Peter Abelard

Peter Abelard (1079–1142) was a French philosopher and theologian, the most brilliant teacher of his age. Born near Nantes, he studied under Roscelin and William of Champeaux, defeated his masters in debate and drew crowds to his lectures in Paris. His love affair with his pupil Héloïse ended in secret marriage, his castration by her uncle's servants and their separation into religious life. His theology was condemned at Soissons in 1121 and, at the instance of Bernard of Clairvaux, at Sens in 1140. He wrote Sic et Non, the Historia Calamitatum and the letters to Héloïse, and died under the protection of Peter the Venerable of Cluny.