Geoffrey of Beaulieu
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey of Beaulieu, from Évreux
in Normandy
, was a French biographer who died towards the end of the 13th century.
From a noble family, nothing is known of the early life of this friar
of the Dominican Order
. Having become the confessor
of Louis IX of France
, he inspired in him such lasting confidence, that, finding himself head of the clergy surrounding the king, he could, better than anyone, gather the necessary material to become his royal master's historian.
The manuscript of The Life of Saint Louis, which he was ordered to write by Pope Gregory X
, was conserved for several centuries in the library of the Dominican order in Évreux, before being published in 1617 with the work of Jean de Joinville
.
Évreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, was a French biographer who died towards the end of the 13th century.
From a noble family, nothing is known of the early life of this friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. Having become the confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
of Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, he inspired in him such lasting confidence, that, finding himself head of the clergy surrounding the king, he could, better than anyone, gather the necessary material to become his royal master's historian.
The manuscript of The Life of Saint Louis, which he was ordered to write by Pope Gregory X
Pope Gregory X
Pope Blessed Gregory X , born Tebaldo Visconti, was Pope from 1271 to 1276. He was elected by the papal election, 1268–1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Roman Catholic Church....
, was conserved for several centuries in the library of the Dominican order in Évreux, before being published in 1617 with the work of Jean de Joinville
Jean de Joinville
Jean de Joinville was one of the great chroniclers of medieval France.Son of Simon de Joinville and Beatrice d'Auxonne, he belonged to a noble family from Champagne. He received an education befitting a young noble at the court of Theobald IV, count of Champagne: reading, writing, and the...
.