When court poets in Northern Italy and the Crown of Aragon began to compose in the vernacular, they adopted Occitan as their poetic language and the influence of this seemingly foreign culture would continue even when works start to be composed in Italian and Catalan. In Italy, the troubadour tradition has an obvious impact, from the mid-thirteenth century, in the scuola siciliana and later in the stilnovisti. In Catalan literature, the troubadours have a direct influence well into the fifteenth century. This complete absorption of troubadour poetry makes Northern Italy and the Crown of Aragon unique among the areas that underwent the influence of Occitan culture. Originally, their geographical proximity to Occitania had made them a convenient extension to the troubadour circuit, ready to welcome such prestigious influence, but in the thirteenth century they became the main focus of late troubadour culture. Both areas had political links with the county of Provence, and were deeply involved in the power struggle that was taking place in Europe. This chapter will examine the factors involved in the adoption of the troubadour tradition in Northern Italy and the Crown of Aragon, and the orientation taken by this tradition in the hands of local troubadours.

The prestige of Occitan poetry is attested to by its role in the shaping of other vernacular traditions, such as the works of French trouvères, and German minnesänger. Its influence was aided by the mobility of troubadours as well as the wide diffusion of their poetry. Even from an early period troubadours travelled outside the original domains of their poetic tradition.