Gormonda de Monpeslier
Encyclopedia
Na Gormonda de Monpeslier or Montpelher (fl.
1226–1229) was a trobairitz
from Montpellier
in Languedoc
. Her lone surviving work, a sirventes
, has been called "the first French political poem by a woman."
She wrote a response, Greu m'es a durar, to the famous anti-papal sirventes of Guilhem Figueira
, following Figueira's poem in metre and rime
for about twenty stanzas. Instead of blaming the papal legate
Pelagius of Albano for the failure of the Fifth Crusade
, she laid the blame on the "foolishness" of the wicked. She went on to justify the Crusade against the heretics at home
on the grounds that the heresy was more dangerous than Islam
and the heretics had falser hearts. Finally, she expressed a desire to see Figueira tortured to death. Her poem fell well within the bounds of orthodox piety and her position, far from being radical, was that of the Church as expressed by Pope Innocent III
and contemporary troubadour
Lanfranc Cigala
.
Though nothing is known of Gormonda save what can be confidently gleaned from her sirventes, it seems plausible that she was associated closely with the orthodox clergy of southern France and had sympathies for the Papacy and the French monarchy. She was possibly a Dominican
.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1226–1229) was a trobairitz
Trobairitz
The trobairitz were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. The word trobairitz was first used in the 13th-century romance Flamenca. It comes from the Provençal word trobar, the literal meaning of which is "to find", and the...
from Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
in Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. Her lone surviving work, a sirventes
Sirventes
The sirventes or serventes is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry used by the troubadours. In early Catalan it became a sirventesch and was imported into that language in the fourteenth century, where it developed into a unique didactic/moralistic type...
, has been called "the first French political poem by a woman."
She wrote a response, Greu m'es a durar, to the famous anti-papal sirventes of Guilhem Figueira
Guilhem Figueira
Guillem or Guilhem Figueira or Figera was a Languedocian jongleur and troubadour from Toulouse active at the court of the Emperor Frederick II in the 1230s. He was a close associate of both Aimery de Pégulhan and Guillem Augier Novella...
, following Figueira's poem in metre and rime
Syllable rime
In the study of phonology in linguistics, the rime or rhyme of a syllable consists of a nucleus and an optional coda. It is the part of the syllable used in poetic rhyme, and the part that is lengthened or stressed when a person elongates or stresses a word in speech.The rime is usually the...
for about twenty stanzas. Instead of blaming the papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
Pelagius of Albano for the failure of the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
, she laid the blame on the "foolishness" of the wicked. She went on to justify the Crusade against the heretics at home
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
on the grounds that the heresy was more dangerous than Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and the heretics had falser hearts. Finally, she expressed a desire to see Figueira tortured to death. Her poem fell well within the bounds of orthodox piety and her position, far from being radical, was that of the Church as expressed by Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
and contemporary troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
Lanfranc Cigala
Lanfranc Cigala
Lanfranc Cigala was a Genoese nobleman, knight, judge, and man of letters of the mid thirteenth century. He remains one of the most famous Occitan troubadours of Lombardy. Thirty-two of his poems survive, dealing with Crusading, heresy, papal power, peace in Christendom, and loyalty in love...
.
Though nothing is known of Gormonda save what can be confidently gleaned from her sirventes, it seems plausible that she was associated closely with the orthodox clergy of southern France and had sympathies for the Papacy and the French monarchy. She was possibly a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
Sources
- Bruckner, Matilda Tomaryn. "Fictions of the Female Voice: The Women Troubadours." SpeculumSpeculum (journal)Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies is a quarterly academic journal published by the Medieval Academy of America. It was established in 1926. The journal's primary focus is on the time period from 500-1500 in Western Europe, but also on related subjects such as Byzantine, Hebrew, Arabic, and...
, Vol. 67, No. 4. (Oct., 1992), pp. 865–891. - Chambers, Frank M. "Imitation of Form in the Old Provençal Lyric." Romance Philology, 6 (1952/1953), pp. 104–121.
- Städtler, Katharina. "The Sirventes by Gormonda de Monpeslier." The Voice of the Trobairitz: Perspectives on the Women Troubadours. William D. Paden, ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989.
- Throop, Palmer A. "Criticism of Papal Crusade Policy in Old French and Provençal." Speculum, Vol. 13, No. 4. (Oct., 1938), pp. 379–412.