military trouvère crusader poet
Conon de Bethune was born about the middle of the 12 th century; the son of Robert V de Bethune. His brothers were: Robert VI de Bethune, Guillaume II de Bethune, Baudouin de Bethune, and Jean de Bethune, Bishop and secular ruler of Cambrai.
Conon was educated by his cousin, the noted poet Hugues III d'Oisy, Castellan of Cambrai, who taught him the art of poetry.
Bethune came about 1180 to the court of France, where he met Marie de France, countess of Champagne. To this princess his love poems are dedicated, and much of his time was passed at her court where the trouveres were held in high honour. At the French court he met with some criticisms from Queen Alix, the widow of Louis VII, on the roughness of his verse and on his Picard dialect. To these criticisms, interesting as proof of the already preponderant influence of the dialect of the ile de France, the poet replied by some verses in the satirical vein that best suited his temperament. Some of his best songs were inspired by anger at the delays before the crusade of 1188-1192. His plain-speaking made him many enemies, and when he returnedwith the rest after the fruitless capture of Acre, these were not slow to take advantage of the opportunity for retaliation. Conon took part with Baldwin of Flanders in the crusade which resulted in 1204 in the capture of Constantinople. He held high office in the new empire and died about 1224. His verses, of which the crusading song Ah! amors com dure departie is well known, are marked by a vigour and martial spirit which distinguish them from the work of other trouveres.
His sons were Conon de Bethune and Baudouin de Bethune.
