Albert Malaspina (1160/1165–1206/1212), called Alberto Moro ("the Moor") and ''lo marches putanier'' ("the whoring marquess"), was a member of the illustrious

Malaspina family The House of Malaspina was a noble Italian family of Longobard origin that descended from Boniface I, Margrave of Tuscany, Boniface I, through the Obertenghi line, that ruled Lunigiana from the 13th to the 14th centuries, and the Province of Massa ...

. He was a noted

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

and patron of troubadours. Albert disputes with

Peire de la Caravana Peire de la Caravana (also Cavarana, Gavarana, or Cà Varana, perhaps meaning "near Verona") was an Italian troubadour (''trovatore'') in Lombardy in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was one of the earliest Occitan troubadours in Italy. ...

the position of earliest native Italian troubadour. He was a son of Obizzo I the Great and husband of a daughter of

William V of Montferrat William V of Montferrat (occ./piem. ''Guilhem'', it. ''Guglielmo'') ( 1115 – 1191) also known regnally as William III of Montferrat while also referred to as William the Old or William the Elder, in order to distinguish him from his eldest s ...

. His brother-in-law

Boniface I of Montferrat Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

and his nephews Corrado (

Conrad Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washington ...

) and Guglielmo (William) were all enthusiastic patrons of troubadours. He was renowned for his bravery, generosity, courtliness, and learning. He composed a ''

tenso A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...

'' with

Raimbaut de Vaqueiras __NOTOC__ Raimbaut de Vaqueiras or Vaqueyras ( fl. 1180 – 1207) was a Provençal troubadour and, later in his life, knight. His life was spent mainly in Italian courtsAmelia E. Van Vleck, ''The Lyric Texts'' p. 33, in ''Handbook of the Trou ...

that begins ''Ara'm digatz Raimbaut, si vos agrada''. Though this is the only work of his to survive, the author of his ''

vida Vida means “life” in Spanish and Portuguese. It may refer to: Geography * Vida (Gradačac), village in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Lake Vida, Victoria Valley, Antarctica * U.S. settled places: ** Vida, Montana ** Vida, Oregon ** Vida, Missour ...

'' compliments his

couplet A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...

s, ''

cansos The ''canso'' or ''canson'' or ''canzo'' () was a song style used by the troubadours. It was, by far, the most common genre used, especially by early troubadours, and only in the second half of the 13th century was its dominance challenged by a ...

'', and ''

sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...

''. According to Raimbaut, in his famous "epic letter" ''Valen marques, senher de Monferrat'', in the 1170s Albert abducted Saldina de Mar, a daughter of a prominent Genoese family only to have her rescued by Boniface of Montferrat and restored her to her lover, Ponset d'Aguilar. Albert's wife was possibly the

trobairitz The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural. The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century roma ...

known only as

Ysabella ''Ysabella'' is a 2007 Philippine drama television series starring Judy Ann Santos, Coney Reyes, Ryan Agoncillo and Derek Ramsay. The series debuted on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007 to January 25, 2008, replacing ''Maria Flordeluna'' and was replace ...

External links

''Ara'm digatz senher Raimbauz, si vos agrada''
at Trobar.org (translated)

Sources

*''The Vidas of the Troubadours''. Margarita Egan, trans. New York: Garland, 1984. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Malaspina, Albert 1160s births 1206 deaths 12th-century Italian troubadours 13th-century Italian troubadours Malaspina family