Garsenda | |
---|---|
Countess of Provence Countess of Forcalquier | |
Born | c. 1180 |
Died | c. 1242/1257 |
Spouse | Alfonso II, Count of Provence |
Issue | Ramon Berenguer IV Garsenda of Provence, Viscountess of Béarn |
House | Sabran |
Father | Rainou of Sabran |
Mother | Garsenda I of Forcalquier |
Garsenda (French: Garsende; c. 1180 – c. 1242/1257) was the Countess of Provence as the wife of Alfonso II from 1193 and the Countess of Forcalquier in her own right from 1209, which was subsequently united with that of Provence. She was also a patron of Occitan literature, especially the troubadours, and herself wrote some lyric poetry and is counted among the trobairitz as Garsenda de Proensa. She was, in the words of her most recent editors, "one of the most powerful women in Occitan history".[1]