Jaufre Rudel facts for kids
Jaufre Rudel (also spelled Jaufré in modern Occitan) was a famous troubadour from the 12th century. He was known as the Prince of Blaye, a town in France. Jaufre is most famous for his songs about "love from afar" (called amor de lonh or amour de loin). He likely died around 1147 during the Second Crusade.
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Jaufre Rudel's Life and Family
We don't know many details about Jaufre Rudel's life. A writer from his time, Marcabru, mentioned him being "across the sea." This probably meant Jaufre was on the Second Crusade in 1147.
Jaufre was likely the son of Girard, who was also a leader in Blaye. Girard was called "prince" in old documents from 1106. His grandfather was the first to use the title "prince of Blaye" around 1090. The control of Blaye was often fought over by powerful families. One idea is that Wulgrin II of Angoulême gave Jaufre control of Blaye.
The Legend of His Far-Off Love
Jaufre Rudel is famous for a romantic story about his life. This story is called a vida, which is like a fictional biography. The legend says that Jaufre heard about the great beauty of Countess Hodierna of Tripoli from travelers. He fell in love with her from far away, even though he had never met her. This was his amor de lonh, or "love from afar."
The story continues that Jaufre decided to go on the Second Crusade to meet her. But he became very sick during the journey. When his ship reached Tripoli, he was dying. Countess Hodierna heard the news and came to him. The legend says Jaufre Rudel died in her arms. This romantic story probably came from his mysterious poems and the idea that he died on the Crusade.
Jaufre Rudel's Poems and Music
Today, we still have seven of Jaufre Rudel's poems. Four of these poems even have their original music! One of his songs, Lanquan li jorn, is thought to have inspired a famous German poet named Walther von der Vogelweide. Walther wrote a similar crusade song called Allerest lebe ich mir werde.
Rudel in Books and Art
In the 1800s, people loved Jaufre Rudel's romantic story. Many writers and artists were inspired by him. Famous poets like Ludwig Uhland, Heinrich Heine, Robert Browning, and Giosué Carducci wrote poems about Jaufre. Algernon Charles Swinburne also wrote several poems about him, including The Triumph of Time.
Sir Nizamat Jung Bahadur wrote a long poem about Jaufre called Rudel of Blaye in 1926.
The French writer Edmond Rostand used Jaufre's legend for his 1895 play, La Princesse Lointaine. In this play, the love interest was Hodierna's daughter, Melisende of Tripoli. Some older stories also said Jaufre loved Melisende.
More recently, a Finnish composer named Kaija Saariaho wrote an opera about Jaufre. It's called L'amour de loin (which means "Love from Afar"). This opera was first performed in 2000.
