‘Tristan and Iseult‘ is a medieval romance that was adapted in the 12th century from earlier tales and tells of the illicit love affair between a Cornish warrior called Tristan and an Irishwoman called Iseult (in the stories she’s often described as a ‘princess’ – but that’s really a more modern English concept that didn’t exist in Ireland back then).
While escorting Iseult from Ireland in an arranged marriage with his uncle, Tristan starts an affair with her.
Obviously, the original story – now long lost – was adapted by the 12 century authors and then later absorbed into the Arthurian legends. In those, Tristan gets displaced by the knight Sir Lancelot (who has an illicit affair with Arthur’s wife, Guinevere and Tristan gets demoted to the lesser role of one of King Arthur’s knights.
