William the Breton
Encyclopedia
William the Breton French
chronicler and poet, was as his name indicates born in Brittany
.
He was educated at Nantes
and at the University of Paris
, afterwards becoming chaplain to the French king Philip Augustus, who employed him on diplomatic errands, and entrusted him with the education of his natural son, Pierre Charlot. William is supposed to have been present at the Battle of Bouvines
.
His works are the Philippide and the Gesta Philippi H. regis Francorum. The former, a classicizing Latin epic poem in XII books and composed in three redactions, gives some very interesting details about Philip Augustus and his time, including some information about military matters, and shows that William was an excellent Latin scholar.
In its final form the Gesta is an epitome of the work of Rigord
, who wrote a life of Philip Augustus from 1179 to 1206, and an original continuation by William himself from 1207 to 1220. In both works William speaks in very laudatory terms of the king; but his writings are valuable because he had personal knowledge of many of the facts which he relates. He also wrote a poem Karlotis, dedicated to Charlot, which is lost.
William's works have been edited with introduction by HF Delaborde
as Œuvres de Rigord et de Guillaume le Breton (Paris, 1882-1885), and have been translated into French by Guizot
in Collection des mémoires relatifs a l'histoire de France, tomes xi and xii (Paris, 1823-1835). See Delaborde's introduction, and Auguste Molinier
, Les Sources de l'histoire de France, tome iii (Paris, 1903). Book I of the Philippide, along with relevant selections of the Gesta, has been translated into English by Gregory P. Stringer.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
chronicler and poet, was as his name indicates born in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
He was educated at Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
and at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, afterwards becoming chaplain to the French king Philip Augustus, who employed him on diplomatic errands, and entrusted him with the education of his natural son, Pierre Charlot. William is supposed to have been present at the Battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
.
His works are the Philippide and the Gesta Philippi H. regis Francorum. The former, a classicizing Latin epic poem in XII books and composed in three redactions, gives some very interesting details about Philip Augustus and his time, including some information about military matters, and shows that William was an excellent Latin scholar.
In its final form the Gesta is an epitome of the work of Rigord
Rigord
Rigord was a French chronicler, was probably born near Alais in Languedoc, and became a physician.After becoming a monk he entered the monastery of Argenteuil, and then that of Saint-Denis, and described himself as "regis Francorum chronographus".Rigord wrote the Gesta Philippi Augusti, dealing...
, who wrote a life of Philip Augustus from 1179 to 1206, and an original continuation by William himself from 1207 to 1220. In both works William speaks in very laudatory terms of the king; but his writings are valuable because he had personal knowledge of many of the facts which he relates. He also wrote a poem Karlotis, dedicated to Charlot, which is lost.
William's works have been edited with introduction by HF Delaborde
Henri Delaborde
Henri François Delaborde was a French general in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.-Early career:He was the son of a baker of Dijon. In 1783, Delaborde joined the Regiment of Condé as a private...
as Œuvres de Rigord et de Guillaume le Breton (Paris, 1882-1885), and have been translated into French by Guizot
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
in Collection des mémoires relatifs a l'histoire de France, tomes xi and xii (Paris, 1823-1835). See Delaborde's introduction, and Auguste Molinier
Auguste Molinier
August Molinier was a French historian.He was born at Toulouse. He was a pupil at the École des Chartes, which he left in 1873, and also at the École des Hautes Études; and he obtained appointments in the public libraries at the Mazarine , at Fontainebleau , and at Sainte-Geneviève, of which he...
, Les Sources de l'histoire de France, tome iii (Paris, 1903). Book I of the Philippide, along with relevant selections of the Gesta, has been translated into English by Gregory P. Stringer.