Chronica (Guillaume de Puylaurens)
Encyclopedia
Cronica is the short title of a history of Catharism and the Albigensian Crusade
by the 13th century Toulousain
author Guillaume de Puylaurens
.
The most important manuscript of the Chronica (Paris Bibl. Nat. Latin 5212) dates from the early 14th century. It was probably written in or near Toulouse and perhaps belonged to a Dominican foundation such as Prouille
. Two further manuscripts are later copies of this one. A fourth (Paris Bibl. Nat. Latin 5213) is of the 16th century but based on an early manuscript now lost. The 1623 edition by Guillaume Catel (see below) was based on other manuscripts now lost.
The oldest manuscript provides two possible longer titles for the work. The incipit
is Incipit chronica a magistro Guillelmo de Podio Laurenti compilata, "here begins the chronicle compiled by Master William of Puylaurens". The prologue is headed Incipit prologus super hystoria negocii a Francis Albiensis vulgariter appellati , "here begins the prologue of the history of what the French call the Albigensian affair".
The chronicle opens with the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux
against the heretics of Verfeil, Haute-Garonne in 1145 and closes with the restitution, on 15 March 1275, of the confiscated lands of Roger-Bernard III of Foix
. Work on the chronicle was completed before 25 July 1276, date of the death of James I of Aragon
, who is spoken of in the final sentence as still alive.
In the 14th century the Chronica was used by the Dominican
historian Bernard Gui
, who included long excerpts from it in his Flores chronicorum. An anonymous abbreviation of this latter work was made in the late 15th century under the title Praeclara Francorum facinora; as a popular history this appeared in several undated editions during the first few decades after the spread of printing.
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
by the 13th century Toulousain
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
author Guillaume de Puylaurens
Guillaume de Puylaurens
Guillaume de Puylaurens is a 13th century Latin chronicler, author of a history of Catharism and of the Albigensian Crusade....
.
The most important manuscript of the Chronica (Paris Bibl. Nat. Latin 5212) dates from the early 14th century. It was probably written in or near Toulouse and perhaps belonged to a Dominican foundation such as Prouille
Prouille
Prouille or Prouilhe , "cradle of the Dominicans", where the first Dominican house, a convent, was founded in late 1206 or early 1207, is a hamlet in Languedoc, France, lying between Fanjeaux and Bram , at the point where the road from Castelnaudary to Limoux crosses the road from Bram to...
. Two further manuscripts are later copies of this one. A fourth (Paris Bibl. Nat. Latin 5213) is of the 16th century but based on an early manuscript now lost. The 1623 edition by Guillaume Catel (see below) was based on other manuscripts now lost.
The oldest manuscript provides two possible longer titles for the work. The incipit
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
is Incipit chronica a magistro Guillelmo de Podio Laurenti compilata, "here begins the chronicle compiled by Master William of Puylaurens". The prologue is headed Incipit prologus super hystoria negocii a Francis Albiensis vulgariter appellati , "here begins the prologue of the history of what the French call the Albigensian affair".
The chronicle opens with the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
against the heretics of Verfeil, Haute-Garonne in 1145 and closes with the restitution, on 15 March 1275, of the confiscated lands of Roger-Bernard III of Foix
Roger-Bernard III of Foix
Roger-Bernard III was the Count of Foix from 1265 to his death. He was the son of Roger IV of Foix and Brunissende of Cardona. He entered into conflicts with both Philip III of France and Peter III of Aragon, who held him in captivity for a time...
. Work on the chronicle was completed before 25 July 1276, date of the death of James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
, who is spoken of in the final sentence as still alive.
In the 14th century the Chronica was used by the Dominican
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...
historian Bernard Gui
Bernard Gui
Bernard Gui , also known as Bernardo Gui or Bernardus Guidonis, was an inquisitor of the Dominican Order in the Late Middle Ages during the Medieval Inquisition, Bishop of Lodève, and one of the most prolific writers of the Middle Ages...
, who included long excerpts from it in his Flores chronicorum. An anonymous abbreviation of this latter work was made in the late 15th century under the title Praeclara Francorum facinora; as a popular history this appeared in several undated editions during the first few decades after the spread of printing.
See also
- Peter of les Vaux de Cernay (author of Historia albigensis, another major source text)
Editions and translations
- Guillaume Catel, Histoire des comtes de Toulouse. Toulouse, 1623. Text.. Text and French translation. Reprinted: Toulouse: Le Pérégrinateur, 1996 isbn : 2-910352-06-4 - leperegrinateurediteur.com.