Peire Lunel de Montech
Encyclopedia
Peire Lunel or Cavalier Lunel de Montech or Monteg (fl.
1326–1384) was a lawyer, politician, and author of Toulouse
. His name indicates he was a knight
(cavalier) from Montech
.
In his youth he was a troubadour
, of whose work survive a canso
, a Crusading song, a sirventes
, an ensenhamen
, and some moralising coblas esparsas
. Lunel's Crusading song is dated circa 1326; it is a critique of the king, Charles IV
, who promises a Crusade but does nothing. Lunel's other datable work, his sirventes, was written at the height of the Black Death
in 1348.
In 1326 Lunel composed the very last Occitan ensenhamen (in arlabecca
form), the Ensenhamen del garso ("instruction of the boy"), on the model of the ensenhamen del escudier of Amanieu de Sescars
. The garso for whom he composed it was an aspiring poet looking for advice on how to compose. Lunel's advice is an important source for understanding the trouabdours' own conception of the ensenhamen genre.
Lunel was recorded as a doctor en leys (doctor of laws) in the register of the members of the Toulouse Consistory in 1355, the first year for which we have records. In 1384 Lunel was a municipal official in Montauban
.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1326–1384) was a lawyer, politician, and author of 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...
. His name indicates he was a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
(cavalier) from Montech
Montech
Montech is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.-References:*...
.
In his youth he was a 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....
, of whose work survive a canso
Canso (song)
The canso is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end...
, a Crusading song, 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...
, an ensenhamen
Ensenhamen
An ensenhamen was an Occitan didactic poem associated with the troubadours. As a genre of Occitan literature, its limits have been open to debate since it was first defined in the 19th century...
, and some moralising coblas esparsas
Cobla (Occitan literary term)
A cobla is a stanza in Occitan lyric poetry, the art form of the troubadours. Though not usually standalone work in itself, in many instances a cobla or two is all that survives of what was once a complete poem. Each cobla of a song was usually played to the same melody, but a few songs were...
. Lunel's Crusading song is dated circa 1326; it is a critique of the king, Charles IV
Charles IV of France
Charles IV, known as the Fair , was the King of France and of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1322 to his death: he was the last French king of the senior Capetian lineage....
, who promises a Crusade but does nothing. Lunel's other datable work, his sirventes, was written at the height of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in 1348.
In 1326 Lunel composed the very last Occitan ensenhamen (in arlabecca
Arlabecca
The arlabecca was a genre of Occitan lyric poetry. First mentioned in an ensenhamen by Peire Lunel. It was translated by François Juste Marie Raynouard as complainte or chant funèbre and by Emil Levy as sorte de poésie. It may derive from the Galician-Portuguese term arrabecca for a rebec. The...
form), the Ensenhamen del garso ("instruction of the boy"), on the model of the ensenhamen del escudier of Amanieu de Sescars
Amanieu de Sescars
Amanieu de Sescars or Amanieu des Escàs was a Catalan, possibly Gascon, troubadour of the late 13th century. Famous for his love songs in his own day, his contemporaries gave him the nickname dieu d'amor...
. The garso for whom he composed it was an aspiring poet looking for advice on how to compose. Lunel's advice is an important source for understanding the trouabdours' own conception of the ensenhamen genre.
Lunel was recorded as a doctor en leys (doctor of laws) in the register of the members of the Toulouse Consistory in 1355, the first year for which we have records. In 1384 Lunel was a municipal official in Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
.
Sources
- Jeanroy, AlfredAlfred JeanroyAlfred Jeanroy was a French linguist.Jeanroy was born at Mangiennes, Meuse, Lorraine. He was a leading scholar studying troubadour poetry, publishing over 600 works. He established an influential view of the second generation of troubadours divided into two camps: “idealists” and “realists”...
(1934). La poésie lyrique des troubadours. Toulouse: Privat. - Paterson, Linda (2003). "Lyric allusions to the crusades and the Holy Land." Colston Symposium.
- Ricketts, Peter T., ed. "Cavalier Lunel de Monteg (alias Peire de Lunel)."