The earliest native

Italia Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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 ...

may be one called Cossezen (probably a nickname), the subject of one stanza of the famous satire of contemporary poets by

Peire d'Alvernhe Peire d'Alvernhe or d'Alvernha (''Pèire'' in modern Occitan; b. c. 1130) was an Auvergnat troubadour (active 1149–1170) with twenty-oneGaunt and Kay, 287. or twenty-fourEgan, 72.Aubrey, ''The Music of the Troubadours'', 8. surviving works. ...

which must have preceded 1173. Of "Cossezen" Peire writes: "Cossezen" is probably an ironic nickname, in light of his "bastard" (''bastartz'') diction, meaning "graceful, delicate". The

Italian identity Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

of this troubadour is predicated on his being "an old Lombard" and his use of "hybrid" words, possibly a reference to Italianisms. On the other hand, "Lombartz" was a common term of approbation for a miser or

usurer Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in ex ...

during the period and may not refer to Cossezen's homeland. If Cossezen was, however, as seems more probable,Walter T. Pattison, "The Background of Peire D'Alvernhe's ''Chantarai D'Aquest Trobadors''," ''Modern Philology'' 31:1 (1933), 19–34. a Lombard, it would make him the earliest

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

lyric poet Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, t ...

of Italian birth, though none of his work survives and there is no mention of him outside of Peire's satire.

Notes

References

*Bertoni, Giulio. ''I Trovatori d'Italia: Biografie, testi, tradizioni, note''. Rome: Società Multigrafica Editrice Somu, 1967

915 Year 915 ( CMXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Battle of Garigliano: The Christian League, personally led by Pope John X, lays siege to Garigliano (a fortified Ar ...

{{Authority control 12th-century Italian troubadours