Arnaut de Mareuil

Arnaut de Mareuil [His name has many variations: Maruelh, Marolh, Marol, Maroill, Maruoill, or Meruoill.] ("fl." late 12th century) was a troubadour, composing lyric poetry in the Occitan language. Twenty-five, perhaps twenty-nine, of his songs, all "cansos", survive, six with music.

His name indicates that he came from Mareuil-sur-Belle in Périgord. He is said to have been a "clerk" from a poor family who eventually became a jongleur; he settled at the courts of Toulouse and then Béziers. He apparently loved the countess Azalais, daughter of Raymond V of Toulouse, married to Roger II Trencavel, and Arnaut's surviving poems may be seen as a sequence (lyric cycle) telling of his love. Alfonso II of Aragon was his rival for Azalais's affections, and according to the "razó" to one of Arnaut's poems, the king jealously persuaded her to break off her friendship with Arnaut. He fled to Montpellier, where he found a patron in count William VIII.

Arnaut de Mareuil was less famous than his contemporary Arnaut Daniel, but has been said to surpass him in elegant simplicity of form and delicacy of sentiment. His "cantaire" (singer) and "jongleur" (minstrel, messenger) was Pistoleta.

References

*"Biographies des troubadours", ed. J. Boutière, A.-H. Schutz. Paris: Nizet, 1964. pp. 32-38.
*Gaunt, Simon, and Kay, Sarah (edd.) "The Troubadours: An Introduction". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0 521 574730.
*Johnston, R. C. "Les poèsies lyriques du troubadour Arnaut de Mareuil." Paris, 1935.

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