Dissent at the Court of Toulouse

The power of the counts of Toulouse depended not so much on vassalage or force as on personal ties and charisma. Documents issued by the counts demonstrate how they attempted to ensure fidelity and “friendship” with lords under their authority.  Troubadour poems lauded the count as their patron:  “He is so good to me” (Raimon de Miraval); “Through you God does miracles” (Bernart de Ventadorn); “Oh, handsome lord” (Peire Vidal).  And yet, in their treatment of the pains of friendship, the uncertainties of fidelity, and the injustices of their ladies (and sometimes even their lords, the counts), the troubadours dissented from their patrons.  In effect, they presented the concrete woes involved in personal ties and charisma, even though all the while they praised both in the abstract.  This paper will take up the language of the Latin charters and show how it was used, co-opted, extended, and ironized by the troubadours at the court of the counts, even as they continued to depend on his largesse.