Peire Bremon Ricas Novas

Who is Peire Bremon Ricas Novas?

Peire Bremon Ricas Novas was a Provençal troubadour who left behind twenty works: thirteen cansos, six sirventes, and one tenso. His treatment of courtly love was somewhat original.

Peire rose from humble origins to modest wealth, as indicated by his nickname ricas novas. His Provençal identity is clinched by his poem La cart cartier aurem nos autri proensal, with its reference to "us Provençals".

Peire's first datable work is a tenso written at the court of Raymond Berengar IV of Provence in 1230 with Gui de Cavalhon. At the court of Provence Peire also met Bertran d'Alamanon and Sordello, whose planh for Blacatz he imitated. Peire left the court of Raymond Berengar sometime in or after 1237 and went to that of Barral of Baux and thence to that of Raymond VII of Toulouse. Though there is no record of his having visited Spain, his Rics pres, ferms e sobeirans celebrates an anonymous Castilian domna. He eventually fell out with Sordello and the two had an acrimonious exchange of vitriolic sirventes in 1240–1.