Peter Abelard

Letters of Abelard and Heloise Peter Abelard

The famous correspondences of the philosopher and scholar Peter Abelard and the Catholic nun Heloise are eloquent and shocking - their forbidden relationship serves as both a drama and history of Medieval society.

Writing in the early 12th century, Abelard and Heloise first met when both were young. Attracted to one another almost immediately, the two struck up a relationship which blossomed when Abelard convinced Heloise's uncle, Fulbert, to allow him residence in exchange for free tutorship of the young Heloise. Their romance, illicit because they were not a consummated, married couple, continued until Heloise became pregnant with Abelard's child.

The subsequent drama which ensued damaged Fulbert's reputation - as a respected canon in Parisian society, he was deeply angered by the pair's affinity. Eventually the two, feeling pressured by Fulbert's anger and the social stigma of the time, agreed to marry in a secret ceremony.

Yet this union did not appease Fulbert, who vengefully spread gossip and rumors of the relationship far and wide. A group of angry monks broke into the residence and castrated the terrified Abelard; feeling intense shame, Abelard himself became a monk and sent Heloise off to become a nun, against her wishes.

This translation, to modern English, was authored in the 18th century by an anonymous author. For centuries it has been the preferred reading source; it preserves the intense emotions passing between the two authors, as rendered in the original Italian. As customs and morals evolved over the centuries, the treatment of both Abelard and Heloise became sympathetic; the relationship is today considered a tragic romance.