Falquet de Romans

A miniature of Falquet below his vida (red text)

Falquet (or Folquet) de Romans[1] (fl. 1215–1233) was the most famous troubadour attached to the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, where he garnered a high reputation despite the fact that his career began as a jongleur. His surviving work consists of fourteen or fifteen pieces: seven sirventes (two religious and two canso sirventes as well as one Crusade song), three tensos (each two coblas long), two or three cansos on courtly love, a salut d'amor (or epistola) of 254 lines, and a religious alba. His poetry is, in general, clear and elegant, and he was apparently very religious.

Falquet was originally from Romans d'Isèra, a birthplace shared by the trobairitz Bieiris de Romans. According to his vida he was "at ease in the courts and of pleasant conversation. . . well-honoured among high society."[2]

  1. ^ Falquet always appears in Latin documents as Falquetus de Rotmanis and his Occitan name is sometimes spelled Falqet, Falqetz, or Falkez and Rotmans or Roman. His Italian name is Falchetto di Romans.
  2. ^ Egan, 35.