Le Morte Darthur Book 8
1.) King Meliodas, the king of Liones and husband of Elisabeth (=sister of king Mark of Cornewaille)is enchanted by a lady that loves the king and gets lost in the forest while he is out hunting and is imprisoned by her in an old castle. When the pregnant queen Elisabeth realizes that her husband is missing she goes into a forest with one of her servants in order to find him. But her efforts initiate the birth of her son. With her last words she names the baby Tristram and reminds him of his misfortune of having killed his own mother.
2.) The second chapter is about the return of king Meliodas, who has been rescued by Merlin. Arriving at his court he becomes aware of the birth of his son and the death of Elisabeth. Seven years after Tristram is baptised Meliodas marries again. His wife (=daughter of king Howles of Britain) bears several children. But she knows that these children won't become kings and queens until Tristram dies. That's why she tries to poison him, but to her misfortune she kills her own son. When she tries it again she nearly kills Meliodas. But she stops him from drinking the poison and Meliodas forces her to tell him everything. Her punishment shall be death, but Tristam saves her from being burned alive. After that Tristram is send to France for his own safety and to be educated.
3.) Tristram returns from France as a well educated man, a masterful harper and noble fighter. He lives happily with king Meliodas and his stepmother till he turns eighteen.
4.) King Anguisshe of Ireland calls for his tribute, but king Mark of Cornwaill refuses to pay and asks the Irish king to send a knight that shall fight for his "tribute rights". Renowned Sir Marhaus (=knight of the table round and brother to the queen of Ireland) will fight for king Anguisshe and he rides to Cornwaille. Meanwhile king Mark seeks for the right opponent for Sir Marhaus, but he isn't able to find a knight. This news also arrives at king Melodias court and is heard by young Tristram.
5.) Tristram wants to go to Cornwaille and fight for king Mark. He hopes to become a knight at king Mark's court. Before he leaves Liones there arrives a messenger from king Faramon of France telling Tristram that the king's daughter is in love with him. But Tristram isn't interested in her love. This affords so much grief to the daughter that she dies later on. Arriving at Mark's court Tristram offers him to fight against Sir Marhaus if he is made a knight. So king Mark makes him a knight and afterwards Tristram tells him about his origin. Both, Sir Marhaus and Sir Tristram, get armed and horsed and are to meet on an island to fight against each other.
6.) Sir Tristram prepares himself for the fight and he tells Gouvernaile, his servant, not to come to the battlefield until he is slain or the winner of the match. He reminds Gouvernaile to burry him as a Cristian if he shall be killed. Then they departe from each other.
7.) Sir Tristram and Sir Marhaus start to fight against each other on the battlefield. In the beginning they seem to own equal powers, but after fighting for nearly half a day Sir Tristram's powers seem to be greater. He wounds Sir Marhaus badly on his head. This stroke makes Sir Marhaus flee from the battle back to Ireland. Sir Tristram tries to stop him from leaving but he can't. The battle is over and Sir Tristram is the victor. As a demonstration of his prowess in battle and to shame the fleeing knight Tristram vows to wear Marhaus' shield in public.
8.) Sir Marhaus arrives in Ireland and his wounds are served by his sister, the queen of Ireland, but the wound on his head is so strong, that he dies a few days after his arrival at home. His sister wants revenge for her brother's death and she swears to be reminded of that day ever after.Isolde even keeps that shard of the sword that was found in Sir Marhaus. When king Mark and Gouvernaile arrive at Sir Tristram, they see that he is wounded badly, that's why they take him into the castle of Tyntigail and serve him. But Sir Tristram doesn't recover. The members of the court look for help in the whole country, that's when a lady comes to king Mark and tells him that Tristram will only recover, if he is send to Ireland and served there. According to this prophecy Sir Tristram is send to Ireland, where he stays at king Anguisshe's castle. The king doesn't know anything about Sir Tristram, but he cares for him and tells him the story of the battle in Cornwaille.
9.) King Anguisshe's daughter La beale Isoud now cares for Sir Tristram and he falls in love with her, but there is another knight, Sir Palamides that also loves her. One day there is a great tournament at the court and the victor of it shall be married to the Lady of the land. In this tournament Sir Palamides is a great fighter that defeats many other knights. That's why La beale Isoud (Isolde) asks Sir Tristram to fight in this tournament and he decides to do so, but then a Squire (Heles le renoumes) from France arrives. Tristram recognizes him and prays him not to tell anything about himself and his battle against Sir Marhaus, to which he agrees.
10.) Promised by Tritram to be made a knight the day after the tournament Squire Heles promises to stay hidden. On that day of the tournament Tristram (in white armor)jousts against Sir Palamides and unsattles and therefore defeats him. To the joy of the people and faire Isolde. No other knight dares to fight Tristram (or Tramtrist, as he calls himself). After making Heles a knight, Tristram rides after Sir Palamides, who, after a very short fight, is at Tristram's mercy and has to promise to desist from seeking the hand of Isolde, as well as not to wear any armor for a year and a day. On his way back he has to prove to a young woman that he is not Sir Lancelot (du lake), whom she thinks to be the only knight capable of all those deeds. After his return he spends time with Isolde and, through the defeat of Palamides, is now held in higher esteem by the king and the queen.
11.) One day the queen and Isolde discover that the shard Isolde kept from MArhaus fits perfectly into Tristrams sword and only because of Sir Heles is the queen kept from killing Tristram with his own sword while bathing. She therafter begs the king to avenge her brother Marhaus. The king then stops Tristram from leaving and asks of him the truth about his origins. Only then would he let him leave his country.
12.) Tristram tells king Anguissh about his parents, his true name and how he fought Sir Marhaus for the love of his uncle, Cornwall and his own honour. The king agrees that Tristram's deeds were honourable but he could not allow him to stay in his country. Sir Tristram takey leave of Isolde and promises to be her loyal knight and sheswears to wait for him the next seven years. The yexchange rings. Sir Tristram publicly offers to recompense any man whom he might have done any harm while in disguise and challengend anyone to speak bad about him. No one dared to answer his challenge.
13.) The now cured Sir Tristram went back to Tyntagil, where he was happily received by his family and the barons. Long time he lived in peace until he and his uncle Mark fell in love with the same lady, who happens to be the wife of "Sygwarydes". Jealous of her advancement towards Tristram he captures a messenger and learns of a secret meeting between the two of them. He then ambushes Tristram with two of his knights but tristram manages to smite all three of them down and, although he is seriously wounded, rides on to meet the lady.
14.) Sir Tristram meets the Lady and both have Sex with each other. Her husband finds blood (wounded Tristram) on the sheets and forces his wife to tell him. He rides after Tristram and attacks. Tristram defeats him and hides in Tyntagil to secretly heal his wounds. Sygwardes is brought home and served back to health again. King Mark doesn't love his nephew anymore since that episode, although Tristram doesn't recognize him as on of the three attackers.
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28) Sir Launcelot rescues Sir Gawaine from Sir Carados. Tristram and La Beale Isoud come to Cornwall
29) King Mark marries La Beale Isoud. Two ladies conspire against La Beale Isoud's maid, Dame Bragwaine, who Isoud is very fond of. Bragwaine is lured into a forest where she is bound. Three days later Sir Palamides rescues her and asks Isoud for an unknown favour in return, which she promises him.
30) Palamides demands that Queen Isoud should follow him. King Mark agrees. Sir Lambegus rides after Palamides to rescue her, but he is defeated by Palamides. Isoud escapes and comes to the castle of Sir Adtherp. Adtherp rides out to battle Palamides, but he is also defeated by him. Palamides comes to Adtherp's castle to find the gates closed with Isoud inside.
31) Tristram rides after Palamides, finds him at Adtherp's castle and fights him. Isoud stops the fight fearing that Palamides would die a Saracen and sends Palamides away to King Arthur.
32)Tristram brings Isoud home and there is a great feast. Sir Andred, Tristram's cousin tells King Mark that Tristram and Isoud have talked to each other. Mark gets angry and threatens to kill Tristram. Tristram defeats and humiliates Mark, slays one of Mark's relatives and wounds thirty other knights. The barons advise the king to reconciliate with Tristram, which he does.
33) Sir Lamorak jousts with thrity knights. Tristram jousts with Lamorak at the request of King Mark, though against his own will, and throws him out of his saddle. Lamorak asks Tristram to fight him on foot, but Tristram refuses. Lamorak promises to avenge himself.
34) Sir Lamorak intercepts a horn which Morgan La Fay send to King Arthur to cause trouble. Only a woman who is true to her husband can drink out of this horn without spilling. Lamorak sends the horn no King Mark to test his wife. Only 4 ladies out of a hundred can drink of the horn. The barons swear revenge on Morgan La Fay. Andred catches Tristram and La Beale Isoud in bed and, with the consent of King Mark, he takes the naked Tristram to a chapel to judge him. Andred decides to kill him for treason, but Tristram resists and is forced to jump into the sea.
35) Tristram escapes with La Beale Isoud. They stay in a manor in a forest. One day, Tristram gets wounded by a venomed arrow in the forest. In the meantime, La Beale Isoud is taken away from the manor by King Mark. La Beale Isoud lets Tristram know he should go to Brittany to see Isoud la Blanche Mains, who is the only one who can heal him. Tristram departs to Brittany and Isoud la Blanche heals him.
36) Tristram serves King Howel of Brittany in a war and slays his enemy Earl Grip. Tristram marries Isoud la Blanche, but still remembers La Beale Isoud and would not sleep with his wife. Sir Launcelot finds out about the marriage and declares Tristram his mortal enemy.
37) Tristram finds out how he was defamed by Launcelot. Sir Lamorak's ship wrecks. Lamorak and his squire survive and find themselves on the Isle of Servage. The lord of the isle, Nabon le Noire, is a giant who hates knights of King Arthur and kills all knights he comes across.
38) Tristram, Isoud la Blanche and her brother go for a sail. Their vessel is driven to the coast of Wales and they land on the Isle of Servage. Tristram finds out about Nabon and Lamorak. Tristram and Lamorak reconciliate.
39) Lamorak defeats the most part of 500 knights in a joust at the castle of Sir Nabon. Tristram slays Nabon and his son and gives the Isle of Servage to Sir Segwarides. La Beale Isoud finds out that Tristram married another woman.
40) Lamorak departs from Tristram. He rescues Sir Frol from 4 other knights. Frol jousts with Sir Launcelot and Launcelot defeats him. Lamorak meets Launcelot.
41) Frol jousts with Sir Gawaine, King Arthur's nephew, for a lady and wins. Lamorak witnesses that, challenges Frol and kills him. Frol's brother, Belliance le Orgulus, finds out about Frol's death and wishes to avenge him. Lamorak and Belliance fight each other. Lamorak asks Belliance for forgiveness and they swear they would never fight each other.
