Paulet de Marselha
Encyclopedia
Paulet de Marselha was a Provençal
troubadour
from Marseille
. Three of his eight surviving works are dedicated to Barral dels Baus, the viscount of Marseille. Three were love songs
composed in Marseille during an era of peace. While his patron Barral eventually came to support Charles of Anjou as Count of Provence and followed him into wars in Italy, where he died, Paulet was opposed Angevin
dominance of Provence and was deprived of his possessions and forced to flee, becoming a faidit (dispossessed exile) in Catalonia
.
In Catalonia he turned up at the court of Peter III of Aragon
, then heir and infante of James I
, at Barcelona
in April–May 1262. From 1262 to 1266 he was at the court of Alfonso X of Castile
. By October 1267 he had returned to Peter and a Paulet joglar (Paulet the jongleur) appears in the infantes entourage, undoubtedly Paulet de Marselha.
Like other poets (Cerverí de Girona
and Folquet de Lunel
) associated with the Angevin domination of Provence and the court culture of Peter of Aragon (who waged the War of the Sicilian Vespers
against the Angevins) and Alfonso of Castile (who contested the rule of Italy
with them), Paulet was a staunch Ghibelline. His poem Ab marriment et ab mala sabensa is customarily dated to 1268 or 1269, when he is last heard of. It was written to encourage the liberation of Henry of Castile, then a captive of Charles of Anjou in Italy.
Paulet had a connexion with James
, Peter's younger brother and heir of Montpellier and Majorca
. Sometime before 1262 he wrote a love song in the refrain of which he charges that because Charles of Anjou had separated him from his lover he would not, for that alone, honour him. Instead he dedicated his poem to James:
Perhaps as a result of this diplomacy James intervened in favour of Marseille when the city rebelled in 1262. The rebellion, led by Barral and Bonifaci VI de Castellana
, was eventually put down, but it was the cause of Paulet's exile. Despite the fact that Barral eventually reconciled with Charles, Paulet nevertheless mourned his death (in 1268) in a planh
entitled Razos no es que hom deja chantar ("There are no reasons left for men to sing").
Sometime between April 1265 and February 1266 Paulet composed L'autrier m'anav'ab cor pensiu, a unique pastorela
in which he and a pastora (shepherdess) discuss the merits of Peter III as the saviour of Provence. This pastorela is dated based on a reference to rei Marfre (evidently Manfred of Sicily
). Paulet also expresses a desire to see an alliance with N'Audoart (Edward I of England
) against Charles of Anjou.
Paulet also contributed one cobla
to Senh'en Jorda, sie·us manda Livernos, a four-way tenso
(called a torneyamen
) between himself, Guiraut Riquier
, Jordan IV of L'Isle-Jourdain
, and Raimon Izarn.
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...
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 Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. Three of his eight surviving works are dedicated to Barral dels Baus, the viscount of Marseille. Three were love songs
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...
composed in Marseille during an era of peace. While his patron Barral eventually came to support Charles of Anjou as Count of Provence and followed him into wars in Italy, where he died, Paulet was opposed 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...
dominance of Provence and was deprived of his possessions and forced to flee, becoming a faidit (dispossessed exile) in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
In Catalonia he turned up at the court of Peter III of Aragon
Peter III of Aragon
Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.-Youth and succession:Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife...
, then heir and infante of James I
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
, at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in April–May 1262. From 1262 to 1266 he was at the court of Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
. By October 1267 he had returned to Peter and a Paulet joglar (Paulet the jongleur) appears in the infantes entourage, undoubtedly Paulet de Marselha.
Like other poets (Cerverí de Girona
Cerverí de Girona
Cerverí de Girona was a Catalan troubadour born Guillem de Cervera in Girona. He was the most prolific troubadour, leaving behind some 114 lyric poems among other works, including an ensenhamen of proverbs for his son, totaling about 130. He was a court poet to James the Conqueror and Peter the...
and Folquet de Lunel
Folquet de Lunel
Folquet de Lunel was a troubadour from Lunel in the Languedoc. He left behind nine recorded lyric poems, including five cansos, two partimens, and two sirventes. He also wrote one longer work, the Romans de mondana vida...
) associated with the Angevin domination of Provence and the court culture of Peter of Aragon (who waged the War of the Sicilian Vespers
War of the Sicilian Vespers
The War of the ' Vespers started with the insurrection of the Sicilian Vespers against Charles of Anjou in 1282 and finally ended with the peace of Caltabellotta in 1302...
against the Angevins) and Alfonso of Castile (who contested the rule of Italy
King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...
with them), Paulet was a staunch Ghibelline. His poem Ab marriment et ab mala sabensa is customarily dated to 1268 or 1269, when he is last heard of. It was written to encourage the liberation of Henry of Castile, then a captive of Charles of Anjou in Italy.
Paulet had a connexion with James
James II of Majorca
James II was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary...
, Peter's younger brother and heir of Montpellier and Majorca
Kingdom of Majorca
The Kingdom of Majorca was founded by James I of Aragon, also known as James The Conqueror. After the death of his first-born son Alfonso, a will was written in 1262 which created the kingdom in order to cede it to his son James...
. Sometime before 1262 he wrote a love song in the refrain of which he charges that because Charles of Anjou had separated him from his lover he would not, for that alone, honour him. Instead he dedicated his poem to James:
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Perhaps as a result of this diplomacy James intervened in favour of Marseille when the city rebelled in 1262. The rebellion, led by Barral and Bonifaci VI de Castellana
Bonifaci VI de Castellana
Bonifaci VI de Castellana or Castelhana was a Provençal knight and lord, one of the last of the great independent seigneurs of the land before the reign of Charles of Anjou began . He is first mentioned in 1244 and succeeded his father as lord of Castellana on 13 June 1249...
, was eventually put down, but it was the cause of Paulet's exile. Despite the fact that Barral eventually reconciled with Charles, Paulet nevertheless mourned his death (in 1268) in a planh
Planh
The planh or plaing is a funeral lament used by the troubadours, modeled on the medieval Latin planctus. It differed from the planctus in that it was intended for a secular audience...
entitled Razos no es que hom deja chantar ("There are no reasons left for men to sing").
Sometime between April 1265 and February 1266 Paulet composed L'autrier m'anav'ab cor pensiu, a unique pastorela
Pastorela
The pastorela was an Occitan lyric genre used by the troubadours. It gave rise to the Old French pastourelle. The central topic was always meeting of a knight with a shepherdess, which may lead to any of a number of possible conclusions. They are usually humorous pieces...
in which he and a pastora (shepherdess) discuss the merits of Peter III as the saviour of Provence. This pastorela is dated based on a reference to rei Marfre (evidently Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
). Paulet also expresses a desire to see an alliance with N'Audoart (Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
) against Charles of Anjou.
Paulet also contributed one cobla
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...
to Senh'en Jorda, sie·us manda Livernos, a four-way 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...
(called a torneyamen
Torneyamen
A torneyamen or certamen was a lyric genre of the troubadours of the thirteenth century. Closely related to the tenso, a debate between two poets, and the partimen, a question posed by one poet and another's response, the torneyamen took place between several poets, originally usually three...
) between himself, Guiraut Riquier
Guiraut Riquier
Guiraut Riquier is among the last of the Provençal troubadours. He is well known because of his great care in writing out his works and keeping them together—the New Grove Encyclopedia considers him an "anthologist" of his own works....
, Jordan IV of L'Isle-Jourdain
Jordan IV of L'Isle-Jourdain
Jordan IV was the Lord of L'Isle-Jourdain and a vassal of Alfonso of Poitou. He was a crusader during the Italian crusades of Guelph against Ghibelline...
, and Raimon Izarn.
Sources
- Riquer, Martín de. Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.
External links
- Senh'en Jorda, sie·us manda Livernos at Rialto.