Sources
The tale is based on a story within the Chronicles of Nicholas Trivet but the major theme in the tale, of an exiled princess uncorrupted by her suffering, was common in the literature of the time. Her tale is also told in John Gower's Confessio Amantis, and both are similar to the verse Romance Emaré, and the cycle is generally known as the "Constance" cycle. The oldest known variant of this particular type is Vitae duorum Offarum. More distantly related forms of the persecuted heroine include Le Bone Florence of Rome, and Griselda.
An incident where Constance is framed for murder by a bloody dagger appears to be a direct borrowing from Crescentia.
Read more about this topic: The Man Of Law's Tale
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