Historia Calamitatum, also known as Abaelardi ad Amicum Suum Consolatoria, is an autobiographical work in Latin by Pierre Abelard, one of medieval France's most important intellectuals and a pioneer of scholastic philosophy. It is in the form of a letter, and is clearly influenced by Augustine of Hippo's Confessions. The Historia is exceptionally readable, and presents a remarkably honest self-portrait of a man who could be arrogant and often felt persecuted. It provides a clear and fascinating picture of intellectual life in Paris before the formalization of the University, of the intellectual excitement of the period, of monastic life, and of his affair with Heloise, one of history's most famous love stories. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Pierre Abélard (in English, Peter Abelard) or Abailard (1079 - April 21, 1142) was a French scholastic philosopher. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100 - 1500. ... The term philosophy derives from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom. ... St. ... Confessions is the name of a series of thirteen books by St. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... Heloise imagined in a mid-19th century engraving The letters of Heloise (1101 - 1162) and Pierre Abélard are among the best known records of early romantic love. ...

External links

• English translation of Historia Calamitatum on the Internet Medieval Sourcebook
• Latin text of Historia Calamitatum on The Latin Library