About Elias de Barjols
Lived 1101 – 1225. Elias de Barjols was a French troubadour, composer and poet.
Elias de Barjols (fl. 1191–1230 ) was a bourgeois Aquitainian troubadour who established himself in Provence and retired a monk. Eleven of his lyrics survive, but none of his music.
According to his vida Elias was the son of a merchant and came from Agenais. The name of his birthplace is in the manuscripts, but such a name can not be found in Agenais nor elsewhere: the most recent edition suggests that is a scribal error for , ancient name of Pujols, castle placed in Agenais, about 25 km from Agen. The identification of as Pérols-sur-Vézère, as Stronski proposed in 1906, is untenable, because this place was not a castle and was not in Agenais, but in Limousin. According to his he was the greatest singer of his age (but such a statement is very frequent in the ') and he travelled widely from court to court as a jongleur with a fellow jongleur named Oliver. They eventually found favour with Alfonso II of Provence: a document dated to 1208 seems to confirm this. Alfonso gave them wives and land in Barjols, where Elias is witness in a document of Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Provence (Alfonso's son) in 1222.
According to his Elias fell in love with (i. e. celebrated) Garsenda of Sabran, the widow of Alfonso II (died 1209), and composed songs for her "as long as she lived", but none of his songs names her explicitly, whereas three of them are dedicated to Beatrice of Savoy, wife of Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Provence. The is therefore inaccurate in this case.
He later entered a hospital of the founded by Beneic in Avignon, where he died.
Elias was a practitioner of the style. the "gaiety" of Pons de Capdoill, and the "probity" of Bertran II de la Tor.
Another poem, , written probably around 1225, has two referring to Beatrice of Savoy, husband of Ramon Berenguer IV of Provence, and the lord Blacatz respectively. The stanza preceding them is full of praise for the Emperor Frederick II, suzerain of Provence, who had good relations with both Raymond Berengar and Blacatz at the time. Countess Beatrice, great good I hear said and related of you, for you are the most beautiful of the ladies seen in the world. Besides Beatrice and Blacatz, Elias wrote poems to Jaufre Reforzat de Trets and Ferdinand III of Castile-León.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Elias de Barjols's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Elias de Barjols's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Elias de Barjols?
French troubadour
When was Elias de Barjols born?
Elias de Barjols was born in 1101.
When did Elias de Barjols die?
Elias de Barjols died in 1225.
What was Elias de Barjols's occupation?
Elias de Barjols was a troubadour, composer and poet.
What nationality was Elias de Barjols?
Elias de Barjols was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elias de Barjols. https://biography.guide/elias-de-barjols/
MLA: "Elias de Barjols." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elias-de-barjols/.
Chicago: "Elias de Barjols." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elias-de-barjols/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:00 UTC