Who was Joseph of Exeter and when did he live?
Joseph of Exeter was a twelfth-century Latin poet from Exeter, England. He was active from around 1180 through at least the early 1190s, and he is best known for his epic poem De bello Troiano.
Questions about Joseph of Exeter
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is De bello Troiano by Joseph of Exeter?
De bello Troiano, meaning "On the Trojan War", is a Latin epic poem in six books written by Joseph of Exeter and based on the ancient prose account by Dares Phrygius. Most of it was written before 1183 and completed after 1184. The poem was dedicated to Joseph's uncle Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury.
What was Joseph of Exeter's connection to the Third Crusade?
Joseph of Exeter accompanied his uncle Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the Third Crusade after Baldwin persuaded him to make the journey. Baldwin died in 1190, and Joseph returned to England. He later wrote a poem about the crusade called Antiocheis.
What happened to Joseph of Exeter's poem Antiocheis?
The Antiocheis, Joseph of Exeter's poem about the Third Crusade, survives only in fragments. The complete text has been lost, leaving scholars with only partial remains of the work.
Who was Guibert and what was his relationship to Joseph of Exeter?
Guibert was a scholar whom Joseph of Exeter met when Joseph went to study at Gueldres around 1180. The two formed a lifelong friendship, and some of their correspondence still survives. Guibert later became Abbot of Florennes.
What other works have been attributed to Joseph of Exeter?
Several poems beyond De bello Troiano and the Antiocheis have been attributed to Joseph of Exeter, but all of them have since been lost. Scholars have no way to confirm whether those works were actually his.