Tibors de Sarenom (French ''Tiburge''; c. 1130 – aft. 1198) is the earliest attestable trobairitz, active during the classical period of medieval Occitan literature at the height of the popularity of the

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 ...

Biography

Tibors is one of eight trobairitz with ''vidas'', short Occitan biographies, often more hypothetical than factual. Research into Tibors' the poet's identification with an independently recorded individual is hampered by the popularity of her name in

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...

during the period of her life. Tibors was the daughter of

Guilhem d'Omelas William of Aumelas (or Omelas) was the second son of William V of Montpellier and of Ermessende, daughter of count Peter of Melgueil. The lordship of Aumelas (the Aumeladez) was detached from the territories of Montpellier to create a property for h ...

and

Tibors d'Aurenga Tiburge of Orange (died 1150), was a suo jure ruling countess regnant of Orange from 1115 to 1150. Jacques de Font-Réaulx, Le testament de Tiburge d'Orange et la cristallisation de la principauté, p. 41-58, dans Provence historique, tome 6, Hors s ...

, who brought her husband the castle of ''Sarenom'', probably

Sérignan-du-Comtat Sérignan-du-Comtat (; oc, Serinhan dau Comtat) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre (1823–1915) died in Sérignan-du-Comtat. Points of int ...

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

or perhaps

Sérignan Sérignan (; oc, Serinhan) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault department The following is a list of the 342 Communes of France, communes of the ...

in the

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...

. Sadly for historians and Occitanists, Tibors and Guilhem had two daughters, both named Tibors, after their mother. It is possible but unlikely that Tibors d'Aurenga was herself the trobairitz. Since she was married in 1129 or 1130 and her daughters were married by 1150, it is unlikely they were born long after.

Raimbaut d'Orange Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native Old Provençal, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and Aumelas. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and Mireval. He was the only son of William of Aumelas and of Tibu ...

, the famous troubadour, was a younger of son of Guilhem and Tibors and thus a younger brother of the two Tibors sisters. In 1150 the elder Tibors died and by her will left Raimbaut, then a minor, under the guardianship of her elder daughter and her son-in-law, the trobairitz' second husband, Bertran dels Baus. The younger sister, ''Tiburgette'', was the recipient of a wedding gift from their father in that year (1150). In the will of her father, Guilhem, Tibors is referred to as ''autre Tiburge'' (the other Tibors), while her younger sister is given pre-eminence. By 1150 (or 1155 if the dating of Tibors d'Aurenga's will is incorrect), Goufroy de Mornas, Tibors' first husband, had already died. She had no recorded children by him, but with Bertrand she had three sons: Uc, father of

Barral of Marseille Raymond Geoffrey, Viscount of Marseille, usually called Barral of Marseille, was the third son of Hugh Geoffrey of Marseille and his wife Cécile of Aurons. Barral of Marseille was a patron of troubadours, including Folquet of Marseille and Peire ...

; Bertran, father of

Raimon Ramon Pelegero Sanchis, who takes the stage name of Raimon (), is a Spanish singer. He performs in the musical style of Nova Cançó, and in the Catalan language. Biography Youth Raimon was born in Xàtiva in the province of Valencia, Spain o ...

; and Guilhem, also a troubadour. Tibors is said to have died soon after her husband (1180) in 1181 or 1182, but a document of her son Uc dated 13 August 1198 refers to "the advice of his mother Tibors".

Poetry

Of Tibors' work only a single stanza of a ''

canso The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...

'' with its attached ''vida'' and '' razo'' has survived.The ''vida'' ends with the ''razo'' "E fetz aquestas coblas e mandet las al seu amador' (Schutz, XCV, 324). Nonetheless, she is mentioned in an anonymous

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

dated to between 1220 and 1245, where she acts as the judge of a game of poetry. Her only work goes like this:

Sources

*Bogin, Meg (1976). ''The Women Troubadours''. Scarborough: Paddington. . *Bruckner, M. T.; Shepard, L.; and White, S. (1995). ''Songs of the Women Troubadours''. New York: Garland Publishing. . *Egan, Margarita (1984). ''The Vidas of the Troubadours''. New York: Garland Publishing. . *Schutz, Alexander Herman (1972 950. ''Biographies des troubadours''. Ayer Publishing. .

External links

Tiburge d'Orange
at the Medieval Lands Project.

Notes

{{Authority control Trobairitz 12th-century French troubadours Medieval French women musicians Year of birth uncertain 1198 deaths