[3] The main character's father, King Ernoul of Nijmegen, travels to the Orient to deliver his brother from Saracen captivity.
In the meantime his seneschal, Gaufroi of Friesland, takes Ernoul's place in his bed and on his throne, having betrayed his king to Sultan Rouge-Lion.
They get married, but by hook and crook Gaufroi manages to capture Blanche, forcing Baudoin to travel alone, having adventures in places like Baghdad and Jerusalem.
The poem has historical connections; Baudoin seems to be based on Baldwin II of Jerusalem (d. 1131) and Guy of Lusignan (1150-1194), but his name, "de Sebourc", derives from a town near Valenciennes.
While it exerted little influence on other works, it did, after translation into Middle Dutch, provide a source for names and motifs for the two plays Esmoreit and Gloriant.