William IX, Duke of Aquitaine

Born 22 October 1071, William inherited Aquitaine and Gascony in 1086, becoming one of the most powerful lords in France. He joined the Crusade of 1101 as a military leader, though the campaign ended poorly. His political maneuvers and wars left a mark on medieval power struggles, but what outlasted the battles were the verses. Writing in Occitan, the vernacular language of his southern domains, he composed lyric poetry that broke from Latin tradition—personal, erotic, sometimes irreverent. Eleven poems survive, making him the earliest troubadour whose work we can still read. He died 10 Februa…