Crusade song


A Crusade song is any vernacular lyric poem about the Crusades. Crusade songs were popular in the High Middle Ages: 106 survive in Occitan, forty in Old French, thirty in Middle High German, two in Italian, and one in Old Castilian. The study of the Crusade song, which may be considered a genre of its own, was pioneered by Kurt Lewent. He provided a classification of Crusade songs and distinguished between songs which merely mentioned, in some form, a Crusade from songs which were "Crusade songs".
The Crusade song was not confined to the topic of the Latin East, but could concern the Reconquista in Spain, the Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc, or the political crusades in Italy. The first Crusade to be accompanied by songs, none of which survive, was the Crusade of 1101, of which William IX of Aquitaine wrote, according to Orderic Vitalis. From the Second Crusade survive one French and ten Occitan songs. The Third and Fourth Crusades generated many songs in Occitan, French, and German. Occitan troubadours dealt especially with the Albigensian campaigns in the early thirteenth century, but their decline thereafter left the later Crusades—Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth—to be covered primarily by the German Minnesinger and French trouvères.

List of Occitan crusading songs

The following list is only of those songs defined as "Kreuzlied" in Lewent, "Das altprovenzalische Kreuzlied". Other songs may be considered "crusading songs", but there is no definitive list since Lewent.
ComposerNumberIncipit Date and context
Aimeric de Belenoi9.10Consiros com partitz d'amorBetween Battle of Hattin and January 1188.
Aimeric de Peguillan10.11Ara parra qual seran envejos1213, addressed to William VI of Montferrat to go to Syria.
Bertran de Born80.30Nostre seigner somonis el meteisEarly November/December 1187, or after January 1188, after Battle of Hattin when Bertran thought Philip I of France had made a crusading vow.
Bertran de Born80.40S'eu fos aissi seigner e poderos
Elias Cairel133.11Qui saubes dar tant bon conseil denanBefore August 1219, forecasting an easy Crusader victory at Cairo.
Folquet de Marselha155.7Chantars mi torn' ad afanNovember 1194 - 10 July 1195, probably during truce between Richard I of England and Philip I of France, before Battle of Alarcos and the German Crusade.
Folquet de Marselha155.15Oimais no.i conosc razoAfter 19 July 1195, date of the Battle of Alarcos. A song about the Reconquista.
Falquet de Romans156.12Quan lo dous temps ven e vai la freidorsBefore 1228, during Albigensian Crusade and conflict between Empire and Papacy.
Gaucelm Faidit167.9Ara nos sia guitz1203, but probably consisting of parts written at the time of the Third Crusade and some from the Fourth.
Gaucelm Faidit167.14Cascus hom deu conoisser et entendre1201.
Gauceran de Saint Leidier
or Guillem de Saint Leidier		234.10
or 168.1a		El temps que vei cazer foillas e florsIf by Gauceran, it is probably from before 1267 and contains references to Richard of Cornwall and James I of Aragon. If by Guillem, it dates to before 1183.
Gavaudan174.10Seignors, per los nostres peccatzPossibly 1196-97, shortly after the Battle of Alarcos, but perhaps as late as 1210-12. A song about the Reconquista.
Guilhem Fabre216.2Pos dels majors / princeps auzem contenJune 1265 - February 1266.
Guilhem Figueira217.2D'un sirventes far29 September 1127 - 28 June 1228. Gormonda of Monpeslier wrote a response to this sirventes contra Roma.
Guilhem Figueira217.7Totz hom qui be comens'e be fenis1215, after the Emperor Frederick II took the cross on 25 July.
Giraut de Borneil242.6A l'onor Deu torn en mon chanAfter 21 January 1188 but early in the year, praising Richard I of England, who is about to embark on Crusade.
Giraut de Borneil242.41Jois sia comensamensAfter 1187, 1190 suggested.
Guiraut Riquier248.48Karitatz / et amors e fes1276.
Lanfranc Cigala282.20Quan vei far bon fag plazentier1244-45, to celebrate Louis IX's taking of the cross in 1244.
Lanfranc Cigala282.23Si mos chanz fos de ioi ni de solatzNovember 1246 - Spring 1248, praising Louis IX of France for having gone on Crusade.
Lunel de Monteg289.1Mal veg trop apparelhar1326, when Charles IV of France was vowing a Crusade.
Marcabru293.21Emperaire, per mi mezeisAfter the spring of 1148, when some Christian were trapped at Attalia and converted to Islam.
Marcabru293.35Pax in nomine Domini1149, after the failed Second Crusade, the loss of Tortosa to the Almohads, and the death of Baldwin of Marash, but before the death of Raymond of Poitiers. A song about the Reconquista.
Olivier lo Templier312.1Estat aurai lonc temps en pessamen1267-69, about the Crusade of James I of Aragon and his conquest of Valencia and Majorca.
Anonymous,
formerly Peire d'Alvergne		323.22Ab fina joia comensaAfter August 1198, when Innocent III proclaimed the Fourth Crusade, once thought to be between early 1213 - July 1214, before the Battle of Bouvines.
Pons de Capdolh375.2Ar nos sia capdelhs e garentiaAround 1213.
Pons de Capdolh375.8En honor del pair'en cui esEarly 1213, refers to the Emperor Otto IV, Frederick I of Sicily, and war between John of England and Philip II of France.
Pons de Capdolh375.22So qu'om plus vol e plus es voluntosJune 1213, refers to the Emperor Otto IV, Frederick I of Sicily, and Peter II of Aragon.
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras392.3Ara pot hom conoisser e proar1201, in celebration of the election of Boniface I of Montferrat at Soissons to lead the Fourth Crusade.
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras392.9aConseill don a l'emperadorAfter May 1204, after conquest of Constantinople and election of Baldwin IX of Flanders as emperor.
Raimon Gaucelm de Beziers401.1Ab grans trebalhs et ab grans marrimens1270, refers to the death of Louis IX of France on the Eighth Crusade.
Raimon Gaucelm de Beziers401.8Qui vol aver complida amistansa1268, urging support for the Eighth Crusade.
Raimon de CornetI1332, after Philip VI of France took the cross in July. The Battle of Adramyttion was a related endeavour.

List of French crusading songs

The following table is adapted from Smith, Age of Joinville, p. 17, who cites Les chansons de croisade, eds J. Bédier and P. Aubry, p. xxxv.
ComposerIncipit CrusadeNumber of manuscripts
anonymousChevalier, mult estes guarizSecond Crusade 1
Conon de BéthuneAhi! Amours, con dure departieThird Crusade 13
Conon de BéthuneBien me dusse targierThird Crusade7
Huon d'OisiMaugré tous sainz et maugré dieu ausiThird Crusade2
Le Chastelain de CouciA vous, amant, plus qu'a nul autre gentThird Crusade13
Le Chastelain de CouciLi nouviauz tanz et mais et violeteThird Crusade15
Guiot de DijonChanterai pour mon corageThird Crusade6
Maistres RenasPour lou pueple resconforteirThird Crusade1
anonymousParti de mal et a bien aturnéThird Crusade1
anonymousVos qui ameis de vraie amorThird Crusade2
Le Châtelain d'ArrasAler m'estuet le u je trairai painFourth Crusade 5
Hugues IV de BerzéS'onques nus hom por dure departieFourth Crusade15
Hugues IV de BerzéBernarz, di moi Fouquet, qu'on tient a sageFifth Crusade 2
Huon de Saint-QuentinJerusalem se plaint et li païsFifth Crusade3
Chardon de CroisillesLi departirs de la douce contreeBarons' Crusade 5
Philippe de NanteuilEn chantant veil mon duel faireBarons' Crusade5
Theobald I of NavarreAu tans plain de felonieBarons' Crusade7
Theobald I of NavarreDame, einsi est qu'il m'en couvient alerBarons' Crusade8
Theobald I of NavarreLi douz penser et li douz souvenirBarons' Crusade8
Theobald I of NavarreSeignor, saichiés qi or ne s'en iraBarons' Crusade8
anonymousNe chant pas, que que nus dieBarons' Crusade3
anonymousNus ne porroit de mauvese resonSeventh Crusade 2
anonymousTous li mons doit mener joieSeventh Crusade1
anonymousUn serventois, plait de deduit, de joieSeventh Crusade1
anonymousDouce dame, cui j'aim en bone foiunknown1
anonymousJerusalem, grant domage me faisunknown1
anonymousNovele amors s'est dedanz mon cuer miseunknown2
anonymousOiés, seigneur, pereceus par oiseuseunknown1
anonymousPour joie avoir perfite en paradisunknown1