Henry II (

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 Occitan (; ...

: ''Enric II de Rodés'') (c. 1236–1304), of the House of

Millau Millau (; oc, Milhau ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. One of two subprefectures in Aveyron alongside Villefranche-de-Rouergue, it is located to the southeast of the prefecture, Rodez. With a ...

, was the

Count of Rodez The County of Rodez was a fief of the County of Toulouse formed out of part of the old County of Rouergue in what is today Aveyron, France. Its capital was Rodez. At its height, it was a centre of troubadour culture. On the death of Hugh of Ro ...

and

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

of Carlat from 1274 until his death. He was the son of

Hugh IV of Rodez Hugh IV ( oc, Uc) (c. 1212–1274), of the House of Millau, was the Count of Rodez and Viscount of Carlat and Creyssel from 1221 until his death. He was the son of Henry I of Rodez and Algayette of Scorailles. In 1242 Hugh was in revolt against ...

and Isabeau de Roquefeuil. Henry II was a

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 '' trobai ...

and patron of troubadours. He composed six poems that survive: four ''

tenso A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...

s'' and two ''

partimen The ''partimen'' (; ca, partiment ; also known as ''partia'' or ''joc partit'') is a cognate form of the French jeu-parti (plural ''jeux-partis''). It is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry composed between two troubadours, a subgenre of the ''tenso ...

s'' (alternatively five '' torneyamens''). His short '' vida'' records an exchange of couplets between ''lo coms de Rodes'' (the count of Rhodes) and

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 ...

. The count claims to have got Uc back on his feet through his generous patronage. Among the other troubadours who were supported at Henry's court were Guiraut Riquier, Folquet de Lunel, Cerverí de Girona, Bertran Carbonel, Raimon de Castelnou and

Bernart de Tot-lo-mon Bernart de Tot-lo-mon was a troubadour and ''jongleur'', probably active at the court of Count Henry II of Rodez (1274–1304). His nickname means "of all-the-world"; according to Alfred Jeanroy, he was probably from Bruniquel in the Quercy. Three ...

Marriages and children

Henry II married three times. His first wife, married in 1256, was Marquise, daughter of

Barral des Baux Barral of Baux (died 1268) was Viscount of Marseilles and Lord of Baux. He was the son of Hugh III of Baux, Viscount of Marseilles, and Barrale. Career Barral came to oppose the Albigensian Crusade, and invaded the Comtat Venaissin in 1234 in ...

. They had one daughter named Isabeau who inherited the viscounty of Carlat and married the troubadour Geoffrey, lord of Pons. Though Marquise died in 1276, she was repudiated sometime before that in favour of Mascarosse, daughter of Bernard IV of Comminges. The latter bore Henry four children: *Hugh *Cecilia (1275–1313), successor, married (1298)

Bernard VI of Armagnac Bernard VI, ( 1270 – 1319), Count of Armagnac and Fezensac, was the son of Gerald VI, Count of Armagnac, and Mathe de Béarn. Service for King of France In 1302, Bernard fought in Italy under the command of Charles of Valois. Subsequently, he p ...

*Beatrix de Rodez, lady of Scorailles and Saint-Christophe, married (1295) Bernard IV de La Tour (died 1325) *Valpurge, viscountess of Creyssel and lady of Roquefeuil, married (1298) Gaston d'Armagnac (died 1326), viscount of Fézenzaguet Henry was widowered in 1292 and remarried for the last time in 1302 to Anne (died 1351), daughter of

Aymar III of Valentinois Aymar is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Luciana Aymar (born 1977), Argentine field hockey midfielder * Marcel Aymar, Franco-Ontarian musician, composer, writer and actor * Robert Aymar, Director Ge ...

. The couple had no children and the widowed Anne remarried to

John I, Dauphin of Auvergne John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Sources

*Egan, Margarita, ed. and trans. ''The Vidas of the Troubadours''. New York: Garland, 1984. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 02 of Rodez 1230s births 1304 deaths Year of birth uncertain Counts of Rodez 13th-century French troubadours