- Albert Malaspina
Albert Malaspina (1160/1165–1206/1212), called Alberto Moro ("the Moor") and "lo marches putanier", was a member of the illustrious
Malaspina family . He was a notedtroubadour and patron of troubadours. Albert disputes withPeire de la Caravana the position of earliest native Italian troubadour.He was a son of
Obizzo I the Great and husband of a daughter ofWilliam V of Montferrat . His brother-in-lawBoniface I of Montferrat and his nephews Corrado (Conrad) and Guglielmo (William) were all enthusiastic patrons of troubadours. He was renowned for his bravery, generosity, courtliness, and learning. He composed a "tenso " withRaimbaut de Vaqueiras that begins "Ara'm digatz senher Raimbauz, si vos agrada". Though this is the only work of his to survive, the author of his "vida" compliments hiscouplet s, "cansos", and "sirventes ".According to Raimbaut, in his famous "epic letter" "Valen marques, senher de Monferrat", in the 1170s Albert abducted Saldina de Mar, a daughter of a prominent Genoese family only to have her rescued by Boniface of Montferrat and restored her to her lover, Ponset d'Aguilar.
Albert's wife was possibly the
trobairitz known only as Ysabella.External links
* [http://www.trobar.org/troubadours/raimbaut_de_vaqueiras/raimbaut_de_vaqueiras_04.php "Ara'm digatz senher Raimbauz, si vos agrada"] at Trobar.org
* [http://www.varziviva.net/cortemalas2.htm La corte dei marchesi Malaspina]ources
*"The Vidas of the Troubadours". Margarita Egan, trans. New York: Garland, 1984. ISBN 0 8240 9437 9.
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