Bernart Arnaut d'Armagnac
Encyclopedia
Bernart Arnaut d'Armagnac (died 1226), also Bernard Arnaud, was a troubadour
and from 1217 the Count of Armagnac
in opposition to his brother, Gerald V, who inherited it from the childless Gerald IV. Bernart and Gerald were both sons of Bernard of Fézensaguet.
Sometime before 1217, Bernart Arnaut had a literary correspondence with the trobairitz
Lombarda
. The background (razo
) to this exchange (tenso
) is described in Lombarda's vida
. Bernart, after visiting and befriending Lombarda, left her (probably in Toulouse
) without seeing her for a last time. He then sent her his song Lombards volgr'eu eser per Na Lombarda. Lombarda responded with Nom volgr' aver per Bernard Na Bernarda. Their exchange has inspired many feminist readings. Bernart begins by taking the name "Lombards" in honour of his lady; Lombarda responds by calling her self "Bernarda". If Bernart's taking of his ladyfriend's name is regarded as a patriarchal move to subsume a woman's identity in her man, then Lombarda's response will be seen as an assertion of her individualism. Bernart also refers to Jordan III of L'Isle-Jourdain in his poem.
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....
and from 1217 the Count of Armagnac
Count of Armagnac
The following is a list of rulers of the county of Armagnac:-House of Armagnac:*William Count of Fézensac and Armagnac ?– 960*Bernard the Suspicious, First count privative of Armagnac 960– ?*Gerald I Trancaléon ? –1020*Bernard I Tumapaler 1020–1061...
in opposition to his brother, Gerald V, who inherited it from the childless Gerald IV. Bernart and Gerald were both sons of Bernard of Fézensaguet.
Sometime before 1217, Bernart Arnaut had a literary correspondence with 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...
Lombarda
Lombarda
Lombarda was an early 13th-century trobairitz from Toulouse known only from her vida and a short tenso. Though her name has been taken to imply that she was from Lombardy, it rather indicates that she was from a banking or merchant family, since "Lombard" was used throughout western Europe in...
. The background (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...
) to this exchange (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...
) is described in Lombarda's 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...
. Bernart, after visiting and befriending Lombarda, left her (probably in 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...
) without seeing her for a last time. He then sent her his song Lombards volgr'eu eser per Na Lombarda. Lombarda responded with Nom volgr' aver per Bernard Na Bernarda. Their exchange has inspired many feminist readings. Bernart begins by taking the name "Lombards" in honour of his lady; Lombarda responds by calling her self "Bernarda". If Bernart's taking of his ladyfriend's name is regarded as a patriarchal move to subsume a woman's identity in her man, then Lombarda's response will be seen as an assertion of her individualism. Bernart also refers to Jordan III of L'Isle-Jourdain in his poem.