 It can not be securely dated; one recent assessment of the language by linguist Simon Rodway places it in the second half of the 12th century.The works of Chrétien de Troyes were some of the first to elaborate on the character Guinevere beyond simply the wife of Arthur.This was likely due to Chrétien's audience at the time, the court of Marie, Countess of Champagne, which was composed of courtly ladies who played highly social roles.