Bernart Sicart de Maruèjols
Encyclopedia
Bernart Sicart de Maruèjols (fl.
1230) was a Languedoc
ian troubadour
from Marvejols
in Lozère
. His lone surviving work, a sirventes
entitled Ab greu cossire ("With grave worrying"), is of historical interest for its commentary on the Albigensian Crusade
and the lost culture of Languedoc from a native perspective.
The sirventes was set to the metre and melody of another by Guillem de Cabestany
. Stylistically it follows a work by Peire Cardenal
. Essentially it is an attack on the French crusaders, the military orders of the Temple
and Hospital, and the clerics who preached the Crusade and supported the Papacy. It is a lament full of sadness as well as anger and hatred, simultaneously emotionally intense and bitingly sarcastic. It can be dated definitively to 1230 because of the Treaty of Paris
the prior year, by which Raymond VII of Toulouse
signed over his rights in southern France to the French king Louis IX
. The poem was dedicated to James I of Aragon
and some later interpreters have placed Bernart at James' court, but there is no documentary evidence to support this.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1230) was a Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
ian troubadour
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....
from Marvejols
Marvejols
Marvejols , is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France.Its inhabitants are known as Marvejolais.-Geography:The commune is located in the Massif central...
in Lozère
Lozère
Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. His lone surviving work, 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...
entitled Ab greu cossire ("With grave worrying"), is of historical interest for its commentary on the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
and the lost culture of Languedoc from a native perspective.
The sirventes was set to the metre and melody of another by Guillem de Cabestany
Guillem de Cabestany
Guillem de Cabestany was a Catalan troubadour from Cabestany in the County of Roussillon. His name in Occitan is Guilhem de Cabestaing, Cabestang, Cabestan, or Cabestanh; in modern Occitan it is spelled Guilhèm....
. Stylistically it follows a work by Peire Cardenal
Peire Cardenal
Peire Cardenal was a troubadour known for his satirical sirventes and his dislike of the clergy...
. Essentially it is an attack on the French crusaders, the military orders of the Temple
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and Hospital, and the clerics who preached the Crusade and supported the Papacy. It is a lament full of sadness as well as anger and hatred, simultaneously emotionally intense and bitingly sarcastic. It can be dated definitively to 1230 because of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1229)
The Treaty of Paris was signed on April 12, 1229 between Raymond VII of Toulouse and Louis IX of France. Louis was still a minor and it was his mother Blanche of Castile who had been responsible for the treaty. The agreement officially ended the Albigensian Crusade in which Raymond conceded defeat...
the prior year, by which Raymond VII of Toulouse
Raymond VII of Toulouse
Raymond VII of Saint-Gilles was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. He was the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse and Joan of England...
signed over his rights in southern France to the French king Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
. The poem was dedicated to James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
and some later interpreters have placed Bernart at James' court, but there is no documentary evidence to support this.
Sources
- Riquer, Martín de. Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.