Final answer:
The term for women poet-musicians in southern France during the medieval era is 'Trobairitz.' They were contemporaries to male 'Troubadours,' both of whom played significant roles in the tradition of courtly love and lyrical poetry in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Women poet-musicians in southern France during the medieval period were known as Trobairitz. They were the female counterparts to the Troubadours, men who composed and performed lyrical poetry centered around themes of chivalry and courtly love. The troubadours and trobairitz were active during the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in the courts of the nobility in the Occitan-speaking region of France.
One famous example that illustrates the existence of troubadours and potentially trobairitz is the casket from the court of Aquitaine, Limoges, France, circa 1180, which is housed at The British Museum in London. This artifact reflects the cultural environment in which these poet-musicians flourished. Unlike the troubadours, whose work has survived in greater numbers, the works of trobairitz are rarer, but their contributions to the medieval lyrical tradition are still acknowledged by historians and musicologists alike.