Poetic Form
Rhyme Royal
Possibly named for its use by King James I of Scotland. Chaucer's preferred stanza for serious narrative; it fell from use after the 16th century but was occasionally revived.
Definition
A seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhyming ABABBCC, giving a stately, courtly tone.
Example
Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde; Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece (1594).