Bernart Alanhan de Narbona
Encyclopedia
Bernart Alanhan de Narbona was a minor troubadour
probably from Narbonne
. He left behind only one song, No posc mudar qu'eu no diga, a sirventes
about the loss of Jerusalem to the Saracens, though it was not classified as a Crusade song
in the seminal work on the genre by Kurt Lewent (1905).
Three different datings have been offered based on the internal reference to Jerusalem. In 2003 Linda Paterson suggested a terminus post quem
of 1187, since the first loss of Jerusalem
to the Saracens—during the time of the troubadours—was to Saladin
. In 1885 Camille Chabaneau, who was followed by Carl Appel in 1892, first suggested that the poem was written between 1245 and 1250 in response to the loss of the city to the Turks
in 1244. An allusion to the city's occupation by the Egypt
ians, who signed Jerusalem over to the Emperor Frederick II in 1239, is cited in support of this.
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
probably from Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He left behind only one song, No posc mudar qu'eu no diga, a sirventes
Sirventes
The sirventes or serventes is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry used by the troubadours. In early Catalan it became a sirventesch and was imported into that language in the fourteenth century, where it developed into a unique didactic/moralistic type...
about the loss of Jerusalem to the Saracens, though it was not classified as a Crusade song
Crusade song
A Crusade song is any vernacular lyric poem about the Crusades. Crusade songs were popular in the High Middle Ages: 106 survive in Occitan, forty in Old French, thirty in Middle High German, two in Italian, and one in Old Castilian. The study of the Crusade song, which may be considered a genre of...
in the seminal work on the genre by Kurt Lewent (1905).
Three different datings have been offered based on the internal reference to Jerusalem. In 2003 Linda Paterson suggested a terminus post quem
Terminus post quem
Terminus post quem and terminus ante quem specify approximate dates for events...
of 1187, since the first loss of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (1187)
On July 4, 1187 the Kingdom's army was defeated at the Battle of Hattin by Saladin and only Balian of Ibelin commanding a small number of soldiers remained in Jerusalem. The Siege of Jerusalem lasted from September 20 to October 2, 1187. On October 2, 1187 Balian of Ibelin surrendered Jerusalem to...
to the Saracens—during the time of the troubadours—was to Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
. In 1885 Camille Chabaneau, who was followed by Carl Appel in 1892, first suggested that the poem was written between 1245 and 1250 in response to the loss of the city to the Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
in 1244. An allusion to the city's occupation by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians, who signed Jerusalem over to the Emperor Frederick II in 1239, is cited in support of this.