Berrant le Apres

Berrant le Apres, called the King with the Hundred Knights, is a renowned knight whose encounter with Sir Tristram turns on a helmet passed from the Queen of Northgalis to La Beale Isoud and then to Tristram. Berrant challenges Sir Dinadan when he sees him carrying it, but Tristram intervenes, defeats Berrant, and retains the helmet. The episode makes an object of uncertain ownership the cause of a brief sequence of challenges and reversals.

Identity and Introduction

Berrant appears on the road with Sir Segwarides, both described as renowned knights, accompanied by well-equipped servants. His epithet, the King with the Hundred Knights, identifies him in the narrative, but this encounter supplies no further account of his realm or history.

The Helmet and the Challenge

The helmet has passed through a chain of gifts: the Queen of Northgalis gave it to La Beale Isoud, who gave it to Sir Tristram. When Berrant sees it on Sir Dinadan’s shoulder, he recognizes it and asks where Dinadan got it. Dinadan challenges the question, and Berrant declares that he will fight for the love of the woman who owned the helmet. The narrative thus connects his intervention not to a stated claim of ownership, but to the helmet’s association with a woman he loves.

Encounters with Tristram

Berrant’s first challenge is directed at Dinadan, who is carrying Tristram’s helmet. Berrant knocks Dinadan and his horse to the ground, then orders a servant to take the helmet. Tristram objects and insists it will not be taken without a fight. Berrant then turns to Tristram, and their first charge ends with Berrant knocked from his horse.

Berrant quickly remounts and attacks again. Tristram strikes him down once more, leaving him stunned. Dinadan remarks that the helmet has brought misfortune to them both, since each has suffered a fall over it. The immediate outcome is clear: Berrant fails to take the helmet, and Tristram rides on with it.

Narrative Role

The encounter is one episode in the sequence of road adventures surrounding Tristram and his companions. The helmet’s successive transfers provide a concrete reason for Berrant’s challenge, while the repeated reversals show how quickly a dispute over an object becomes a test of arms. Berrant’s brief appearance establishes his renown and his attachment to the helmet’s former owner, but the account ends without giving his later response or fate.