Dalfi d'Alvernha () was the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Clermont and Montferrand, a

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) 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 equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

and a patron of troubadours. He was born around 1150 and died in 1234 or 1235. He is sometimes called Robert IV, but there is no solid evidence for the name Robert, and the name can cause confusion, since his first cousin once removed was Robert IV, Count of Auvergne, who died in 1194. Dalfi d'Alvernha was the son of William VII the Young of Auvergne, Count of Clermont, and of Jeanne de . He married Guillemette de Comborn, Countess of Montferrand, daughter of Archambaud, Viscount of Comborn, and Jourdaine of Périgord. Their children were Aélis, Guillaume (William, later Count of Clermont), Blanche, and Alix. Troubadours who worked with Dalfi or sang at his court include Peirol, Perdigon, Peire de Maensac,

Gaucelm Faidit Gaucelm Faidit ( literally "Gaucelm the Dispossessed" c. 1156 – c. 1209) was a troubadour, born in Uzerche, in the Limousin (province), Limousin, from a family of knights in service of the count of Turenne. He travelled widely in France, Sp ...

, and Uc de Saint Circ; his cousin, bishop Robert of Clermont, exchanged satirical and erotic verses with him, as did Richard Coeur de Lion. One '' partimen'' between Dauphin and Perdigon marks a stage in the poetical debate, begun by Guilhem de Saint-Leidier and taken up by Azalais de Porcairagues and Raimbaut of Orange, as to whether a lady is dishonoured by taking a lover who is richer than herself. A '' tensó'' on the same subject was composed by

Guiraut de Bornelh Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...

and king

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, h ...

Bibliography

*''Biographies des troubadours'' ed. J. Boutière, A.-H. Schutz (Paris: Nizet, 1964) pp. 284–298. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvernha, Dalfi Patrons of literature 1150s births 1230s deaths 12th-century French troubadours Dauphins of Auvergne 13th-century French troubadours