Which medieval cycle is also known as the Vulgate Cycle and includes major Grail quest narratives?

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The Lancelot-Grail Cycle is the medieval cycle also known as the Vulgate Cycle and includes major Grail quest narratives.

This large group of Old French prose romances was assembled during the 13th century. It links stories about Lancelot, King Arthur, the Round Table, the search for the Holy Grail, and the destruction of Arthur’s kingdom into a broad narrative sequence.

The cycle is often divided into sections including the Estoire del Saint Graal, Merlin, Lancelot propre, Queste del Saint Graal, and Mort Artu. The Grail quest section gives especially prominent roles to Galahad, Percival, and Bors, while Lancelot’s moral shortcomings prevent him from achieving the highest spiritual reward.

“Vulgate” refers to the cycle’s traditional classification, not to the Latin Bible. A later group of revised romances is commonly called the Post-Vulgate Cycle and presents some of the same material differently.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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