Literature in Frankish Greece 295
poet-composers, by far the majority of them trouvères, are included in the col-
lection and the first such to be named is “li prince de le mouree”.
This appears quite unambiguous in its reference to the Principality of the
Morea, which was generally known in French as “Mouree”, but the question is
which prince is referred to.19 Early theories suggested William de Champlitte
and Geoffrey I de Villehardouin, but both of these are too early for the
Chansonnier, which reveals itself to be a work of the second half of the 13th
century. By far the likeliest contender has to be William ii de Villehardouin,
prince from 1246 to 1278.20 William had strong links with key figures from the
West, most notably through his participation in the Seventh Crusade under
Louis ix of France. In the winter of 1248–49, he had hosted his close contem-
porary Hugh iv of Burgundy in the Morea before they joined the crusade, and
Hugh was related by marriage to several leading aristocratic trouvères featured
in the Chansonnier. Notable among these and also present on this crusade was
Thibaut iv of Champagne who was William’s feudal lord for his possessions in
Champagne. The two men are known to have corresponded, and a substantial
and discrete section of the Chansonnier is given over to Thibaut’s songs. Also on
the crusade with their elder brother King Louis were the French princes Robert
of Artois and Charles of Anjou; the former offered links to Arras in Artois,
the coming centre of trouvère activity and chansonnier production, and the
latter—who also features prominently in the Chansonnier—was to become in
time William’s closest French ally and his feudal lord. In his participation in
the Seventh Crusade, William asserted his role as a member of the French elite
and mixed with some of the most illustrious trouvères of the time.
The position of “li prince de la Mouree” at the head of the collection is
strongly suggestive that this prince was the commissioning patron of the
whole work, or alternatively its intended recipient.21 This is further implied
by the index to the work, which dates from the earliest stages of organisation
and compilation, where he is simply referred to as “Li princes”, without further
qualification—as if none were needed in the circumstances. Moreover, the
gathering structure of the Chansonnier reinforces the prime importance of the
prince of the Morea in the work, with his place literally at the heart of the first
19 Jean Longnon, “Problèmes de l’histoire de la Principauté de Morée,” Journal des Savants
(1946), 84–85.
20 Jean and Louise Beck curiously interpreted “li prince de le Mouree” as referring to Amalric i
of Jerusalem: Beck, Manuscrit, 2:18–19; in response, Jean Longnon proposed William ii de
Villehardouin, which given the dating of the manuscript must be the likeliest solution.
He also proposed William as the commissioner of the songbook: Jean Longnon, “Le Prince
de Morée chansonnier,” Romania 65 (1939), 95–100, also Spanke, “Der Chansonnier,” p. 101.
21 Haines, Changing Identity, pp. 15–18 and 25; Peraino, Giving Voice, pp. 134–35.