Guibert of Nogent
Religion research papers focus on major religious figures throughout history in any religion. The Catholic faith has many interesting religious figures that one can write on, such as Guibert of Nogent. Have our writers compose on Guibert of Nogent, Thomas Acquinas or any noteworthy Catholic figure.
Possible topics to focus on for a research project on Guibert of Nogent are:
- What was the historical context of Guibert of Nogent's life?
- Was Guibert of Nogent in favor of the Crusades?
- What is the significance of Guibert of Nogent's writings?
Guibert of Nogent (c. 1055-1124) was a French monk in the Benedictine order, who authored several books during the Middle Ages, most of which remained obscure for centuries, but ultimately proved invaluable to historians. Especially in his autobiography, De vita sua siv monodiarum libri tres, modern readers will encounter lively depictions of his world. This work in particular is the earliest surviving autobiography from the medieval period.
Guibert of Nogent was born near the middle of the eleventh century in the French town of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis. After a difficult birth, his parents, minor nobility, promised the boy to the life of a cleric should he survive. Guibert's father, whom he describes as a violent man, died when Guibert was a year old. His raising and education were then supervised by his mother, whom Guibert describes in great detail in his autobiography.
In 1104, Guibert became the abbot of the small monastery of Nogent-sous-Coucy, where he was able to engage in his passion for writing, as well as mixing in French court society. His first major work was a history of the First Crusade, a work he completed in 1108. While much of the work relies on other sources, Guibert did rely on personal knowledge of former crusaders he had known since childhood, one of the earliest applications of primary sourcing in written histories.