Guillaume De Nangis
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Guillaume de Nangis (died 1300), also known as William of Nangis, was a French chronicler. William was a
monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
in the Abbey of St. Denis to the north of Paris. About 1285 he was placed in charge of the abbey library as ''custos cartarum'', and he died in June or July 1300. Having doubtless done some work on the Latin manuscripts on which the ''
Grandes Chroniques de France The ''Grandes Chroniques de France'' is a vernacular royal compilation of the history of the Kingdom of France, most manuscripts of which are luxury copies that are heavily illuminated. Copies were produced between the thirteenth and fifteenth ...
'' are based, William wrote a long ''Chronicon'', dealing with the history of the world from the creation until 1300. For the period before 1113 this work merely repeats that of
Sigebert of Gembloux Sigebert or Sigibert of Gembloux ( or ; – 5 October 1112) was a medieval author, known mainly as a pro-Imperial historian of a universal chronicle, opposed to the expansive papacy of Gregory VII and Pascal II. Early in his life he became a ...
and others; but after this date it contains some new and valuable material. The chronicle had later continuations by other authors, though the so-called "second continuation", by Jean de Venette, which takes events up to 1368, was not a continuation of the ''Chronicon'' but rather an independent chronicle that happened to be bound into the same manuscript as the Nangis chronicle. William's other writings are: ''Gesta Ludovici IX''; ''Gesta Philippi III, sive Audacis''; ''Chronicon abbreviatum regum Francorum''; and a French translation of the same work written for the laity. Making use of the large store of manuscripts at Saint Denis, William was a compiler rather than an author, and with the exception of the latter part of the ''Chronicon'' his writings do not add materially to our knowledge of the time. In his ''Gesta Ludovici IX'' he included a letter from
Sempad the Constable Sempad the Constable (also Smpad and Smbat; or , ; 1208–1276) was a noble from Cilician Armenia. He was an older brother of King Hetoum I. He was an important figure in Cilicia, acting as a diplomat, judge, and military officer, holding the ti ...
to
Henry I of Cyprus Henry I of Cyprus, nicknamed the Fat (; 3 May 1217 – 18 January 1253 at Nicosia) was Kingdom of Cyprus, King of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of Hugh I of Cyprus and Alice of Champagne. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218 ...
. Among his major sources for the reign of
Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...
was the lost Latin chronicle of Primat of Saint-Denis. Both his chronicles, however, became very popular and found several continuators,
Jean de Joinville Jean de Joinville (, 1 May 1224 – 24 December 1317) was one of the great chroniclers of medieval France. He is most famous for writing the ''Life of Saint Louis'', a biography of Louis IX of France that chronicled the Seventh Crusade.' Biog ...
being among those who made use of the ''Chronicon''. This work from 1113 to 1300, with continuations to 1368, has been edited by H. Géraud for the ''
Société de l'histoire de France The Société de l'histoire de France (SHF) ( English: ''Society of the History of France'') was established on 21 December 1833 at the instigation of the French minister of Public Instruction, François Guizot, in order to contribute to the renew ...
'' (Paris, 1843), and practically all William's writings are found in the twentieth volume of Martin Bouquet's ''Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France'' (Paris, 1738–1876). A French translation of the ''Chronicon'' is in Guizot's ''Collection des mémoires relatifs à l'histoire de France'' (Paris, 1823–1835). ''The World Chronicle of Guillaume de Nangis: A Manuscript’s Journey from Saint-Denis to St. Pancras'' is the life story of the manuscript codex copied in France, travelling to different cities and finally located at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
in London.Williman, Daniel, and Karen Corsano. (2020) ''The World Chronicle of Guillaume de Nangis : A Manuscript’s Journey from Saint-Denis to St. Pancras.'' 1. Berlin ; De Gruyter, 2020.


Notes


References

*
August Potthast August Potthast (13 August 1824, Höxter, Province of Westphalia13 February 1898, Leobschütz), was a German historian, was born at Höxter, and was educated at Paderborn, Münster and Berlin. He assisted GH Pertz, the editor of the ''Monume ...
, ''Bibliotheca historica'' (Berlin, 1896). * Auguste Molinier, ''Les sources de l'histoire de France, tome III'' (Paris, 1903). * Gabrielle M. Spiegel, ''The chronicle tradition of Saint-Denis'' (Brookline and Leiden, 1978), pp. 98–108.


External links

* Guillaume de Nangis (ed. H. Géraud, 1843), ''Chronicon''
volume 1
(including the ''Chronicon'', an introduction in French, and part of a continuation up to 1368) an
2
(including the rest of the continuation) * Guillaume de Nangis, ''Chronique''
online Guizot's 1825 edition
published by J.L.J. Brière, on Gallica
Or: contemporary electronic edition after Guizot's, on
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Online volume 20
of Martin Bouquet's ''Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France'' on Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillaume De Nangis French chroniclers 13th-century French historians French Benedictines 1300 deaths Philip IV of France Year of birth unknown French librarians