Raimbaut of Orange (

Old Provençal Old Occitan (, ), also called Old Provençal, was the earliest form of the Occitano-Romance languages, as attested in writings dating from the 8th to the 14th centuries. Old Occitan generally includes Early and Old Occitan. Middle Occitan is somet ...

: Raimbaut d'Aurenga; 1147 – 1173) was the lord of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

Aumelas Aumelas (; Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Aumelaç'') is a communes of France, commune in the Hérault Departments of France, department in southern France. Geography The neighboring communes are La Boissière, Hérault, La Boissière ...

and an influential

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 ...

in the

Kingdom of Arles The Kingdom of Burgundy, known from the 12th century as the Kingdom of Arles, was a realm established in 933 by the merger of the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Burgundy under King Rudolf II. It was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033 ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. His properties included the towns of

Frontignan Frontignan (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety. Geography Frontignan is located in th ...

and

Mireval Mireval (; ) 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 which ...

. 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 ...

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 Raimbaut II, Count of Orange (Circa. 1066 - 1121) (in Latin ''Raimboldus comes de Oringis'') was the elder son of and of his first wife Gilberte. Biography Raimbaut's date of birth is not known (possibly around 1066 in Orange). At this time th ...

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

William VII of Montpellier William VII of Montpellier ( ), the eldest son of William VI and of his wife Sibylle, was as 12th century Lord of Montpellier. Aged around 15, he inherited the lordship of Montpellier from his father in 1146 under the tutelage of his grandmoth ...

and his elder sister

Tibors Tibors de Sarenom (French ''Tiburge''; c. 1130 – aft. 1198) is the earliest attestable trobairitz, active during the classical period of medieval Occitan literature at the height of the popularity of the troubadours. Biography Tibors is ...

. Raimbaut 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 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 also in the only surviving poem of the

trobairitz The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitania, Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural. The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-c ...

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 ...

. It seems possible that Azalais' 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 ...

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 A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term 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 enterta ...

) 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 the Holy Roman Empire People from Orange, Vaucluse 12th-century troubadours