Germà de Gontaut
Encyclopedia
Germà de Gontaut (fl.
1355–1386) was an Occitan poet and merchant.
Germà is mentioned as a mercadier (merchant) in the prologue to the final version of the Leys d'amor of Joan de Castellnou
(1355). At that time he was one of the seven maintainers (mantenidors) of the Consistori del Gay Saber
, an Occitan poetric academy in Toulouse
.
On 3 May 1386 Germà de Gontaut with Ramon Galbarra judged a partimen
(poetic debate) between Jacme Rovira
and Bernat de Palaol
for the Consistori del Gay Saber
. The subject of the debate was this: there was a young lord who loved a young lady who did not return the love, yet there was another young lady, of equal worth, who loved him deeply but to whom he was unattracted; to which of these should he devote his service? Bernat defended the second lady, but the judges found in favour of Jacme and the first lady: the lord, they said, ought to devote himself to the one he truly loves, not the one who truly loves him. The judges' decision was given in verse, in a serious tone completely unbefitting the lighthearted nature of the contest.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1355–1386) was an Occitan poet and merchant.
Germà is mentioned as a mercadier (merchant) in the prologue to the final version of the Leys d'amor of Joan de Castellnou
Joan de Castellnou
Joan de Castellnou was a troubadour of the Consistori del Gay Saber active in Toulouse. He left behind five or six cansos, three vers, a dansa, a conselh, and a sirventes...
(1355). At that time he was one of the seven maintainers (mantenidors) of the Consistori del Gay Saber
Consistori del Gay Saber
The Consistori del Gay Saber , commonly called the Consistori de Tolosa today, was a poetic academy founded at Toulouse in 1323 to revive and perpetuate the lyric school of the troubadours.-Foundation:...
, an Occitan poetric academy in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.
On 3 May 1386 Germà de Gontaut with Ramon Galbarra judged a partimen
Partimen
The partimen is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry composed between two troubadours, a subgenre of the tenso or cobla exchange in which one poet presents a dilemma in the form of a question and the two debate the answer, each taking up a different side. It was especially popular in poetic contests....
(poetic debate) between Jacme Rovira
Jacme Rovira
Jacme Rovira was a Catalan poet who wrote in Occitan and competed within the Consistori del Gay Saber.On 3 May 1386 Jacme participated in a partimen with Bernat de Palaol before the judges Ramon Galbarra and Germà de Gontaut...
and Bernat de Palaol
Bernat de Palaol
Bernat de Palaol or de Mallorques was a Catalan troubadour and merchant from Majorca. He was sometimes called lo mercader mallorquí ....
for the Consistori del Gay Saber
Consistori del Gay Saber
The Consistori del Gay Saber , commonly called the Consistori de Tolosa today, was a poetic academy founded at Toulouse in 1323 to revive and perpetuate the lyric school of the troubadours.-Foundation:...
. The subject of the debate was this: there was a young lord who loved a young lady who did not return the love, yet there was another young lady, of equal worth, who loved him deeply but to whom he was unattracted; to which of these should he devote his service? Bernat defended the second lady, but the judges found in favour of Jacme and the first lady: the lord, they said, ought to devote himself to the one he truly loves, not the one who truly loves him. The judges' decision was given in verse, in a serious tone completely unbefitting the lighthearted nature of the contest.
External links
- Senyer Bernatz, dues puncelhas say, ed. by Martín de Riquer, with the sentença donada per los jutges (sentence given by the judges)