Guilhem de Montanhagol

Who is Guilhem de Montanhagol?

Guilhem Montanhagol was a Provençal troubadour, most likely active in Toulouse, but known in the courts of Provence, Toulouse, Castile, and Aragon. Guilhem left behind seven cansos and six sirventes. He also left behind one tenso with Sordello and his total surviving output comes to fourteen pieces.

The meaning of Guilhem's name has been debated. "Montanhagol" means "from Montanhac", but it is not known which Montanhac that could be. For a long time it was thought that the correct form of the troubadour's name was simply "Guilhem Montanhagol", since the "de" would be redundant. Contemporary documents, however, clearly use "de".

He was of humble birth. According to his vida he was from Provence, though some modern scholars suspect he was a Toulousain. His vida records that he was "a good inventor of poetry, and a great lover." His lover was a lady named Jauseranda from Lunel, the lord of which castle, Raymond Gaucelm V, Guilhem probably knew.

His cansos are awkward, and he emulated the earlier troubadours, praising mezura among all the virtues. He stated that "from love proceeds chastity", which may mean no more than that love is necessary for fidelity. He has been viewed, most ardently by Cesare de Lollis, as a precursor of the Dolce Stil Novo and as an important link between Occitan and Italian literature through his work with Sordello. He has been credited with an innovative picture of courtly love blended with Christian morality, and indeed he refers to noel dig de maestria, though this is probably not an indication of any conscious reformation.