Fulk of Deuil

Fulko vom Deuil (* after 1050; † October 26, 11 ??) was a Benedictine monk in France in the 12th century. As the author of a letter of consolation to Petrus Abelardus - the only one who survived from him - he went down in the literary history of the Middle Ages.

person

At an unknown point in time in the 11th century, Fulko entered the convent of Saint-Florent in Saumur as a Benedictine monk , later became sacristan in the monastery of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil , the former nucleus of the convent of Saumur, and finally head of the priory of Saint- Eugène in Deuil near Paris. The priory, the church of which has survived in parts to this day, was a few kilometers north of Paris and very close to the royal monastery of Saint-Denis , which Peter Abelard had entered. In his function as head of the priory, Fulko must have made the acquaintance of Peter Abelard, with whom he was not connected to the country team, but also to his home and family.

Nothing more is known about the work of Fulko, but he probably had connections not only with the church orthodoxy in Paris, but also with the Holy See, which he is likely to have visited personally. As a prior he owned vineyards in Dugny on the Meuse.

It is unknown when Fulko von Deuil died, but according to the Obituarium von Deuil it must have been October 26th. The year of death is completely unknown.

meaning

Fulko's letter to Peter Abelard is a so-called Epistula consolatoria , which Fulko wrote based on ancient models and which, in its skilful and clear formulation, shows the literary talent of the prior.

The letter was written around 1118, that is, shortly after Peter Abelard, stripped of his genitals and deeply humiliated, entered the convent of Saint-Denis . Fulko does not misjudge the earlier success of Peter Abelard, whom he calls the "clearest source of philosophy", but also severely rebukes his former vanity and extravagance, even his dealings with "prostitutes" Convincing monastery life.

This letter is of great importance for researching the history of Peter Abelard, as it contains important details about the circumstances of his castration. Based on some formulations, it emerges that it is a reply letter, probably composed after a petition letter from Abelard, which has been lost today.

swell

A. Duchesne, F. Amboise: Petri Abaelardi Opera omnia, Editio princeps, 2 volumes, Paris 1616, printed in Mignes Patrologia Latina, Volume 178, 373A, Paris 1855 (abridged version).
V. cousin: Petri Abelard Opera. 2 volumes, Paris 1849-1859 (unabridged version).

Web links

Letter Fulkos von Deuil, Latin-German version ( online )
Letter from Fulkos of Deuil, French version ( online )
Letter from Fulkos von Deuil, English version ( online ; PDF; 118 kB)

Remarks

^ The Deuil Priory was, so to speak, the Parisian branch of the Order of Saint-Florent near Saumur on the Loire. See H. Meinert, J. Ramackers; Papal documents in France, new series, volume 5: Touraine, Anjou, Maine et Bretagne, Göttingen 1956, pages 131, 249, 314.
↑ Fulko is a leading name of the Anjou as a count name. The home of Peter Abelard's Le Pallet was founded by Angevin.
↑ In his letter to Peter Abelard, Fulko speaks of the fact that his family's fortunes would not be enough to finance an appeal to the Holy See. Fulko was very well informed about Abelard's circumstances, which is not surprising when you consider that his former place of work, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, was, like Le Pallet, on the border between Brittany and the Anjou, only 40 km apart. See W. Robl: Heloïsas origin: Hersindis Mater, Munich 2001.
↑ "VII kal. Hic obiit frater Fulco, sacrista de Sancto Floriencio veteri, qui fuit prior deintus, qui dedit conventui vincam de Dugniaco pro anniversario faciendo. - On the 26th, Fulko, former sacristan of Saint-Florent, who was here prior, died here and gave the convent a vineyard near Dugny for its annual feast day. " A. Molinier: Obituaires de la Province de Sens, Vol. 1, Diocèses de Sens et de Paris, Paris 1902, p. 415.

personal data
SURNAME	Fulk of Deuil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French monk, prior
DATE OF BIRTH	after 1050
DATE OF DEATH	12th Century

[1] The Deuil Priory was, so to speak, the Parisian branch of the Order of Saint-Florent near Saumur on the Loire. See H. Meinert, J. Ramackers; Papal documents in France, new series, volume 5: Touraine, Anjou, Maine et Bretagne, Göttingen 1956, pages 131, 249, 314.

[2] Fulko is a leading name of the Anjou as a count name. The home of Peter Abelard's Le Pallet was founded by Angevin.

[3] In his letter to Peter Abelard, Fulko speaks of the fact that his family's fortunes would not be enough to finance an appeal to the Holy See. Fulko was very well informed about Abelard's circumstances, which is not surprising when you consider that his former place of work, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, was, like Le Pallet, on the border between Brittany and the Anjou, only 40 km apart. See W. Robl: Heloïsas origin: Hersindis Mater, Munich 2001.

[4] "VII kal. Hic obiit frater Fulco, sacrista de Sancto Floriencio veteri, qui fuit prior deintus, qui dedit conventui vincam de Dugniaco pro anniversario faciendo. - On the 26th, Fulko, former sacristan of Saint-Florent, who was here prior, died here and gave the convent a vineyard near Dugny for its annual feast day. " A. Molinier: Obituaires de la Province de Sens, Vol. 1, Diocèses de Sens et de Paris, Paris 1902, p. 415.