Mentions of objects worth “a thousand marks” give an idea of great, vast wealth, but they are not indications of income, that is, how much an individual could afford to spend in a given year. how did the ambitious young hero finance his lifestyle? In the twelfth century, many are represented as dependent upon the generosity of a lord. For example, in Erec et Enide (c. 1165-70), Chretien de Troyes makes a point of saying that Erec held his lands from King Arthur.32 That the overlord is Arthur and not some lesser lord enhances Erec’s social status, serving in lieu of an estimation of his fortune in monetary terms. In that romance, the courtly generosity of superiors suffices to satisfy the hero’s needs for consumption. When Erec needs a new robe for his bride, he simply goes to the Queen and demands that Enide be outfitted by the Queen herself. Guenevere agrees that Enide’s noble lineage requires that she be better dressed, and immediately offers one of her own new gowns, “fresche et novele” (lines 1550-86). Incidentally, the servant declares it is worth a hundred silver marks (lines 1635-7), which translates to a maximal abstract value as seen above. Later, the lord Guivret similarly has robes made for the couple when they stay at his tower (lines 5223-37). In short, to get new clothes, Erec manipulates the gift system. This Arthurian world is fantastic, but it is noteworthy that this is a gift fantasy rather than a shopping fantasy.
World History
