An ''ensenhamen'' (; meaning "instruction" or "teaching") was an

Old Occitan Old Occitan ( oc, occitan ancian, label= Modern Occitan, ca, occità antic), also called Old Provençal, was the earliest form of the Occitano-Romance languages, as attested in writings dating from the eighth through the fourteenth centuries. Old ...

didactic (often lyric)

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

associated with 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 ''trobairi ...

s. As a genre of

Occitan literature Occitan literature (referred to in older texts as Provençal literature) is a body of texts written in Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature in a Romance language and inspired the rise of vernacular literature thro ...

, its limits have been open to debate since it was first defined in the 19th century. The word ''ensenhamen'' has many variations in old Occitan: ', ', ', and '. The ''ensenhamen'' had its own subgenres, such as "conduct literature" that told noblewomen the proper way to comport themselves and " mirror of princes" literature that told the nobleman how to be

chivalrous Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by ...

. Besides these were types defining and encouraging courtly love and courtly behaviour, from topics as mundane as

table manners Table manners are the rules of etiquette used while eating, which may also include the use of utensils. Different cultures observe different rules for table manners. Each family or group sets its own standards for how strictly these rules are ...

to issues of

sexual ethics Sexual ethics (also known as sex ethics or sexual morality) is a branch of philosophy that considers the ethics or morality or otherwise in sexual behavior. Sexual ethics seeks to understand, evaluate and critique interpersonal relationships and ...

. The earliest attestable ''ensenhamen'' was written around 1155 by Garin lo Brun. It is the ' ("Instruction of the girl"). Around 1170 Arnaut Guilhem de Marsan wrote the ' ("Instruction of the knight") for a warrior audience. A decade or so later

Arnaut de Mareuil Arnaut de Mareuil (''fl.'' late 12th century) was a troubadour, composing lyric poetry in the Occitan language. Twenty-five, perhaps twenty-nine, of his songs, all ''cansos'', survive, six with music. According to Hermann Oelsner's contribution to ...

wrote a long, classically-informed ''ensenhamen'' on ' (courtesy). In the 1220s or 1230s the subject of honour was treated by the Italian troubadour Sordel in his ''Ensenhamen d'onor'' and by

Uc de Saint Circ Uc de Saint Circ (San Sir) or Hugues (Hugh) de Saint Circq (fl. 1217–1253Aubrey, ''The Music of the Troubadours'', 22–23.) was a troubadour from Quercy. Uc is perhaps most significant to modern historians as the probable author of sever ...

in a similarly titled work. Late in the thirteenth century the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

Cerverí de Girona Cerverí de Girona (; fl. 1259 – 1285) 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 s ...

wrote an ''ensenhamen'' of

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

s in 1,197 quartets for his son. Even later, another Catalan troubadour,

Amanieu de Sescars Amanieu de Sescars or Amanieu des Escàs ( fl. 1278–1295) was a Catalan, possibly Gascon, troubadour of the late 13th century. Famous for his love songs in his own day, his contemporaries gave him the nickname ''dieu d'amor'' (god of love). ...

, composed two ''ensenhamens'': the ' ("Instruction of the squire") dictating ideal knightly behaviour and the ' ("Instruction of the girl") prescribing respectable behaviour for young women.

Daude de Pradas Daude, Deude, Daurde, or Daudé de Pradas (fl. 1214–1282)Gaunt and Kay, 282.Aubrey, 24. was a troubadour from Prades-Salars in the Rouergue not far from Rodez. He lived to an old age and left behind seventeen to nineteen ''cansos'', includi ...

wrote an ''ensenhamen'' on the four

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. The term ''cardinal'' comes from th ...

Peire Lunel Peire Lunel de Montech (fl. 1326–1384), also known as Cavalier Lunel or Peire de Lunel, was a lawyer, politician and author of Toulouse. His name indicates he was a knight (''cavalier'' in Occitan) from Montech.Also spelled Monteg. Occitan "ch ...

wrote ' in 1326, the latest example of the genre.

At de Mons N'At de Mons was a troubadour of the latter half of the thirteenth century. He was from Mons, near Toulouse. Kings James I of Aragon (1213–76)According to some authors, it was actually James' son Peter III (1276–87). At addresses him as "noble ...

and

Raimon Vidal Raimon Vidal de Bezaudu(n) ( Catalan: ''Ramon Vidal de Besalú'') (flourished early 13th century) was a Catalan troubadour from Besalù. He is notable for authoring the first tract in a Romance language ( Occitan) on the subject of grammar and p ...

are other known contributors to the genre. There were also mock ''ensenhamens'' designed to satirise the

jongleur A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...

s. ''Fadet juglar'' by

Guiraut de Calanso Giraut or Guiraut de Calanso or Calanson ( fl. 1202–1212)Gaunt and Kay, 286. was a Gascon troubadour in the Occitan language. Of his lyric works that remain five are '' cansos'', two ''descorts'', a '' congé'', a ''planh'', and a ''vers'' ...

is an example. Bertran de Paris and

Guiraut de Cabreira Guerau III de Cabrera (died 1160/61), also called Guiraut (or Giraut) de Cabreira, was a Catalan nobleman and Occitan troubadour. He was the viscount of Àger and Cabrera from 1145. He was the son of Ponç II de Cabrera and Sancha. Guerau is ...

(''Cabra joglar'') are also known to have written this way.

Sources

*Gaunt, Simon, and Kay, Sarah (edd.) ''The Troubadours: An Introduction''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. . *Monson, Don A. '. Paris: Libraire C. Klincksieck, 1981. . * Riquer, Martín de. '. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975. {{Authority control Occitan literary genres Western medieval lyric forms