John Radencich 
We Were Poets; We Were Warriors 

We Were Poets; We Were Warriors is a novel about the troubadours of Medieval Southern France. It begins in the year 1170, during a gathering of troubadours in the castle of Puivert in southern France. They are heading to Castile for a royal marriage. It’s here we are introduced to the novel’s main character, Piere Vidal, a teenage aide to one of the troubadours. After the troubadours leave Puivert (and Vidal) the remainder of the novel follows Vidal’s adult life. He eventually becomes the prime troubadour for Raimon V, Count of Toulouse. He goes through various adventures, along with his duties as troubadour, including a battle over a friend’s castle. Following an indiscretion, Vidal is forced to leave Toulouse. He eventually winds up as a troubadour for the Count of Cabaret, northeast of Carcassonne, where he is a rival in love for the count’s wife with a fellow troubadour. Here he also goes through several adventures which, as Toulouse, are a source of many of his songs.