At de Mons

N'At de Mons[1] was a troubadour of the latter half of the thirteenth century. He was from Mons, near Toulouse. Kings James I of Aragon (1213–76)[2] and Alfonso X of Castile (1252–84) acted as his patrons and he addressed "La valors es grans e l'onors", a sirventes on the rights of kings, to James. At is also credited as the author of a cobla esparsa (single stanza), "Reys rix romieus mas man milhors".

At's longest surviving work is "Sitot non es enquistz", an ensenhamen comprising five letters, including three to James and one to Alfonso. The latter ("Al bo rei de Castela") can be dated to between 1266, when Alfonso conquered the Kingdom of Murcia, and 1275, when he renounced his imperial candidacy.

  1. ^ "N'" is a contraction of Occitan en, meaning "sir". He is sometimes called "Nat de Mons" because of a confusion regarding this title.
  2. ^ According to some authors, it was actually James' son Peter III (1276–87). At addresses him as "noble rei aragones" (noble Aragonese king) and "bo seignor d'Arago" (good lord of Aragon) in his letters, but does not name him.