Bertran del Pojet
Encyclopedia
Bertran del Pojet was a Provençal
castellan
and troubadour
of the latter half of the thirteenth century, a period of Angevin
rule in Provence and Italy.
He was born in Puget
, near Nice
, and lived most of his life in Teunes, the region around Toulon
. He first appears in documents in September 1222. His vida
records that he was a valiant and generous knight and a skilled soldier. His cansos
and sirventes
were well-esteemed. Only two works of his survive, a sirventes and a tenso
. Nonetheless, they were well-known.
Bertran's tenso with an anonymous trobairitz
, "Bona dompna, d'una re quieus deman", has been translated into English
by Frank Chambers and Carol Jane Nappholz. Both his poems were first edited and published (in Italian
) by C. de Lollis under the title "Bertran del Pojet, trovatore dell' età angioina" in Miscellanea in onore di Arturo Graf (Bergamo, 1903).
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
and 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....
of the latter half of the thirteenth century, a period of Angevin
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
rule in Provence and Italy.
He was born in Puget
Puget
Puget is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Personalities:The troubadour Bertran del Pojet hailed from Pojet, the Occitan name of modern Puget.-See also:* Côtes du Luberon AOC...
, near Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, and lived most of his life in Teunes, the region around Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. He first appears in documents in September 1222. His vida
Vida (Occitan literary form)
Vida is the usual term for a brief prose biography, written in Old Occitan, of a troubadour or trobairitz.The word vida means "life" in Occitan languages. In the chansonniers, the manuscript collections of medieval troubadour poetry, the works of a particular author are often accompanied by a...
records that he was a valiant and generous knight and a skilled soldier. His cansos
Canso (song)
The canso is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end...
and 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...
were well-esteemed. Only two works of his survive, a sirventes and a tenso
Tenso
A tenso is a style of Occitan song favoured by the troubadours. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position on a topic relating to love or ethics. Closely related genres include the partimen and the cobla exchange...
. Nonetheless, they were well-known.
Bertran's tenso with an anonymous trobairitz
Trobairitz
The trobairitz were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. The word trobairitz was first used in the 13th-century romance Flamenca. It comes from the Provençal word trobar, the literal meaning of which is "to find", and the...
, "Bona dompna, d'una re quieus deman", has been translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Frank Chambers and Carol Jane Nappholz. Both his poems were first edited and published (in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) by C. de Lollis under the title "Bertran del Pojet, trovatore dell' età angioina" in Miscellanea in onore di Arturo Graf (Bergamo, 1903).