Ireland

In the story of Gautier of Antwerp, Ireland becomes the setting for a prolonged and punishing stage of exile: after securing his children’s safety, the dispossessed count crosses there and lives in obscurity as a servant, until concern for his family draws him away again.

A Stage in Exile

After arranging for his son and daughter to be cared for, Gautier leaves England and crosses into Ireland. His journey marks a further descent from his former rank: he travels as a poor, unknown man, separated from his children and without the standing that once defined him.

Service and Hardship

In Ireland, Gautier makes his way to Stamford and enters the service of a knight attached to an earl. He performs the work of a lackey or horseboy, remaining unrecognized and enduring a long period of hardship and unease. The story gives Ireland no broader description; its importance lies in this specific contrast between the count’s former life of ease and his anonymous labor.

Departure and Narrative Significance

Eighteen years after fleeing Paris, Gautier is still living in Ireland when he longs to learn what has become of his children. His altered appearance and the physical robustness he has gained through long exertion accompany his decision to leave his place of service and travel to England. Ireland is therefore both a refuge from recognition and a site of extended separation: Gautier survives there, but the desire to find his children finally carries him onward.