Raimbaut of Orange (c. 1147 – 1173) or, in his native

Old Provençal 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 ...

, Raimbaut d'Aurenga, was the lord of Orange and

Aumelas Aumelas (; Languedocien: ''Aumelaç'') is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault department The following is a list of the 342 communes of the Hérault department of France. ...

. His properties included the towns of Frontignan and

Mireval Mireval (; oc, Miravau) is a commune in the Hérault department in Occitanie in southern France. Vic-Mireval station has rail connections to Narbonne, Montpellier and Avignon. It is famous for its muscat wine, the ''Muscat de Mireval'', about ...

. He was the only son of

William of Aumelas 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 of

Tiburge, Countess of Orange 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 ...

, daughter of Raimbaut, count of Orange. After the early death of Raimbaut's father, his guardians were his uncle

William VII of Montpellier William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...

and his elder sister Tibors. He was a major troubadour, having contributed to the creation of ''trobar ric'', or articulate style, in troubadour poetry. Abou
forty of his works
survive, displaying a gusto for rare rhymes and intricate poetic form. His death in 1173 is mourned in a ''planh'' (lament) by Giraut de Bornelh, and also in the only surviving poem of the trobairitz

Azalais de Porcairagues Azalais de Porcairagues (also ''Azalaïs'') or Alasais de Porcaragues was a trobairitz (woman troubadour), composing in Occitan in the late 12th century. The sole source for her life is her ''vida'', which tells us that she came from the country ...

, who was the lover of Raimbaut's cousin

Gui Guerrejat Gui Guerrejat ("the warrior") was the fifth son of William VI of Montpellier. When still a boy, in 1146, he inherited the castles of Paulhan and le Pouget from his father. After the death of his brother William VII, around 1172, Gui served joi ...

. It seems possible that Azalais's poem was composed in an earlier form while Raimbaut was still alive, because in his poem ''A mon vers dirai chanso'' he appears to contribute to the poetical debate begun by

Guilhem de Saint-Leidier Guilhem de Saint-Leidier, also spelled Guilhem de Saint Deslier, Guillem de Saint Deidier and Guilhèm de Sant Leidier was a troubadour of the 12th century, composing in Occitan. He was lord of Saint Didier-en-Velay, was born at some date before 1 ...

and taken up by Azalais as to whether a lady is dishonoured by taking a lover who is richer than herself. Aimo Sakari argues that Azalais is the mysterious ''joglar'' ("jongleur") addressed in several poems by Raimbaut.

Bibliography

*Pattison, Walter T. ''The Life and Works of the Troubadour Raimbaut d'Orange''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1952. LCCN 52-5321. *Sakari, A. "Azalais de Porcairagues, le 'Joglar' de Raimbaut d'Orange" in ''Neuphilologische Mitteilungen'', vol. 50 (1949) pp. 23–43, 56-87, 174-198.

External links

Complete works in Provençal and their English translation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raimbaut of Orange 1140s births 1173 deaths People from Orange, Vaucluse 12th-century troubadours