The Rote Player: Coming of Age in Medieval France

By age sixteen, Adenet was an accomplished musician and poet. His uncle, Cadenet, a trouvA(c)re, had taught him to play the rA'te, a small stringed instrument, and now he feels that he's ready to pursue his dream of becoming a court entertainer. He leaves his childhood home south of Chartres and begins his journey that will take him to hamlets and market towns in the northeast region around Paris in the mid-thirteenth century. He had learned to love the songs and poetry of the time, the Age of Faith. It was a time of the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Christian France. When he meets students at the fledgling University of Paris, they invite him to hear Thomas Aquinas argue the proof of G'd's existence. It was a thought-provoking experience, with students trying to refute Thomas's reasoning. After months on the road, playing his rA'te and singing, Adenet thinks he's seen a local lord watching his performance one evening. He wonders if this will be his chance to fulfill his dream. Where might this sighting lead?

-- Gail Gardner