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Bertran de Born (; 1140s – by 1215) was a baron from the Limousin in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
, and one of the major Occitan
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 '' trobai ...
s of the 12th-13th century. He composed love songs (cansos) but was better known for his political songs (sirventes). He was involved in revolts against Richard I and then Phillip II. He married twice and had five children. In his final years, he became a monk.


Early life

Bertran de Born was the eldest son of Bertran de Born, lord of Hautefort ( Occitan: ''Autafòrt''), and his wife Ermengardis. He had two younger brothers, Constantine and Itier. His father died in 1178, and Bertran succeeded him as lord of Hautefort. By this time, he was already married to his first wife, Raimonda, and had two sons. Hautefort lies at the border between the Limousin and Périgord. As a result, Bertran became involved in the conflicts of the sons of
Henry II Plantagenet Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. He was also fighting for control of Hautefort. According to the feudal custom of his region, he was not the only lord of Hautefort, but held it jointly with his brothers. Other cases of co-seigneuries were known among the troubadours, the most famous being that of the "four troubadours of Ussel", three brothers and a cousin, and that of Raimon de Miraval and his brothers. Bertran's struggle, especially with his brother Constantine, is at the heart of his poetry, which is dominated by political topics.


Career

His first datable work is a '' sirventes'' (political or satirical song) of 1181, but it is clear from this he already had a reputation as a poet. In 1182, he was present at his overlord
Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
's court at
Argentan Argentan () is a Communes of France, commune and the seat of two Canton in France, cantons and of an arrondissement in France, arrondissement in the Orne Departments of France, department in northwestern France. Argentan is located NE of Rennes ...
. That same year, he had joined in
Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and M ...
's revolt against his younger brother,
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
, Count of
Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a Provinces of France, province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main histori ...
and Duke of
Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Januar ...
. He wrote songs encouraging Aimar V of Limoges and others to rebel, and took the oath against Richard at
Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...
. His brother Constantine took the opposing side, and Bertran drove him out of the castle in July. Henry the Young King, whom Bertran had praised and criticised in his poems, died on campaign in June 1183 in
Martel Martel may refer to: People * Andre Martel (1946–2016), American politician and businessman * Anne-Marie Martel (1644–1673), founder of what is now the Congrégation des Sœurs de l’Enfant-Jésus. * James B. Aguayo-Martel, ophthalmologist ...
. Bertran wrote a '' planh'' (lament), in his memory, ''Mon chan fenisc ab dol et ab maltraire''. (Another ''planh'' for Henry, ''Si tuit li dol e.l plor e.l marrimen'', formerly attributed to Bertran, is now thought to be the work of Rigaut de Berbezill). In his punitive campaign against the rebels, Richard, aided by
Alfonso II of Aragon Alfonso II (1–25 March 1157Benito Vicente de Cuéllar (1995)«Los "condes-reyes" de Barcelona y la "adquisición" del reino de Aragón por la dinastía bellónida» p. 630-631; in ''Hidalguía''. XLIII (252) pp. 619–632."Alfonso II el Casto, hi ...
, besieged Autafort and gave it to Constantine de Born. Henry II, however, is reported to have been moved by Bertran's lament for his son, and returned the castle to the poet. Constantine seems to have become a
mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
. Bertran was reconciled also with Richard, whom he supported in turn against
Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
. At various times, he sought to exploit the dissensions among the Angevins in order to keep his independence. He gave them ''senhals'' (nicknames): Henry the Young King was ''Mariniers'' (''Sailor''),
Geoffrey of Brittany Geoffrey II ( br, Jafrez; , xno, Geoffroy; 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany and 3rd Earl of Richmond between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage to Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffrey was the fourth of five sons ...
was ''Rassa'', and Richard, ''Oc-e-Non'' (''Yes-and-No''). He commemorated Geoffrey's death in the ''planh'', ''A totz dic que ja mais non voil''. He had contact with a number of other troubadours and also with the Northern French
trouvère ''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word ''troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to poet ...
, Conon de Béthune, whom he addressed as ''Mon Ysombart''. Although he composed a few ''cansos'' (love songs), Bertran de Born was predominantly a master of the ''sirventes''. ''Be.m platz lo gais temps de pascor,'' which revels in warfare, was translated by
Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works includ ...
: When Richard (by then King) and Philip delayed setting out on the
Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity ( Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
, he chided them in songs praising the heroic defence of Tyre by
Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat ( Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (died 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the ''de facto'' King of Jerusalem (as Conrad I) by ...
(''Folheta, vos mi prejatz que eu chan'' and ''Ara sai eu de pretz quals l'a plus gran''). When Richard was released from captivity after being suspected of Conrad's murder, Bertran welcomed his return with ''Ar ven la coindeta sazos''. Ironically, one of Bertran's sources of income was from the market of Châlus-Cabrol, where Richard was fatally wounded in 1199.


Later years and death

Widowed for the second time c. 1196, Bertran became a monk and entered the
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...
abbey of Dalon at
Sainte-Trie Sainte-Trie (; oc, Sent Tria) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. History During the creation of the French departments in 1790, the commune first became part of the Corrèze department. It becam ...
in the Dordogne region. He had made numerous grants to the abbey over the years. His last datable song was written in 1198. He ceases to appear in charters after 1202, and was certainly dead by 1215, when there is a record of a payment for a candle for his tomb.


Works

His œuvre consists of about 47 works, 36 unambiguously attributed to him in the manuscripts, and 11 uncertain attributions. Several melodies survive, and some of his songs have been recorded by
Sequentia A sequence (Latin: ''sequentia'', plural: ''sequentiae'') is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgy, liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Co ...
,
Gérard Zuchetto Gérard (French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constitu ...
and his Troubadours Art Ensemble, and the
Martin Best Mediæval Ensemble Martin Best (born 13 April 1942) is an English singer, lutenist, guitarist, and composer. Best has been active mainly in early music including Renaissance music, minstrel songs and the French troubadour traditions, in works related to William Shak ...
, who released an album of songs by "Dante Troubadours". Black Metal band M8l8th dedicated an entire EP in his honor. Coupe de Grace from 2015. With a special appearance from Famine(Peste Noire).


Family

Bertran de Born married twice. By his first wife, Raimonda, he had two sons (both knighted in 1192) and a daughter: *
Bertran Bertran or Bertrán is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Bertran Carbonel (1252–1265), Provençal troubadour *Bertran d'Alamanon (1229–1266), Provençal knight, troubadour, an official, diplomat, and ambassador of the court ...
, also a troubadour, still living in 1223. *Itier, who died in 1237. *Aimelina, who married Seguin de Lastours. By his second wife, Philippa, he had two more sons: *Constantine, who became a monk at
Dalon The Dalon is a stream in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France (Corrèze and Dordogne departments). It is a left tributary of the Auvézère river. It is long. The river begins in the commune of Segonzac in Corrèze. The river empties into th ...
with his father. *Bertran the Younger, who was still living in 1252.


Later literary image

According to his later ''vida'' (a romanticised short biography attached to his songs), Henry II believed Bertran had fomented the
rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
of his son
Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and M ...
. As a result,
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...
portrayed him in the ''Inferno'' as a sower of schism, punished in the ninth bolgia of the eighth circle of Hell (Canto XXVIII), carrying his severed head like a lantern.
Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravin ...
depicts this in his illustrations to the ''
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...
.'' Dante's depiction of him influenced later literary works. In her epic poem ''Cœur de Lion'' (1822), Eleanor Anne Porden portrays him fomenting discord in the Third Crusade and, because of his remorse over his involvement with Richard's imprisonment, becoming a hermit. He also figures as a minor character in Maurice Hewlett's novel ''The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay'' (1900), depicted unflatteringly. He is described as "a man of hot blood, fumes and rages", with "a grudging spirit". One character dismisses him thus: "Great poet he was, great thief, and a silly fool." His memory was better served by
Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works includ ...
, who translated some of his songs and also based several original poems around him and his works, notably ''Na Audiart'' (1908), ''Sestina: Altaforte'' (1909), and ''Near Périgord'' (1915). There are also allusions to him in some of the ''Cantos''. Via the influence of Pound's ''Na Audiart'', he is also mentioned in Sorley MacLean's poem, ''A' Bhuaile Ghreine'' (''The Sunny Fold''). He was the subject of a 1936 play ''Bertran de Born'' by Jean Valmy-Baisse, to which
Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
wrote
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead ...
. He later reworked the music into his '' Suite provençale''.Naxos: MILHAUD: La Creation du monde / Le Boeuf sur le toit / Suite provencale
/ref> Paul Auster mentions De Born in his novel '' Invisible'' (2009), where the main character meets a Frenchman named Born, and corrects a translation of one of Bertran's war poems. This appeared before as a translation by Paul Auster, in ''The Nation.''


Notes


References

* Maurice Hewlett, ''The Life & Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay'' (London, 1900) (external link to
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
text). * Dante Alighieri, ''The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Inferno'', trans. Allen Mandelbaum, (Bantam Classics 1982) . * Gérard Gouiran (ed. and trans.), ''L’Amour et la Guerre: L’Oeuvre de Bertran de Born'', 2 vols. (Aix en Provence & Marseille, 1985). * William D. Padden, Jr., Tilde Sankovitch & Patricia H. Stäblein (ed. and transl.), ''The Poems of the Troubadour Bertran de Born'' (Berkeley, Los Angeles & London, 1986). *Robert Kehew (ed.) ''Lark in the Morning: The Verses of the Troubadours; translated by Ezra Pound, W D Snodgrass & Robert Kehew'' (Chicago, 2005) . * Ezra Pound, ''Poems & Translations'' (New York, 2003). * This article includes material from the '' Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de géographie Bouillet/Chassang''. * Thomas B. Costain, "The Conquering Family", Doubleday & Co. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 62-20488, pp. 121–124.


External links


English translation of Bertran de Born's Bel m'es quan vei
translated by Jon Corelis
Complete works




English translation of Bertran de Born's Bel m'es quan vei]- translated by Jon Corelis {{DEFAULTSORT:Born, Bertran de 1140s births 13th-century deaths People from Dordogne French military leaders 12th-century French troubadours Crusade literature Cephalophores 13th-century French troubadours