The Man of Law's Tale

The Man of Law's Tale is part of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

Summary

Custance, the Roman emperor's daughter, travels to marry a Syrian sultan who has agreed to become Christian. His mother arranges a massacre; Custance survives and is cast adrift. In Northumbria she is sheltered by a constable and his wife, Hermengild.

A knight murders Hermengild and accuses Custance. When he gives false testimony, he is struck dead. King Alla marries Custance, but forged letters arranged by his mother lead to the exile of Custance and their son.

After another danger at sea, a Roman senator finds them and takes them to Rome. Alla, travelling there in penitence, is reunited with Custance. She also meets her father again. Following Alla's later death, she returns to Rome.

Repeated exile, false messages and recognition organise the narrative. Its religious conflicts belong to the medieval Christian tale and should not be treated as a neutral historical description of other communities.