Guillaume de Poitiers, Duc d'Aquitaine

Judith M. Davis (Goshen College)

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Ed. by David Williams, University of Sheffield
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.01: French Writing and Culture: Old French to the Middle Ages , 500-1400.
Vol. editors: Marianne Ailes (University of Bristol), Matthew Siôn Lampitt (University of Cambridge), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 1071
Died 1126
Activity 1090-1127

Places

Born in France
Active in France

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Hereditary noble, inveterate warrior, sometime crusader, renowned philanderer, and author of at least ten varied and seminal songs, Guillem – Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers – looms large on the horizon of the twelfth century. Controversial both in his own era and in modern times, he is nonetheless acknowledged as the first to have practiced the art of the troubadour in the south of France (Occitania or Provence). “Most scholars now agree that he was a complex, innovative poet, who played a key role, if not the central role in the original elaboration of fin'amor [refined or ‘courtly' love]” (Taylor 889).

Guillem's biography or vida says of him: “…

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2744 words

Citation: M. Davis, Judith. "Guillaume de Poitiers, Duc d'Aquitaine". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 December 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5486, accessed 06 April 2025.]