João Soares de Paiva facts for kids

João Soares de Paiva (born around 1140) was a famous Portuguese poet and a nobleman. Many people believe he was the very first author to write in the Galician-Portuguese language.

João Soares de Paiva owned lands in northern Portugal, close to the Paiva River. He also had lands in Aragon, near places like Monzón, Tudela, and Pamplona. These lands were close to the border with Navarre and were given to him by the King of Aragon.

The Song of Mockery

One time, while the King of Aragon was away in a place called Provence, João's lands in Aragon were attacked. The invader was Sancho VII of Navarre, who was the king of Navarre.

Because of this attack, João Soares de Paiva wrote a special kind of poem called a cantiga d'escarnho. This means a "song of mockery" or "song of scorn." The poem was titled Ora faz ost'o senhor de Navarra, which means "Now the lord of Navarre makes war." In this poem, João strongly criticized King Sancho VII for invading his lands.

When Was the Poem Written?

Historians find it a bit tricky to figure out the exact date when this poem was written. This is because the King of Aragon is not named in the poem itself.

If the King of Aragon was Peter II, the poem might have been written between 1200 and 1204. This was a time when Navarre and Aragon were often fighting. Another possible time is September 1213, when Peter II was in a region called Languedoc, where he sadly died in the Battle of Muret.

However, some think it could have been written between 1214 and 1216. During this period, the young king James I was staying in Monzón. But James I and Sancho VII usually had good relations. This makes it more likely that the incident happened during the reign of King Peter II, who had more conflicts with Sancho VII.

See also

In Spanish: João Soares de Paiva para niños