Italy and Provence: Cultural Connections in the Middle Ages

Abstract

The Provencal language and lyrics of troubadours had the highest authority in the Middle Ages, having influenced the development of poetic art, in particular, and the development of philological thought, in general, in adjacent territories. Undoubtedly, there were the closest ties of medieval Provence with Catalonia. However, Italy was also involved in the orbit of the cultural life of Provence. The purpose of the article is to show how Italy and Provence were connected in the 13th century and to what extent Italy contributed to the development and preservation of the grammar of the Provencal literary language of that era.