Rare Merlin manuscript from c. 1300 discovered and digitised in ground-breaking 3 year project at Cambridge University Library

French-language sequel to the legend of King Arthur.

There are less than 40 surviving manuscripts of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, with each one unique since they were individually handwritten by medieval scribes. ¹

The manuscript, first discovered at Cambridge University Library in 2019, has now been identified as part of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, a French-language sequel to the legend of King Arthur. The story was part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle, a medieval best seller but few now remain.²

Manuscript had been recycled and repurposed

The manuscript had survived the centuries after being recycled and repurposed in the 1500s as the cover for a property record from Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk.

The remarkable discovery was folded, torn, and even stitched into the binding of the book - making it almost impossible for Cambridge experts to access it, read it, or confirm its origins.

Two Key Episodes

The fragment tells two key episodes from the end of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin. The first part recounts the victory of the Christians against the Saxons at the Battle of Cambénic. It tells of the fight of Gauvain (with his sword Excalibur, his horse Gringalet and his supernatural powers), his brothers, and his father King Loth, against the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus.

The second passage presents a more courtly scene, set on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with Merlin appearing at Arthur’s court disguised as a harpist—a moment that highlights his magical abilities and his importance as an advisor to the king.

Multispectral Imaging, Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, 3D modelling, Virtual unfolding

A multidisciplinary team comprising curators, conservators, and imaging specialists from across the University of Cambridge, including departments such as Archives and Modern Manuscripts, Conservation & Heritage, and Collections and Academic Liaison, all worked together with the University Library’s Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory (CHIL) to analyse and digitise the fragment.

Techniques included Multispectral Imaging, Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, 3D modelling, and Virtual unfolding.

Now Available to Explore

Audiences will be shown how advanced digitisation techniques allowed the virtual unfolding of Merlin’s fragment for the first time by Dr Irene Fabry-Tehranchi, Amélie Deblauwe and Błażej Mikuła at the 2026 Cambridge Festival on Wednesday 26 March.

The digital results of the project are now available for everyone to explore online via the Cambridge Digital Library. This means that for the first time, scholars and public alike can explore the fragment in unprecedented detail. The digital edition includes high-resolution images, multispectral scans, and 3D models, allowing viewers to rotate, zoom, and examine the text as if handling the manuscript itself.

Virtual opening of Cambridge University Library’s Vanneck Merlin fragment

1. Jessica Keating, MODERN MAGIC UNLOCKS MERLIN’S MEDIEVAL SECRETS. Cambridge University Libraries. 25 March 2025. Words and design: Jessica Keating
Manuscript photography: Cambridge University Library / CHIL.
All other photography: Cambridge University Library / Błażej Mikuła / Amélie Deblauwe

2. Malory’s Text of the Suite du Merlin. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 March 2023. Passaro J. Malory’s Text of the Suite du Merlin. In: Archibald E, Johnson DF, eds. Arthurian Literature. Arthurian Literature. Boydell & Brewer; 2009:39-76.