Troubadour

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/troubadour

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the artistic period?High Middle Ages (c. 1100–1350)
2. What is the primary language?Old Occitan
3. Where did troubadours start and when?They began in Occitania, the southern part of France, between about 1100 and 1350.
4. What kinds of songs did troubadours write?They wrote love songs called canso, political songs called sirventes, and poetic debates called tensos and partimens.

Old Occitan: A Romance vernacular language spoken in southern France, used by troubadours for their lyric poetry.
Courtly Love (Fin'amor): An idealized, often unrequited, romantic devotion central to troubadour poetry, emphasizing service and admiration.
Trobairitz: The term for a female troubadour, acknowledging women's participation in the medieval lyric tradition.
Sirventes: A genre of troubadour poetry often used for political commentary, satire, or moral reflection, distinct from love songs.