Falquet de Romans
Encyclopedia
Falquet de Romans (fl.
1215–1233) was the most famous troubadour
attached to the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
, where he garnered a high reputation despite the fact that his career began as a jongleur. His surviving work consists of fourteen or fifteen pieces: seven sirventes
(two religious and two canso sirventes as well as one Crusade song
), three tenso
s (each two coblas
long), two or three cansos
on courtly love
, a salut d'amor
(or epistola) of 254 lines, and a religious alba
. His poetry is, in general, clear and elegant, and he was apparently very religious.
Falquet was originally from Romans d'Isèra
, a birthplace shared by the trobairitz
Bieiris de Romans
. According to his vida
he was "at ease in the courts and of pleasant conversation. . . well-honoured among high society."
and addressed it to his lady across the Alps
. He confessed to being unable to cease thinking pus parti de Vianes ("the greater part about Viennois"). Besides the court of Montferrat, there are allusions in Peire de la Mula
which may place Falquet at the court of Ottone del Carretto as well. It was probably there, between 1220 and 1226, that he wrote his sirventes urging the emperor to "rescue" the Holy Land
.
Falquet was in communication with the trouvère
Hugues IV de Berzé
(N'Ugo de Bersie) who wrote a poem to Falquet (calling him Fouquet or Fouquez) asking him to join him on an imminent Crusade outra mar
(overseas). Hugues's poem was sent with the jongleur Bernart (or Bernarz) d'Argentau. It is rife with information about the poets. According to Hugues, neither he nor Falquet were young at the time. Indeed, he was dead by August 1220, which provides an ante quem
date for the poem. Hugues also states that Falquet had once been a jongleur, a detail also furnished by Falquet's vida. Though the poetic exchange had been dated to 1201 or November 1220–September 1221, the former date is too early and the latter invalidated by Hugues's death. Recently, dates of 1215, 1216, 1217, and 1219 have been proffered. Hugue's poem, written in Old French
, is preserved in the chansonnier
s with an Occitan razo
.
Falquet was back in Provence
in 1226–1228, when he wrote a tenso
, En chantan volh quem digatz, with Blacatz
. This is the only tenso he composed outside of Italy, where he composed with Nicoletto da Torino
(Nicolet, gran malenansa) and the Count of Biandrate
(Pois vezem qu'el tond e pela). In 1228 Falquet was back in Italy, where he composed a song mentioning the departure of Frederick II on the Sixth Crusade
.
Falquet was very learned and well-read. References to contemporary literature (primarily chivalric romance) abound in his poetry. In his Ma bella domna, per vos dei esser gais he references Floire et Blancheflor
(the former whom he calls Flori), the Roman d'Andrieu de Fransa, and the Raoul de Cambrai
. On two other occasions he was given to referencing Floire et Blancheflor and in his 254-line letter he refers to the Roman de Renart and Tristans and Ysout
. Elsewhere he refers to the latter as Tristanz and Ysolt.
Religion
In total, Falquet composed three religious songs, two sirventes, and one famous alba. This last, Vers Dieu, el vostre nom e de Sancta Maria, was addressed to God
and the Virgin Mary. It ends on the high note of a sunrise (alba):
Politics
Of Falquet's political views very little would be known if he had not left behind a sirventes written against the rich and powerful which contains a prescription for socio-political reform:
Besides this one clear statement, Falquet composed other sirventes joglarescs (attacks/insult on jongleurs, often in the manner of jongleurs) in order, so his vida puts it, "to praise the good and to blame the bad."
Crusades
In the early 1220s Falquet had urged the emperor his patron to go on Crusade and in 1228 he mentioned his departure. In between he wrote Quan lo dous temps ven e vai la freidors, one of the most powerful Crusade songs ever written. The central theme of the work is the tumult of Europe engulphed in a conflict between the Papacy and the Emperor
and the Albigensian Crusade
.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1215–1233) was the most famous 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....
attached to the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
, where he garnered a high reputation despite the fact that his career began as a jongleur. His surviving work consists of fourteen or fifteen pieces: seven 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...
(two religious and two canso sirventes as well as one 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...
), three 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...
s (each two coblas
Cobla (Occitan literary term)
A cobla is a stanza in Occitan lyric poetry, the art form of the troubadours. Though not usually standalone work in itself, in many instances a cobla or two is all that survives of what was once a complete poem. Each cobla of a song was usually played to the same melody, but a few songs were...
long), two or three 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...
on courtly love
Courtly love
Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife....
, a salut d'amor
Salut d'amor
A salut d'amor or pistola was an Occitan lyric poem of the troubadours, written as a letter from one lover to another in the tradition of courtly love...
(or epistola) of 254 lines, and a religious alba
Alba (poetry)
The alba is a subgenre of Occitan lyric poetry. It describes the longing of lovers who, having passed a night together, must separate for fear of being discovered by their respective spouses....
. His poetry is, in general, clear and elegant, and he was apparently very religious.
Falquet was originally from Romans d'Isèra
Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère or Romans is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Geography:...
, a birthplace shared by the 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...
Bieiris de Romans
Bieiris de Romans
Bieiris de Roman was a trobairitz of the first half of the thirteenth century. Her birthplace was Romans near Montélimar. She left behind one canso, "Na Maria, pretz e fina valors" , addressed to another woman named Mary...
. According to 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...
he was "at ease in the courts and of pleasant conversation. . . well-honoured among high society."
Career in Italy and Provence
Falquet spent much of his career in Italy. Sometime before December 1220, he wrote the homesick Una chanso sirventes from MontferratMontferrat
Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...
and addressed it to his lady across the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. He confessed to being unable to cease thinking pus parti de Vianes ("the greater part about Viennois"). Besides the court of Montferrat, there are allusions in Peire de la Mula
Peire de la Mula
Peire de la Mula was an Italian troubadour. Of his writings a pair of couplets and one sirventes are all that survive. According to his vida, he was a joglars and trobaire who stayed for a long time in Montferrat, Cortemilia, and the Piedmont at the court of Ottone del Carretto...
which may place Falquet at the court of Ottone del Carretto as well. It was probably there, between 1220 and 1226, that he wrote his sirventes urging the emperor to "rescue" the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
.
Falquet was in communication with the trouvère
Trouvère
Trouvère , sometimes spelled trouveur , is the Northern French form of the word trobador . It refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France...
Hugues IV de Berzé
Hugues IV de Berzé
Hugues IV de Berzé was a knight and trouvère from the Mâconnais. He participated in the Fourth Crusade in 1201 and the Fifth Crusade in 1220. He was the lord of Berzé-le-Châtel....
(N'Ugo de Bersie) who wrote a poem to Falquet (calling him Fouquet or Fouquez) asking him to join him on an imminent Crusade outra mar
Outremer
Outremer, French for "overseas", was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem...
(overseas). Hugues's poem was sent with the jongleur Bernart (or Bernarz) d'Argentau. It is rife with information about the poets. According to Hugues, neither he nor Falquet were young at the time. Indeed, he was dead by August 1220, which provides an ante quem
Terminus post quem
Terminus post quem and terminus ante quem specify approximate dates for events...
date for the poem. Hugues also states that Falquet had once been a jongleur, a detail also furnished by Falquet's vida. Though the poetic exchange had been dated to 1201 or November 1220–September 1221, the former date is too early and the latter invalidated by Hugues's death. Recently, dates of 1215, 1216, 1217, and 1219 have been proffered. Hugue's poem, written in Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, is preserved in the chansonnier
Chansonnier
A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...
s with an Occitan razo
Razo
Raso is an islet of 8 square kilometers in the Barlavento archipelago of Cape Verde. Raso is flanked by the smaller Branco islet on the west and by São Nicolau island on its eastern side. Raso is uninhabited and is now the only home of the Raso Lark. The Brown Booby and Red-billed Tropicbird visit...
.
Falquet was back in Provence
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...
in 1226–1228, when he wrote 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...
, En chantan volh quem digatz, with Blacatz
Blacatz
Blacatz, known in French genealogy as Blacas de Blacas III , was feudal lord of Aups and a troubadour. Sordello composed a lament on his death, inviting the kings of his time to share and eat the heart of Blacatz and thus acquire a portion of his courage.He was the father of the troubadour...
. This is the only tenso he composed outside of Italy, where he composed with Nicoletto da Torino
Nicoletto da Torino
Nicoletto da Torino was a Piedmontese jongleur and troubadour of the first half of the thirteenth century, probably from Turin, though some believe that to be his father's name...
(Nicolet, gran malenansa) and the Count of Biandrate
Oberto II of Biandrate
Oberto, Uberto, or Umberto II was the Count of Biandrate in Lombardy and a participant in the Fourth Crusade.Oberto was a companion of Boniface of Montferrat on the Fourth Crusade. After Boniface' elevation to King of Thessalonica and his death, Oberto became acting regent for his son Demetrius...
(Pois vezem qu'el tond e pela). In 1228 Falquet was back in Italy, where he composed a song mentioning the departure of Frederick II on the Sixth Crusade
Sixth Crusade
The Sixth Crusade started in 1228 as an attempt to regain Jerusalem. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade. It involved very little actual fighting...
.
Poetry
Connexion to chivalric romanceFalquet was very learned and well-read. References to contemporary literature (primarily chivalric romance) abound in his poetry. In his Ma bella domna, per vos dei esser gais he references Floire et Blancheflor
Floris and Blancheflour
Floris and Blancheflour is the name of a popular romantic story that was told in the Middle Ages in many different vernacular languages and versions. It first appears in Europe around 1160 in "aristocratic" French...
(the former whom he calls Flori), the Roman d'Andrieu de Fransa, and the Raoul de Cambrai
Raoul de Cambrai
Raoul de Cambrai is a 12th -13th century French epic poem concerning the eponymous hero's battles to take possession of his fief and of the repercussions from these battles...
. On two other occasions he was given to referencing Floire et Blancheflor and in his 254-line letter he refers to the Roman de Renart and Tristans and Ysout
Tristan and Iseult
The legend of Tristan and Iseult is an influential romance and tragedy, retold in numerous sources with as many variations. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseult...
. Elsewhere he refers to the latter as Tristanz and Ysolt.
Religion
In total, Falquet composed three religious songs, two sirventes, and one famous alba. This last, Vers Dieu, el vostre nom e de Sancta Maria, was addressed to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the Virgin Mary. It ends on the high note of a sunrise (alba):
|
|
Politics
Of Falquet's political views very little would be known if he had not left behind a sirventes written against the rich and powerful which contains a prescription for socio-political reform:
|
|
Besides this one clear statement, Falquet composed other sirventes joglarescs (attacks/insult on jongleurs, often in the manner of jongleurs) in order, so his vida puts it, "to praise the good and to blame the bad."
Crusades
In the early 1220s Falquet had urged the emperor his patron to go on Crusade and in 1228 he mentioned his departure. In between he wrote Quan lo dous temps ven e vai la freidors, one of the most powerful Crusade songs ever written. The central theme of the work is the tumult of Europe engulphed in a conflict between the Papacy and the Emperor
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
and 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...
.