William IX of Aquitaine

Duke of Aquitaine from 1086 to 1127, William IX was an early troubadour whose surviving poems are among the oldest known works in Occitan.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Duchess of Aquitaine and queen of France and England, Eleanor was William IX’s granddaughter. Her inheritance carried the duchy into the dynastic politics of the next century.
Farai un vers de dreit nien: A comic Occitan poem by William IX that declares itself a song about nothing. Its playful nonsense displays the irreverence associated with his verse.
Old Occitan: The medieval form of Occitan used in southern France for literature and administration. William IX’s poems are among the earliest substantial surviving works in this language.
First Crusade: The military expedition launched in 1096 after Pope Urban II’s call to capture Jerusalem. Its success preceded William IX’s own, less successful expedition eastward.
Jaufre Rudel: A twelfth-century Occitan troubadour famed for songs about love for a distant beloved. His idealized lyric persona contrasts with William IX’s often comic and sexually frank voice.
Philip I of France: King of France from 1060 to 1108, Philip I ruled during William IX’s early years as duke. Their political dealings reveal the limits of royal authority over Aquitaine.
Companho, farai un vers covinen: An Occitan poem by William IX that recounts a sexual encounter in deliberately provocative terms. Its bawdy narrative exemplifies the poems that made his reputation contentious.
Troubadour: A medieval poet-composer who wrote lyric songs, chiefly in Occitan, for performance. William IX is the earliest named troubadour with a substantial surviving poetic corpus.
Crusade of 1101: A series of crusading expeditions to the Holy Land in 1101, several of which were defeated in Anatolia. William IX led one expedition and survived its disastrous passage through Anatolia.
Marcabru: A twelfth-century Occitan troubadour known for moralizing songs and sharp social criticism. His admonitory tone differs from William IX’s playful treatment of desire and conduct.

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Raymond IV of ToulouseRelated: William was Raymond’s nephew and a later prominent noble from southern France.