Arnaut de Mareuil
Encyclopedia
Arnaut de Mareuil was a troubadour
, composing lyric poetry
in the Occitan language. Twenty-five, perhaps twenty-nine, of his songs, all cansos
, survive, six with music.
His name indicates that he came from Mareuil-sur-Belle in Périgord
. He is said to have been a "clerk" from a poor family who eventually became a jongleur; he settled at the courts of Toulouse
and then Béziers
. He apparently loved the countess Azalais
, daughter of Raymond V of Toulouse
, married to Roger II Trencavel
, and Arnaut's surviving poems may be seen as a sequence (lyric cycle) telling of his love. Alfonso II of Aragon
was his rival for Azalais's affections, and according to the razó
to one of Arnaut's poems, the king jealously persuaded her to break off her friendship with Arnaut. He fled to Montpellier
, where he found a patron in count William VIII
.
Arnaut de Mareuil was less famous than his contemporary Arnaut Daniel
, but has been said to surpass him in elegant simplicity of form and delicacy of sentiment. His cantaire (singer) and jongleur (minstrel, messenger) was Pistoleta
.
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....
, composing lyric poetry
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
in the Occitan language. Twenty-five, perhaps twenty-nine, of his songs, all 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...
, survive, six with music.
His name indicates that he came from Mareuil-sur-Belle in Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
. He is said to have been a "clerk" from a poor family who eventually became a jongleur; he settled at the courts of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and then Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
. He apparently loved the countess Azalais
Azalais of Toulouse
Azalais of Toulouse was the daughter of count Raymond V of Toulouse and Constance of France. Her maternal grandparents were Louis VI of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne....
, daughter of Raymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V was count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.He was the son of Alphonse-Jordan. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, at the time 14 years old....
, married to Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul, usually as proconsul de Bitteris , but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon...
, and Arnaut's surviving poems may be seen as a sequence (lyric cycle) telling of his love. Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
was his rival for Azalais's affections, and according to the razó
Razó (Occitan literary form)
A razó or razo was a short piece of Occitan prose detailing the circumstances of a troubadour composition. A razó normally introduced an individual poem, acting as a prose preface and explanation; it might, however, share some of the characteristics of a vida and the boundary between the...
to one of Arnaut's poems, the king jealously persuaded her to break off her friendship with Arnaut. He fled to Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, where he found a patron in count William VIII
William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII.He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on...
.
Arnaut de Mareuil was less famous than his contemporary Arnaut Daniel
Arnaut Daniel
Arnaut Daniel de Riberac was an Occitan troubadour of the 12th century, praised by Dante as "il miglior fabbro" and called "Grand Master of Love" by Petrarch...
, but has been said to surpass him in elegant simplicity of form and delicacy of sentiment. His cantaire (singer) and jongleur (minstrel, messenger) was Pistoleta
Pistoleta
Pistoleta was a Provençal troubadour. His name means "little letter " in Occitan. He left behind eleven songs, comprising nine cansos and two tensos...
.