Almucs de Castelnau

Who was Almucs de Castelnau?

Almucs de Castelnau or Castelnou was a trobairitz, that is a female troubadour, from a town near Avignon in Provence. Her name is also spelled Almuc, Amucs, Almois, Almurs, or Almirs.

Almucs' only surviving work is a poetic exchange with Iseut de Capio, another trobairitz. The song is presented in the chansonniers intermixed with a long razo. It tells how Iseut begged Almucs de Castelnau to pardon Gigo, lord of Tournon in the Vivarais, Iseut's knight, who had committed "a great fault" against Almucs. Gigo, however, neither repented nor sought forgiveness, and so Almucs responded to Iseut in a cobla of her own. This exchange has been dated to around 1190. Almucs is also mentioned in the poem Ia de chan by fellow trobairitz Castelloza.