ABSTRACT
Peter Abelard (c.1079–1142) was a theologian and philosopher, and the tutor, lover, and then husband of Heloise (d. 1164), who, following their separation and entry into religion, eventually became abbess of the Paraclete, near Troyes. The correspondence now accepted as theirs opens with Abelard's account of their relationship, which tells how he came to live with Heloise and her uncle, Fulbert, as her tutor. They were a precocious pair – Abelard tells us that Heloise was already renowned for her learning; Heloise says here that no king or philosopher could match Abelard's fame. The two began an affair, but were eventually discovered. Abelard arranged for the pregnant Heloise to escape from her uncle's custody to his sister's care, where she gave birth to their son, Astralabe. A secret marriage followed, but when news of their union began to spread, Abelard again removed Heloise from her uncle, this time to a convent. Fulbert, and his friends and relatives, imagined that Abelard was seeking to rid himself of his wife by making her a nun. They sought revenge: Abelard was attacked and castrated, and the lovers now entered religious life in earnest. The following extract is Heloise's vigorous response to Abelard's claims in his Historia Calamitatum, ‘History of my Calamities.’ She contests parts of his account, and amplifies others: if Abelard suggests that Heloise argued against their marriage, Heloise reiterates that argument here in no uncertain terms.
