A troubadour is a medieval poet-musician who composed and performed songs, especially about romantic “courtly love,” in southern France and nearby regions between the 11th and 13th centuries.

What is a troubadour?

  • A troubadour was a lyric poet and composer who wrote and sang their own songs.
  • They were active mainly in Occitania (southern France, parts of Spain and Italy) during the High Middle Ages.
  • Their main themes were courtly love, chivalry, and sometimes politics, satire, and news.
  • Today, the word is also used more loosely for a traveling singer-songwriter or folk singer.

Mini history scoop

  • The term comes from the Occitan word trobar , “to find, invent, compose,” so a troubadour was literally an inventor of verse and song.
  • They performed in courts and cities, entertaining nobles and commoners and spreading stories, ideas, and even news between regions.
  • Over a thousand of their songs survive in medieval songbooks called chansonniers.

What did troubadours actually do?

  • Composed poetry and music, then performed it themselves, often with instruments like lutes or similar medieval stringed instruments.
  • Sang about love (often idealized and unattainable), heroism, and sometimes war or religious themes.
  • Acted as cultural carriers, bringing the “latest news” and stories in musical form from town to town.

A modern parallel would be the solo singer-songwriter who writes personal lyrics, travels, and performs in different venues.

Modern use of the word

  • In everyday language now, calling someone a “troubadour” usually means they are a wandering or romantic singer-songwriter, especially in folk or acoustic styles.
  • The image is of a romantic performer with a guitar (or similar) who writes heartfelt songs and performs them in intimate settings.

Quick TL;DR

  • Short definition: A troubadour is a medieval poet-singer from southern Europe who wrote and performed songs, mostly about courtly love; today the term can mean a poetic, often traveling singer-songwriter.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.