Peire Cardenal (1180-1278) was one of the most prolific of the troubadours, with ninety-six surviving songs. He is known for his satires, rather than for the poems of courtly love that are the most famous of the troubadours’ products. He began his career at the court of Raymond IV of Toulouse and later traveled widely, and he wrote many stinging songs about the political, religious, and armed conflicts of his day. This sirventes is one of his best known; opposition to the clergy and to church policy is a frequent theme in his work.