Joao Soares de Paiva

In a note to the cantigue in the “ Song of the National Library ” (CB 1330bis): Johan soarez de pauha ^[1] . In the Vatican Songbook ( Cancioneiro da Vaticana - CV 937) note : Ioham (and Johã ) soarez de pauha ^[2] . In addition, in medieval documents there are spellings:

Johã Soares de Paiva ,

Johan Soarez de Panha ,

Joham Soares de Pavha ,

Joan Soares de Pávha .

In the Middle Ages, the surname Paiva had the following spellings: Pavia, Pávia, Pavha, Pauha, Panha, Paulia . However, Carolina Michaelish de Vashconcelos drew attention to the inadmissibility of the widespread erroneous spelling of Panha and Paulia ^[3] . In the Middle Ages, Soarez and Soares in the Galician-Portuguese language were pronounced as "Soares".

João Soares de Paiva, son of Don Soeir Pais, nicknamed Moor ( D. Soeiro Pais, dito o Mouro ), and donna Urraca Mendes de Bragança , joined the marriage alliance after the battle of Ourika ( 1139 ), which killed Donna Urraki’s first husband, came from a noble family that settled on the banks of the Paiva River (the southern tributary of the Douru ).

The surname Paiva was the descending branch of the most distinguished Portuguese clan of Bayan ( Baião ). The document donating to the monastery of Paso de Souza ( Paço de Sousa , founded by the Bayan family in Paso de Sousas ) of 1170 , testifies to the final or at least very lengthy departure of de Paiva from Portugal . The reasons why João Soares left the country are unknown. José Mattoso suggests that the motive for expelling the troubadour was the defeat of Afonso Henriques during the unsuccessful siege of Badajoz in 1169 during his strife with King Leon and Galicia Ferdinand II , which ended the military career of the first Portuguese king. This hypothesis is confirmed by South Cabo ( José António Souto Cabo ), emphasizing the close kinship of João Soares de Paiva with the lords from Lyon on the maternal line. The most telling example is his maternal uncle, Mende Mendes de Bragança ( Mendo Mendes de Bragança ), listed in the documents as the standard bearer ( alferes ) of Ferdinand II of Lyon since 1152 .

Troubadour owned lands on the border of the kingdoms of Navarre , Aragon and Castile . Due to the lack of documents, it is not known for certain how long João Soares de Paiva spent in exile, and whether he returned to Portugal along with other notable troubadours. Souta Kabu draws attention to the fact that in the Second Genealogy Book ( Segundo Livro de Linhagens or Livro do Deão , compiled ca. 1340 ), the troubadour is designated as “Brother João Soares” ( João Soares, o Freire ), which may indicate his connection with one of the monastic military orders . In view of the fact that Juan Soares de Paiva in the text of his surviving song praises the king of Aragon ( senhor de Monçon ), who gave Monson to the Templars in 1143 , Soutou Kaboo considers that the author’s belonging to the Templar order is quite probable. The obvious link between the text of the Kantigi and the song about the crusade of the truver Konon Bethune . It is possible that Juan Soares de Paiva took part in the Third Crusade .

According to the Kolochchi Catalog ( Índice de Colocci ), six cantigs of love by João Soares de Paiva were included in the Song of the National Library, but the sheets with their manuscripts were lost ^[6] . The only canty of ridicule and slander, Ora faz host'o senhor de Navarra (CB 1330bis, CV 937) of the Portuguese troubadour, has survived to the present day ^[7] . Other songs are not preserved.

It is considered that this kantig is one of the earliest songs in the Galician-Portuguese language, which are preserved in medieval collections . At least, this is the earliest Kantig, which can be dated by the described historical events: the armed clashes of King Navarre Sancho VII the Strong (ruled 1194-1234 years) with the kings of Aragon and Castile after the defeat at Alarkos in 1195 .

Taking into account the specific historical context, it can be concluded that the cantig was written in the last years of the 12th century , possibly around 1196 ^[8] . According to studies by the medievalist Carlos Alvar ( Carlos Alvar ) and Vicente Beltran Pepio ( Vicente Beltrán Pepió ), the latest dating of the song can date back to 1220 .

The medieval songwriters in the Galician-Portuguese language were built in sections according to the three main genres of secular kantig. In 1904, in the fundamental critical edition of the Songbook of Ajud, Carolina Michaelis de Vashconselos suggested that this kantig could hypothetically be considered the earliest surviving, since the Vatican Songbook begins with it a new section of songs of ridicule and slander ^[9] . In the manuscript of the Vatican Songbook, CV 937 is preceded by the rubric: “Here the kantigi of ridicule and slander begin” ( Aqui se começom as cantigas d´escarnh´e de maldizer ). The exact dating of the song is hampered by the fact that its text does not indicate the name of the King of Aragon, which could be Alfonso II the Chaste or Pedro II Catholic .

Be that as it may, João Soares de Paiva is the first known author of the Galician-Portuguese kantigi, whose name has survived to the present day ^[10] . Until the second half of the 20th century, Cantiga da Ribeiriña ( No mundo nom me sei parelha , Ajuda Songbook - CA 38), written by the Galician troubadour Payo Soares de Taveiros not earlier than 1198, was considered the earliest preserved composition of the Galician-Portuguese troubadours. The writings of other troubadours of the initial period of Galician-Portuguese poetry (end of XII - beginning of XIII century) were not preserved.

This satirical Kantig, directed against Sancho VII, describes the King Navarre’s brief foray into the lands of the neighboring kingdom. The enemy cowardly set out to rob other people's possessions under cover of night, taking advantage of the absence of the King of Aragon. For João Soares de Paiva, the lord of some possessions near the border between the two kingdoms, such an invasion and robbery was of a treacherous nature, since the Navarre army also devastated the lands of the author of the cantigi. The text mentions the residence of Sancho VII Tudela and the Aragonese city of Tarazona , located 20 km away, where the attackers "dared to put a wall of boring cannon ( boçom )".

The goal of the Portuguese troubadour was achieved - in the cantyge of mockery and slander, the hero of the reconquista Sancho VII the Strong appears in an impartial form.

According to Carolina Michaelis de Vashconcelos kantig Ora faz host'o senhor de Navarra, reminds Bertrand de Born ^[9] . The song belongs to the sub-genre “mestria” ( cantiga de mestria ), that is, it lacks a refrain .

• Mattoso, José , "A nobreza medieval portuguesa no contexto peninsular", in Naquele Tempo. Ensaios de História Medieval, Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 2000. p. 329.
• Miranda, José Carlos , Aurs mezclatz ab argen. Sobre a primeira geração de trovadores galego-portugueses, Porto, Edições Guarecer, 2004. pp. 15-43.
• Souto Cabo, José António , Os cavaleiros que fizeram as cantigas. Aproximação às origens socioculturais da lírica galego-portuguesa, Niterói, Editora UFF, 2012. p. 57-70. - ISBN 978-85-228-0840-3
• Vasconcelos, Carolina Michaëlis de. Cancioneiro da Ajuda. Edição crítica e comentada . - Halle : Max Niemeyer, 1904. - Vol. 2. - 1001 p.

• Lopes, Graça Videira; Ferreira, Manuel Pedro et al. João Soares de Paiva (port.) . Cantigas Medievais Galego-Portuguesas . Instituto de Estudos Medievais, FCSH / NOVA. The date of appeal is January 6, 2018. (English)