Bernart de Rovenac
Encyclopedia
Bernart de Rovenac, Rovenhac, or Roenach (fl.
1242–1261) was a Languedocian troubadour
. Four of his sirventes
have been preserved. The attitude ubiquitous in his poetry is perhaps best expressed by these lines: Aital guerra m'agrada mas que platz, / non tals treguas ont om si'enganatz ("Thus war would please me more than peace, / nor such truces wherein men lie").
Bernart hailed from Rovenac in the modern Aude
. He is first attested in early 1242, when he composed a poem, Ja no vuelh do mi esnenda, concerning a local uprising against King Louis IX
in Languedoc
. In it he attacks both James I of Aragon
and Henry III of England
for not coming to the aid of their vassal
s and makes a play on James' Occitan name, Jacme: Jacme (i.e. jac-me) quar trop vol jazer, meaning that it is appropriate his name is "James (i.e. "Going-to-bed"), because he wants to lie down too much." This piece was written in Limós near Rovenac, as a line of the tornada indicates.
In a slightly later poem, D'un sirventes m'es gran voluntatz preza, Bernart attacks amdos los reis ("both the kings") for neglecting lor fieus ("their fiefs") that the rei que conquer Suria ("king who conquered Syria
") has possessed. The two kings are James and Henry and "the king who conquered Syria" is a mocking reference to Louis, whose Seventh Crusade
ended in defeat and capture at the Battle of Mansurah (1250). Louis was still captive in Syria (1254) when Bernart wrote in hopes that the two kings would take advantage of the French monarch's absence.
Because of his political poetry, Bernart was very unpopular with the Aragonese court, though he may have travelled into Castile
and certainly had a high opinion of Alfonso X of Castile
. In 1259–60 he joined the revolt led by Ramon Folc V de Cardona against James of Aragon, which occasion a meg-sirventes (half-sirventes) no longer extant but mentioned in the poem Can aug en cort critz e mazans e brutz by Cerverí de Girona
(towards the end of 1259). Bernart's response to Cerverí's criticism that he was nought but a jongleur, if he made one, has not survived. Cerverí, like Bernart, was patronised by Ramon Folc, but unlike Bernart he became a court poet to the Aragonese kings. Professional jealousy may have been involved in his spat with En Roenach, for he certainly remained on good terms with Ramon Folc.
The only piece of Bernart's work that cannot be dated with precision is Una sirventesca, written sometimes between 1241 and 1253. It is a sirventes joglaresc, that is, a sirventes making fun of a jongleur, in this case named Rainier. The metre is highly artificial and the last two lines of each cobla
are a refranh (refrain). Cerverí copied it in his Ta mal ne fay sala, the second aniversari for Ramon Folc V (died 1276). Bernart was both an influence on and a competitor with Cerverí, whose career began at the time Bernart's ended.
Bernart's last sirventes was occasioned by the execution of Guillem Ramon II d'Òdena in 1261. Guillem's testament, in which he confesses his guilt and crimes, is dated to 14 January and his execution must have taken place shortly after that date. He was convicted of breaking the truce signed between the Crown and the barons and drowned at sea between Sitges
and Cubelles
by the infante Peter
. Bernart wrote an attack on Peter, whom he compares to executioner who masks his face, in Belh m'es quan vei pels vergiers e pels pratz. It was composed in the same metre as Cerverí's Can aug. Scholars have dated it to 1224 and 1274–5, but its context leaves it beyond doubt that it was composed in 1261.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1242–1261) was a Languedocian 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....
. Four of his 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...
have been preserved. The attitude ubiquitous in his poetry is perhaps best expressed by these lines: Aital guerra m'agrada mas que platz, / non tals treguas ont om si'enganatz ("Thus war would please me more than peace, / nor such truces wherein men lie").
Bernart hailed from Rovenac in the modern Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
. He is first attested in early 1242, when he composed a poem, Ja no vuelh do mi esnenda, concerning a local uprising against King Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
in Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. In it he attacks both James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
and Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
for not coming to the aid of their vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s and makes a play on James' Occitan name, Jacme: Jacme (i.e. jac-me) quar trop vol jazer, meaning that it is appropriate his name is "James (i.e. "Going-to-bed"), because he wants to lie down too much." This piece was written in Limós near Rovenac, as a line of the tornada indicates.
In a slightly later poem, D'un sirventes m'es gran voluntatz preza, Bernart attacks amdos los reis ("both the kings") for neglecting lor fieus ("their fiefs") that the rei que conquer Suria ("king who conquered Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
") has possessed. The two kings are James and Henry and "the king who conquered Syria" is a mocking reference to Louis, whose Seventh Crusade
Seventh Crusade
The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Approximately 800,000 bezants were paid in ransom for King Louis who, along with thousands of his troops, was captured and defeated by the Egyptian army led by the Ayyubid Sultan Turanshah supported by the Bahariyya...
ended in defeat and capture at the Battle of Mansurah (1250). Louis was still captive in Syria (1254) when Bernart wrote in hopes that the two kings would take advantage of the French monarch's absence.
Because of his political poetry, Bernart was very unpopular with the Aragonese court, though he may have travelled into Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and certainly had a high opinion 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...
. In 1259–60 he joined the revolt led by Ramon Folc V de Cardona against James of Aragon, which occasion a meg-sirventes (half-sirventes) no longer extant but mentioned in the poem Can aug en cort critz e mazans e brutz by 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...
(towards the end of 1259). Bernart's response to Cerverí's criticism that he was nought but a jongleur, if he made one, has not survived. Cerverí, like Bernart, was patronised by Ramon Folc, but unlike Bernart he became a court poet to the Aragonese kings. Professional jealousy may have been involved in his spat with En Roenach, for he certainly remained on good terms with Ramon Folc.
The only piece of Bernart's work that cannot be dated with precision is Una sirventesca, written sometimes between 1241 and 1253. It is a sirventes joglaresc, that is, a sirventes making fun of a jongleur, in this case named Rainier. The metre is highly artificial and the last two lines of each 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...
are a refranh (refrain). Cerverí copied it in his Ta mal ne fay sala, the second aniversari for Ramon Folc V (died 1276). Bernart was both an influence on and a competitor with Cerverí, whose career began at the time Bernart's ended.
Bernart's last sirventes was occasioned by the execution of Guillem Ramon II d'Òdena in 1261. Guillem's testament, in which he confesses his guilt and crimes, is dated to 14 January and his execution must have taken place shortly after that date. He was convicted of breaking the truce signed between the Crown and the barons and drowned at sea between Sitges
Sitges
*Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla . It houses two Gothic sepulchres , belonging to the an older church located on the same site...
and Cubelles
Cubelles
Cubelles is a town in Catalonia, in the province of Barcelona, Spain. It is situated in the comarca of Garraf.-Historia:Breu història CUBELLESEl 1274, Jaume el Conqueridor va atorgar grans privilegis a la zona de la vila, propera al castell...
by the infante Peter
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...
. Bernart wrote an attack on Peter, whom he compares to executioner who masks his face, in Belh m'es quan vei pels vergiers e pels pratz. It was composed in the same metre as Cerverí's Can aug. Scholars have dated it to 1224 and 1274–5, but its context leaves it beyond doubt that it was composed in 1261.