Attacked by his erstwhile allies, who felt betrayed and whose army penetrated into the count’s lands, the royal army had to save him on at least two occasions. The Grandes Chroniques de France refer to this episode in the following terms:

Queen Blanche took part in that agreement, in which she said: ‘For God’s sake, Count Thibaut, you shouldn’t be our enemy! You must remember that the king did you a favour, my son, coming to your aid to save your country and your lands from all the feudal powers of France who wanted to burn them and turn them into coal’. The Count looked at the Queen, who was so prudent and beautiful that he was overwhelmed [...].

He left very pensively and often recalled the Queen’s sweet look and her beautiful composure. Then a sweet and amorous thought penetrated his heart. But when he remembered that she was such an important lady and from such well-to-do and pure circles that she could never be his, his sweet amorous thoughts were transformed into great despair.

And given that profound thoughts breed melancholy, some wise men advised him to apply himself to the beautiful sounds of the vielle and to sweet and delightful songs. This is how he composed [...] the most beautiful, delightful and melodious songs that were ever sung or played on the vielle. And he wrote them in his salons in Provins and Troyes, and they are known as The Songs of the King of Navarre.

Count of Champagne and King of Navarre

Specialist critics see no reason to believe that Blanche de Castille was the lady to whom Thibaut’s songs were directed, considering that he had already been cultivating the troubadour art for some time when the act of reconciliation with the royal house took place. It is more likely that this passage from the Chroniques was tinged with mythical overtones, especially in relation to the reasons that led Thibaut to become a trouvère, comparable to those of many of the troubadours who appeared in the well-known Lives. Yet, the fact remains that Thibaut had at least some of his songs reproduced on the walls of the castle of Provins, which were still visible in 1750 according to an eyewitness.

After becoming a widower in 1231, the following year the Count married Marguerite, the daughter of Archibald of Bourbon, the regent’s vassal, instead of marrying the daughter of the Duke of Brittany. This was the cause of further disputes with the feudal powers, who found a way to provoke him by propitiating a trip to France by his cousin Alix, Queen of Cyprus, who made certain claims on the county of Champagne. The problem was solved by the payment of a large sum of money, which Thibaut obtained by selling his sovereignty rights over Blois, Chartres, Sancerre and Châteaudun to the King of France. The matter was barely settled when he became King of Navarre in 1234, succeeding his maternal uncle, Sanche VII el Fuerte. Seeing that he was once again in a healthy financial situation Thibaut tried to buy back the rights to his lands, but he was unsuccessful. Defeated and humiliated, he withdrew to Pamplona (Navarre), where he remained for two years.

In a planctus composed following the death of Blacatz (1236), the troubadour Sordel alludes to this episode, offering Thibaut a piece of the deceased’s heart in order to encourage him:

et apres vuelh del cor don hom al rey navar,
que valia mais coms que reys, so aug comtar;
totz, es quan Dieus fai home en gran ricor poiar,
pus sofracha de cor lo fai de pretz bayssar.

[... and then I want you to give part of your heart to the king of Navarre,
who, so I have heard, is a better count than king;
it’s a shame that when God gives a man great power,
heartlessness later leads him to lose merit.]