Conon de Béthune (c.1150 ^[1] in the fomer Artois region, today Pas-de-Calais - December 17, 1219 or 1220, in or near Constantinople or perhaps Adrianople) was a crusader and "trouvère" poet. Artois is a former province of northern France. ... Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade The Flag of Denmark fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Christopher I of Denmark (died 1259) Frederick II of Austria (died 1246) Guillaume de Gisors, supposedly the... Centuries: 12th century - 13th century - 14th century Decades: 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1210s - 1220s - 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s 1270s Years: 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219 - 1220 - 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 See also: 1220 state leaders The world in 1220 Middle Ages in Europe Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Events Mongols... Map of Constantinople. ... Edirne is a city in (Thrace), the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... Trouvère is the Northern French (langue doïl) version of troubador (langue doc), and refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadors but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France. ...

Life

He was the 10th son of Robert V, seigneur of Béthune and justice officer (avoué) of the Abbey of Saint-Vaast of Arras (in today's Pas-de-Calais), who died at the siege of Acre in 1191. Through his grandmother, Conon de Béthune was related to the ruling Hainaut family in Flanders. It is probable (from comments made in one of his poems) that Conon appeared before the French court at the occasion of the marriage of king Philippe Auguste with Isabelle of Hainaut in 1180 and sang his songs before Marie de Champagne (noted for her connection to Chrétien de Troyes). Béthune is a city and commune of northern France, sous-préfecture of the Pas-de-Calais département. ... Arras is a town and commune in northern France, préfecture (capital) of the Pas-de-Calais département. ... Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ... An acre is an English unit of area, which is also frequently used in the United States and some Commonwealth countries. ... // Events May 12 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. ... The virtually independent county of Hainaut emerged from chaotic conditions at the end of the 9th century as a semi-independent state, at first a vassal of the crown of Lotharingia. ... Flanders (Flemish, Fleming) (Dutch: Vlaanderen (Vlaams, Vlaming)) has two main designations: a geographical region in the north of Belgium, corresponding to the Flemish Region, a consituent part of the federal Belgian state. ... Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... Isabelle of Hainaut (1170 - 1190) was queen consort of France. ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between... Marie of France, or Marie Capet, Countess of Champagne (1145 – March 11, 1198), was the elder daughter of Louis VII of France and his first wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. ... Chrétien de Troyes wrote in Champagne, France, during the last half of the twelfth century. ...

After having taken part in the Third Crusade, Conon de Béthune went (with his brother Guillaume) on the Fourth Crusade in 1200, accompanying the knights of Baldwin, Count de Flanders and serving as official orator. His eloquence, wisdom and chivalry were praised by Geoffroi de Villehardouin (who said of Conon: "Bon chevalier et sage estoit et bien eloquens"). After the conquest of Constantinople (1204), Conon de Béthune served a number of important positions in Baldwin's (and later Henry of Flanders and Peter of Courtenay's) government and played a key role in Baldwin's reconciliation with Boniface of Montferrat and in the Battle of Adrianople. After the death of Emperess Yolanda of Flanders in 1219, he was chosen by the barons as Regent of the Empire, but died shortly after. The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin. ... The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204), originally designed to conquer Jerusalem through an invasion of Egypt, instead, in 1204, invaded and conquered the Eastern Orthodox city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. ... Events University of Paris receives charter from Philip II of France The Kanem-Bornu Empire was established in northern Africa around the year 1200 Mongol victory over Northern China — 30,000,000 killed Births Al-Abhari, Persian philosopher and mathematician (died 1265) Ulrich von Liechtenstein, German nobleman and poet (died... Baldwin I (July 1172 – 1205, Bulgaria), the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI Count of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the capture of Constantinople, the conquest of the... Geoffrey of Villehardouin (in French Geoffroi de Villehardouin) (1160 - c. ... Map of Constantinople. ... // Events February - Byzantine emperor Alexius IV is overthrown in a revolution, and Alexius V is proclaimed emperor. ... Henry (c. ... Peter of Courtenay (d. ... Boniface of Montferrat (c. ... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Goths Commanders Valens† Fritigern, Alatheus, Saphrax Strength 15,000 to 30,000 ca. ... Yolanda of Flanders (d. ... // Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade The Flag of Denmark fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Christopher I of Denmark (died 1259) Frederick II of Austria (died 1246) Guillaume de Gisors, supposedly the...

Poetry

Only 14 works of poetry attributed to Conon de Béthune have survived, and several of these attributions may be doubtful. He was educated by a family relation, Huon d'Oisy, châtelain de Cambrai, who taught him the art of poetry. He poetry was written to be sung and ten of his poems give musical notation. The majority of his poems are courtly love songs, but two of them are important chansons de croisade or crusade songs in which the poet-lover deplores his approaching departure from his beloved but nevertheless accepts the "noble calling" of crusader. Conon de Béthune also shows himself at times to be ironic or satirical, and in one of his crusade poems he rails with vehemence against financial abuses by those collecting funds for the crusaders. Cambrai (Dutch: Kamerijk) is a French city and commune, in the Nord département, of which it is a sous_préfecture. ...

References

• Hasenohr, Geneviève and Michel Zink, eds. Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: Le Moyen Age. Collection: La Pochothèque. Paris: Fayard, 1964.

1. ↑  His name first appears in the written record in 1180.

External links

• Conon de Béthune's chanson Ai! amours, com dure departie
  
• Conon de Béthune's Chanson de Croisade