Chrétien de Troyes' Four Arthurian Romances continued and expanded on existing Arthurian legends, but began the Arthurian Romance genre, so popular in Medieval literature. His tales often diverge from Arthur himself, focussing instead on the characters of his court. Chretien introduced Sir Lancelot and also the Holy Grail to the Arthurian legends. He is considered the first major French novelist.
