7 h 23 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 23 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a nursery bogeyman enters a world of brave, boastful knights?
In The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine, Quatrelles turns the legends of Charlemagne into a lively comic adventure. The emperor, Roland and the paladins of France belong to a world of knights and wars against the Saracens. Yet bravery shares the stage with pride, haste and foolishness, giving the grand world of chivalry a warm, mischievous edge.
Into this legendary age comes Croquemitaine, the French bogeyman whose name frightens children into good behavior. The story gives that nursery terror a place among knights and asks where such fears come from. Beneath the swagger and gentle humor lies a kind idea: terrors grow in the telling, and courage can begin with looking at what makes us afraid.
What you’ll discover
- Charlemagne's legendary world Enter a realm where an emperor and his chosen knights carry the adventure.
- Knights with comic faults Enjoy brave paladins whose pride and haste leave plenty of room for laughter.
- A familiar kind of fear Meet Croquemitaine, the nursery bogeyman given a place in the age of chivalry.
- Courage beneath the comedy Explore how facing a frightening thing can be the first step toward courage.
- Fairy-tale adventure and swagger Follow a comic romance that brings playful energy to the grand traditions of medieval legend.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy knights, tournaments and tall tales will love this, as will fans of a narrator who winks and of family stories that blend courage, comedy and a lesson about fear.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A tournament brings rivals together
- Ganelon resents the man who saves him
- Aude meets force with gentleness
- Roland fights without taking unfair advantage
- Mita turns love into a dangerous test
- Mitaine grows up under a hidden threat
- Roland refuses to sell his loyalty
- Boasting cannot stand in for courage
- Mitaine questions what fear shows her
Who’s who
- CharlemagneThe towering Emperor of the Franks, a stern but warm king who loves his knights and his goddaughter and wants to unite his lands.
- RolandThe Count of Mans, Charlemagne's nephew, who rides Veillantif, carries Durandal, and wants only to defend honor and marry Aude.
- MitaineThe brave goddaughter of Charlemagne, who trains as a page and squire and wants to prove herself against every danger.
- GanelonThe envious Count of Mayence, who hates Roland for saving his life and schemes to bring him down.
- OliverRoland's closest friend and brother of Aude, a brave knight who accepts the Saracen challenge first.
- AudeThe fair Queen of Beauty, sister of Oliver, whom Roland loves and whom even a Saracen lion obeys.
- AngoulaffreThe giant Governor of Jerusalem with brass teeth, who challenges the French peers for King Marsillus.
- MarsillusThe old King of Saragossa, haunted by his dead son Murad and determined to avenge him on the Franks.
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- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine
by Quatrelles; Tom Hood (translator); Gustave Doré (illustrator) · 1863
A giant with brass teeth challenges Charlemagne's knights, and only Roland can answer him.
Medium level2–5 hours to read16 languages
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In short
What would a giant with brass teeth do if he met the greatest king in Europe and called him a puny man in silk? In this book, he rides into a tournament and does exactly that.
The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 5 min3 h 15 min fast, 4 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 58,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1863by Quatrelles; Tom Hood (translator); Gustave Doré (illustrator)
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A tournament built to dazzle the world
The story opens in the age of Charlemagne, and the narrator promises that the truth about this king is stranger than any fairy tale. He eats a whole goose at one meal and bends three horseshoes at once. He was born in 742 and came to the throne in 768.
After Charlemagne crushes a revolt in Aquitaine, he builds the fortress of Fronsac. To celebrate, he holds a great tournament on a green field by an old oak forest. Twelve pavilions stand for the French champions, and jugglers wander between the tents. The crowd chooses Aude, sister of Oliver, as Queen of Beauty.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1863
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Quatrelles. The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-days-of-chivalry-or-the-legend-of-croquemitaine.
Quatrelles. (2026). The days of chivalry; or, the legend of Croquemitaine. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-days-of-chivalry-or-the-legend-of-croquemitaine (Original work published 1863)
Quatrelles. The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-days-of-chivalry-or-the-legend-of-croquemitaine.
@book{quatrelles2026days,
author = {Quatrelles},
title = {The Days of Chivalry; Or, the Legend of Croquemitaine},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-days-of-chivalry-or-the-legend-of-croquemitaine},
note = {First published 1863}
}
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What is The Days of Chivalry about?
It follows Charlemagne's court from a tournament at Fronsac to his Spanish campaign, with Roland, Oliver and a brave girl named Mitaine. Giants, lions, ghosts and the Fortress of Fear fill the adventures, which carry gentle morals.
Who is Croquemitaine?
Croquemitaine is the name Mitaine gives to the unseen enemy who keeps trying to harm her. It means the one who crunches Mitaine, and the name later leads her to the Fortress of Fear.
Is The Legend of Croquemitaine a true story?
No. It mixes real figures and events from Charlemagne's reign with legend, fairy tale and humor. The narrator himself jokes that it happened, if it ever did, in the time of Charlemagne.
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