Joseph of Exeter facts for kids

Joseph of Exeter was a talented Latin poet who lived a long time ago, in the 1100s. He was from a city called Exeter in England.

Around the year 1180, Joseph left home to study in a place called Gueldres. There, he met a person named Guibert. They became very good friends for their whole lives. Guibert later became an important church leader, an Abbot, in a place called Florennes. We know about their friendship because some of the letters they wrote to each other are still around today!

Joseph of Exeter: A Poet of Ancient Tales and Crusades

His Famous Poem: The Trojan War

Joseph of Exeter is most famous for his long poem called De bello Troiano. This Latin title means "On the Trojan War." It tells the story of the famous Trojan War, which was a big conflict from ancient Greek myths.

His poem was very long, with six different parts, like chapters in a book. Joseph based his story on an older account by someone named Dares Phrygius. He started writing it before 1183 and finished it after 1184.

A Journey to the Holy Land

Joseph dedicated his big poem, De bello Troiano, to his uncle, Baldwin. Baldwin was a very important person at the time. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury, which meant he was the main leader of the church in England.

In 1189, Archbishop Baldwin decided to go on a big journey called the Third Crusade. A crusade was a religious military expedition to the Holy Land. He asked Joseph to come along with him, and Joseph agreed.

Remembering the Crusade in Poetry

Sadly, Archbishop Baldwin passed away in 1190 while they were on the crusade. After his uncle's death, Joseph returned home to England.

Joseph wrote another poem to remember his experiences on the crusade. This poem was called Antiocheis. Unfortunately, only small parts of this poem have survived to this day. We don't have the whole story.

People in Joseph's time also thought he wrote several other poems. However, these poems are now lost, and we can't be sure if he truly wrote them or not.