Geographical classification

Europe > France

Socio-cultural movements

Middle Ages > European medieval culture > Courtly love

Middle Ages > European medieval culture > Ars antiqua (music)

Groups by dedication

Musicians > Composers

Musicians > Instrumentalists

Writers > Poets

Rulers > Empresses / Queens / Noblewomen

Musicians > Singers

Writers > in > Occitan

Character
Fotografía

Beatriz de Dia

(Countess of Die)

Provenza c. 1140 ‖ Provenza c. 1212

Period of activity: From 1155 until 1212

Geographical classification: Europe > France

Socio-cultural movements

Middle Ages > European medieval culture > Courtly love

Middle Ages > European medieval culture > Ars antiqua (music)

Groups by dedication

Musicians > Composers

Musicians > Instrumentalists

Writers > Poets

Rulers > Empresses / Queens / Noblewomen

Musicians > Singers

Writers > in > Occitan

Context of feminine creation

She died in Provenza. Her creations belong to the troubadour poetry, which includes other outstanding trobairitz such as Tibors, Castelloza, Azalais de Porcairagues or Marie de Ventadour. She also has a bold poetic voice in common with Andalusian poets like Hafsa al-Rakuniyya or Nazhum ibn Al Qalai, who were her contemporaries. The general context of the 12th century is that of a female renaissance and we find important figures such as the polymath Hildegard of Bingen or the scientist Trota of Salerno, in Italy. It is also the time of the writer Marie de France, whose Lais are an essential piece of European literature; or of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, matriarch of a line of queens who knew how to manage power. In Romanesque art, the Tapestry of the Creation, made by the Benedictine nuns of Girona, or the Bayeux Tapestry -or of Queen Mathilde-, together with the illuminators and miniaturists Guda or Claricia, mark important milestones in the artistic production of the period. The letters of Héloïse du Paraclet, also a contemporary of hers, deal with the question of the female subject, a theme that spread throughout the West thereafter. Anna Komnene, Byzantine princess, considered one of the first historians of the West, wrote the Alexiad.

Finally, it is worth noting the rise of the Beguines with figures such as Hadewijch of Antwerp, whose work was the first to be written in Dutch. All of these - and more - make up a particularly brilliant period for women.

Review

Provençal poet. Born around 1140, she seems to have had court in Die. She loved and wrote about love for the great troubadour Raimbaut of Orange. Her compositions stand out for their quality and singularity. Her poetic voice is gallant, daring and authoritative, with many features in common with the Andalusian poets, her contemporaries and with the singular voice of Eloise of Paraclete. 

Justifications

  • The work of Countess of Die is a paradigmatic example of cultured or troubadour lyric poetry.
  • Her work made a notable contribution to the development of troubadour poetry through the cultivation of genres such as the sirventes, the canso and the tenso.
  • The content of her work is unique for the way in which she gallantly expresses her yearnings and feelings, as well as her awareness of her own merit.
  • This trobairitz also created the musical accompaniment for her narrative compositions. She is, therefore, a clear exponent of the so-called profane monody.

Biography

Provençal poet born around 1140 AD. She seems to have had a court in Die. We do not know much about her life. She may have been William of Poitiers' wife. She loved and wrote about love for the great troubadour Raimbaut of Orange. Her compositions are remarkable for their quality and singularity. These poets used to compose music to accompany their poems. This music belongs to the civil monody. Countess of Die is the only poetess whose original music, composed by herself to sing a poem, has survived.
She is a trobairitz who, from the clichés of courtly love, manages to give the expression of feminine feelings an unusual gallantry and freshness, as well as authority and awareness of her own merit. Five works have survived: four "cansó" and one "tensó", inspired by love feelings. 

Martinengo, Marirì (1997). Las Trovadoras, poetisas del amor cortés. Traducción: Rivera Garreta, Mª Milagros y Mañeru Méndez, Ana. Madrid: Hora y hores.

https://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2013/01/la-trovadora-beatriz-de-dia-1140-1175.html (13/01/2022)

Works

Spanish


 - Ab joi et ab joven m'apais

- A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu non volria

- Estât ai en greu cossirier

- Fin ioi me don'alegranssa

Bibliography

BADIA, Alfred Les trobairitz. Poetes occitanes del segle XII, 2007, Horsori, Barcelona.

Martinengo, Marirì (1997). Las Trovadoras, poetisas del amor cortés. Traduction: Rivera Garreta, Mª Milagros y Mañeru Méndez, Ana. Madrid: Horas y hores.

Rivera Garreta, M.ª Milagros. “Las trobairitz: maestras del amor y la política en lengua materna” in Duoda.   http://www.ub.edu/duoda/web/es/textos/1/245/ (13/01/2022)

Ferrer Valero, Sandra (2013). La trovadora, Beatriz de Día.  https://www.mujeresenlahistoria.com/2013/01/la-trovadora-beatriz-de-dia-1140-1175.html (13/01/2022)

«A chantar m'er de so q'ieu no volria», The only poem by the Countess of Die whose original music has been preserved, https://youtu.be/m2B00v5pD3k (17/06/2023).  
«Les trobairitz» dins de Troubadours and European Identity: The Role of Catalan Courts http://www.trob-eu.net/ca/les-trobairitz.html (17/06/2023). 

Didactic approach

She can be introduced in different subjects:

Spanish language and literature, when studying courtly love in the Middle Ages.

Valencian language and literature, when studying courtly love in the Middle Ages and as a referent for other Catalan trobairitz such as the Queen of Mallorques.

Music, as an example of medieval profane monody, together with the exemplification or activities of other male and female troubadours. «A chantar m'er de so q'ieu no volria» It is the only poem by the Countess of Die whose original music has been preserved: https://youtu.be/m2B00v5pD3k (17/06/2023). 

History, in the medieval cultural sphere, with the splendour of female creation in the 12th century. 

Universal Literature when dealing with troubadour poetry. 

The general context of the 12th century is that of a female renaissance and we find important figures such as the polymath Hildegard of Bingen or the scientist Trotula of Salerno in Italy.
 

Documents