22:
313:
on behalf of the 'Chevalier
Sauvage à la Dame Noire', the Wild Knight to the Black Lady, and gave details of the events to be held at Edinburgh. The Black Lady's gown was made from Flanders damask figured with flowers, bordered with yellow and green taffeta, with outer sleeves of black gauze, and
301:
which included scripted spectacle as much as genuine sporting competition. Given the poem's tournament context where a "blak" woman is the centre of attention of the jousting knights it may be speculated that the subject of the poem was a character in one of these pageants. The poem seems to be
302:
associated with a recorded tournament called "The justing of the wyld knicht for the blak lady" held in June 1507 and again in May 1508. The part of the "Black Lady" was played by a woman of the court, perhaps Ellen More. The lavish expenditure on these events was recorded in the
314:
inner sleeves and gloves of black leather, and she wore a drape of the same black gauze about her shoulders and arms. In 1508 the costume was renewed with a green woollen skirt, and new leather sleeves and gloves. William Ogilvy and
70:"Of Ane Blak-Moir" is written in five short and simple stanzas. The tone is one of scurrilous comedy. In the first two stanzas, the poet describes his subject's unfamiliar complexion and features in impolite terms.
183:
The fourth stanza relates how "My ladye with the mekle lippis" is the object of other knights' attention. The man who "for her sake with spear and shield proves most mightily in the field", shall win the lady.
55:
origin living in
Scotland. The "portrayal of the black woman creates a very unfavourable contrast between black female physiology and that of white ladies at court", and compares her to animals.
47:
It takes the form of a hymn in praise of a beautiful lady, but is a parody of the form. The lady addressed is apparently an
African woman playing a role in a tournament or
748:
739:
767:
267:
315:
368:
318:
dressed in white damask as the "Squires of the Black Lady" and escorted her from
Edinburgh Castle to the field of the tournament.
262:
to attack
Portuguese shipping. This may have provided a potential route for African people to reach Scotland. The accounts of the
812:
807:
797:
270:. These people were referred to variously as "Ethiopians", "mores", or "blak ladeis". Some of these women were employed in
369:'Washing the Ethiopian white: Conceptualising black skin in Renaissance Europe', Thomas Foster Earle & K. J. P. Lowe,
817:
725:
484:
837:
732:
639:
303:
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802:
275:
847:
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827:
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857:
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The invitation to the tournament sent to France was illuminated with gold leaf. It was issued by the
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530:
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8:
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was the "White Knight". James IV himself played the part of the Wild or Savage Knight.
319:
52:
26:
832:
449:
291:
778:
Jennifer
Melville, 'Africans at the court of James IV', National Trust for Scotland
572:
310:
271:
254:
which established firm contact between Europe and Africa. James licensed
Scottish
247:
from 1500 to at least 1513. He often composed poetry which marked courtly events.
643:
287:
240:
207:
The final stanza tells of the fate of those "who in the field receives shame".
41:
37:
25:
A tournament of the 16th century. The print depicts the joust of 1559 in which
782:
514:
791:
166:
531:"The Sultana and her Sisters: Black Women in the British Isles before 1530"
352:"The Sultana and her Sisters: Black Women in the British Isles before 1530"
173:
539:
Black Lives in the
English Archives, 1500–1677: Imprints of the Invisible
510:
418:
Things of
Darkness: Economies of Race and Gender in Early Modern England
91:
658:
Andrea, Bernadette, 'The "Presences of Women" from the
Islamic World',
283:
120:
517:
Keywords of Identity, Race, and Human Mobility in Early Modern England
496:
191:
163:
75:
255:
409:, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Scottish Text Society), pp. 416–7: John Small,
215:
48:
616:
City, Marriage, Tournament: Arts of Rule in Late Medieval Scotland
339:
City, Marriage, Tournament: Arts of Rule in Late Medieval Scotland
250:
The reign of James IV (1488 to 1513) coincided with the era of
146:
142:
664:
Mapping Gendered Routes and Spaces in the Early Modern World
222:
127:
110:
592:, Volume 6 (Edinburgh University Press, 2007), pp. 79–81.
414:, vol. 2 (Scottish Text Society: Edinburgh, 1893), p. 201
160:
138:
117:
103:
94:
51:
pageant. It is one of the first references to someone of
513:, João Vicente Melo, Haig Z. Smith, Lauren Working,
537:, 10:2 (2001), pp. 187–210, 201–205: Imtiaz Habib,
569:, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1902), pp. 232, 324, 404, 434
388:
386:
384:
382:
380:
750:Edinburgh Castle Research: The Medieval Documents
726:"Elen More: The Moorish Lass in James IV’s Court"
789:
483:, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1889), pp. 374-5 (Latin).
733:"Moors at the Court of James IV, King of Scots"
697:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
682:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
677:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
628:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
567:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
551:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
451:Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland
377:
783:Of Ane Blak Moir: A modern English translation
710:Chivalry and Knighthood in Scotland, 1424–1513
757:"The King’s Daughter and the 'Moorish Lassies
341:(University of Wisconsin, 1991), pp. 255–56.
741:Edinburgh Castle Research: The Tournaments
588:Dawson, Jane E. A., "Scotland Re-formed",
457:
434:
432:
430:
428:
426:
156:Schou blinkis als brycht as an tar barrell
561:
559:
465:The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland, James IV
58:The text of the poem is preserved in the
605:(Edinburgh University Press), pp. 79–81.
188:Quhai for hir saek with speir and scheld
153:Quhen schou is claid in reche apparrall,
20:
582:
499:Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue
423:
200:And fra thyne furth hir luff sall weld,
84:That landet furth of the last schippis,
790:
753:(Historic Environment Scotland, 2019).
744:(Historic Environment Scotland, 2019).
556:
553:, vol. 3 (Edinburgh, 1901), lxxxv, 182
763:, Historic Environment Scotland blog.
590:The New Edinburgh History of Scotland
443:
286:", and she was later an attendant of
197:Sall kis and withe hir go in grippis,
149:desiring to be her champion is made.
679:, vol. 3 (Edinburgh, 1901), p. 259:
371:Black Africans in Renaissance Europe
282:. One woman's name was recorded as "
243:was a poet employed at the court of
396:(Mercat Press), pp. 66–67, 211–212.
211:And quhai in felde receaves schaem,
87:Quhou fain wald I descryve perfytt,
13:
102:Quhou schou is tute mowitt lyk an
14:
869:
718:
684:, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1902), p. 64
541:(Ashgate, 2008), pp. 31–7, 292–3.
439:The full text with notes at TEAMS
235:
228:And nevir to uther confort claem,
712:(Boydell: Woodbridge), pp. 94–7.
467:(Tuckwell: East Linton), p. 239.
172:The nycht be fain faucht in hir
137:The description is continued. A
126:And quhou schou schynes lyk ony
702:
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652:
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621:
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523:
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278:, the daughter of the King and
231:My ladye with the mekle lippis.
203:My ladye with the mekle lippis.
179:My ladye with the mekle lippis.
133:My ladye with the mekle lippis.
640:Marcus Vulson de la Colombière
470:
399:
361:
344:
331:
304:Lord High Treasurer's accounts
266:record the employment of some
1:
813:Cultural depictions of slaves
808:Court of James IV of Scotland
666:(Routledge, 2016), pp. 296–7.
618:(Wisconsin, 1991), pp. 233–4.
392:Mackenzie, W. Mackay (1990),
325:
194:maest mychtellye in the feld,
81:Nou of an blak I will indytt,
519:(Amsterdam, 2021), pp. 40–50
7:
798:Anti-black racism in Europe
774:, no. 26 (Edinburgh, 1990).
601:Dawson, Jane E. A. (2007),
479:Exchequer Rolls of Scotland
412:The Poems of William Dunbar
394:The Poems of William Dunbar
350:Niebrzydowski, Sue (2001),
65:
10:
874:
818:European court festivities
699:(1901), pp. xlix, 258–259.
579:(London, 2017), pp. 17–18.
297:The King staged elaborate
463:Macdougall, Norman (1997)
407:Maitland Folio Manuscript
268:Africans at James's court
218:thair his knychtlie naem,
159:Quhen schou was born the
60:Maitland Folio Manuscript
838:Poetry by William Dunbar
768:"Early African Presence"
614:Louise Olga Fradenburg,
420:(Cornell, 1995), p. 271.
373:(Cambridge, 2005), p. 98
337:Louise Olga Fradenburg,
708:Stevenson, Katie (2006)
405:Craigie, W. A. (1919),
660:Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
535:Women's History Review
356:Women's History Review
252:Portuguese exploration
30:
16:Poem by William Dunbar
803:Black British history
675:Paul, James Balfour,
316:Alexander Elphinstone
264:Treasurer of Scotland
116:And quhou hir schort
44:(born 1459 or 1460).
24:
630:, vol. 3 (1901), 365
529:Niebrzydowski, Sue,
274:in the household of
221:Sall cum behind and
29:was fatally wounded.
848:Scottish literature
735:, Medievalists.net.
728:, Medievalists.net.
645:La Science Heroique
515:"Blackamoor/Moor",
53:Sub-Saharan African
36:is a short poem in
843:Racism in Scotland
828:Middle Scots poems
603:Scotland Re-formed
485:Text at HathiTrust
90:My ladye with the
34:"Of Ane Blak-Moir"
31:
27:Henri II of France
772:Occasional Papers
476:Burnett, George,
292:Linlithgow Palace
280:Margaret Drummond
78:of ladyes quhytt,
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858:Sexism in Europe
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497:'Mor(e), Moir',
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311:Marchmont Herald
272:Edinburgh Castle
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823:Medieval poetry
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320:Antoine d'Arces
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719:External links
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649:. pp. 453–457.
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367:Anu Korhonen,
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288:Margaret Tudor
241:William Dunbar
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236:Interpretation
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74:Lang heff I
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724:Minjie Su,
481:: 1502–1507
299:tournaments
225:hir hippis,
123:up skippis,
792:Categories
326:References
284:Ellen More
256:privateers
147:The Knycht
113:onto gaep,
109:And lyk a
143:The nycht
111:gangarall
49:chivalric
833:Misogyny
192:Preiffis
174:querrell
66:The Poem
167:clippis
139:punning
695:Paul,
164:tholit
95:lippis
258:like
216:tynis
92:mekle
38:Scots
495:See
214:And
128:saep
121:nois
118:catt
76:maed
290:at
223:kis
161:son
104:aep
40:by
794::
770:,
662:,
642:,
575:,
571::
558:^
533:,
425:^
379:^
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306:.
294:.
62:.
761:"
759:'
686:.
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145:/
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