]], ''Maerlants wereld''. Amsterdam 1996.
*Karina van Dalen-Oskam, ''Studies over Jacob van Maerlants Rijmbijbel''. Hilversum 1997.
*Ingrid Biesheuvel, ''Maerlants werk. Juweeltjes van zijn hand''. Amsterdam 1998.
*Willem Kuiper, [http://cf.hum.uva.nl/dsp/scriptamanent/bml/Destructie_van_Jherusalem/Voortgang_artikel.pdf 'Die Destructie van Jherusalem in handschrift en druk'], in: ''Voortgang, jaarboek voor de neerlandistiek'' 25 (2007), p.&nbsp;67-88.
*Claudine A. Chavannes-Mazel, [https://web.archive.org/web/20081230144127/http://www.meermanno.nl/pdf/Maerlants%20Rijmbijbel.pdf ''Maerlants Rijmbijbel in Museum Meermanno. De kracht van woorden, de pracht van beelden.''] Met vertalingen uit het Middelnederlands van het handschrift 10 B 21 door Karina van Dalen-Oskam en Willem Kuiper. Den Haag 2008.

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://cf.hum.uva.nl/dsp/scriptamanent/remlt/remltindex.htm Repertorium van Eigennamen in Middelnederlandse Literaire Teksten (REMLT)]
*[http://cf.hum.uva.nl/dsp/ljc/maerlant/ Page on Jacob van Maerlant at Project Laurens Janszoon Coster with electronic versions of a few of his works]
*[http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Rijmbijbel Diplomatic transcription of MS 10 B 21 Museum Meermanno]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob van Maerlant}}<!-- NOT "Maerlant, Jacob Van" - see Talk page -->
[[Category:13th-century births]]
[[Category:13th-century deaths]]
[[Category:Writers of Arthurian literature]]
[[Category:Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Flemish poets]]
[[Category:Flemish writers (before 1830)]]
[[Category:13th-century historians from the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Middle Dutch writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Bruges]]
[[Category:People from Damme]]
[[Category:People from Voorne aan Zee]]
[[Category:13th-century poets from the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:13th-century people from the county of Flanders]]