Bertram Is Forced to Marry Giletta

The forced marriage of Gillette de Narbonne and Bertrand de Roussillon turns a promise of royal reward into a marriage imposed against the groom’s will. Gillette’s cure of the French king earns her the right to choose a husband, but Bertrand’s refusal exposes the gulf between her devoted love and his insistence on rank; the wedding takes place under royal authority, and he promptly departs for Tuscany.

The King’s Promise

The marriage follows Gillette’s successful treatment of the French king. He has allowed her eight days to cure him, with death by burning as the penalty if she fails; in return, he promises to marry her well and honorably. Gillette accepts that reward but stipulates that she may name her husband, excluding the king’s sons and the royal house. She restores him to health before the deadline, making the promised reward due.

When the king tells her that she has earned a husband, Gillette names Bertrand de Roussillon. She has loved him since childhood and, as she tells the king, has continued to love him above all others. Her choice is therefore not a general claim to advancement but a particular declaration of long-standing attachment. The king recognizes that giving Bertrand to her is a grave matter, yet he has pledged his word and will not withdraw it.

Bertrand’s Refusal

The king summons Bertrand and announces that he must return to govern his county with the woman the king has given him as a wife. Bertrand recognizes Gillette and acknowledges her beauty, but regards her lineage as incompatible with his own standing. He scornfully objects to being married to a healer and declares that, although the king may dispose of his possessions or command his service as a liegeman, he will not willingly consent to this marriage.

The conflict is thus not a dispute over whether Gillette has fulfilled her part of the bargain: the king has recovered his health, and Bertrand’s resistance concerns her social rank and his own consent. The king answers that he cannot break the promise made in exchange for the cure. He also insists that Gillette is fair, wise, and deeply in love with Bertrand, and argues that he may find life with her happier than life with a woman of higher birth. Bertrand falls silent, but his silence does not signal a change of heart; the king proceeds with preparations for the wedding.

The Wedding and Departure

On the appointed day, Bertrand espouses Gillette in the king’s presence, despite his opposition. Gillette, by contrast, loves him more than herself. The ceremony fulfils the king’s pledge and gives the couple the public bond Bertrand had rejected, but it does not reconcile their wishes.

Having already determined what he will do, Bertrand asks leave to return to his county and consummate the marriage there. Instead, he rides to Tuscany. Hearing that Florence is at war with Siena, he joins the Florentines, who receive him gladly and appoint him captain over a body of men-at-arms. He remains in their service for a considerable time. His departure makes the coercion of the wedding immediate and visible: the marriage is concluded, but the husband removes himself rather than share a life with his wife.

Immediate Aftermath and Narrative Significance

Gillette goes to the County of Roussillon, where she is received as its liege lady. The land has been left waste and disordered during the long absence of its lord; she diligently sets it in order, winning the affection of the vassals, who blame Bertrand for refusing her. She later sends two knights to ask whether he stays away because of her, offering to depart if that would bring him back. His response remains harsh, confirming that the wedding alone has not overcome his rejection.

Told by Neifile, the episode makes the unequal terms of the match plain: Gillette’s skill and fidelity secure the marriage, while Bertrand’s rank-conscious refusal shapes its first consequence, separation. The king’s promise gives Gillette a husband, but the wedding does not itself produce mutual consent or companionship; those remain unresolved after Bertrand rides away.