Gilles de Paris

Gilo of Toucy, also called Gilo of Paris or Gilo of Tusculum (died 1139×1142), was a French poet and cleric. A priest before he became a monk at Cluny, he was appointed cardinal-bishop of Tusculum sometime between 1121 and 1123. He served as a papal legate on four occasions: to Poland and Hungary around 1124, to Carinthia in 1126, to the Crusader states in 1128 or 1129 and to Aquitaine from 1131 until 1137. He took the side of the Antipope Anacletus II in the papal schism of 1130 and was deposed as cardinal-bishop by the Second Lateran Council in 1139.

An accomplished Latin stylist, Gilo wrote the majority of the Historia de via Hierosolymitana, a verse history of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He also wrote the Vita sancti Hugonis abbatis Cluniacensis, a biography of Abbot Hugh of Cluny (1024–1109). A couple of letters he wrote in connection with his third legation have also survived and are highly regarded for their style and eloquence.

Life Paris and Cluny Gilo's birth date is unknown, but may be placed in the final quarter of the 11th century. His birthplace was Toucy in the county of Auxerre, but he was living in Paris when he wrote the Historia, as he says in Book IX: "Gilo, a resident of Paris and a native of Toucy, which by no means disowns me." According to the prologue to Book IV, he was already of advanced age when he wrote it. He had tried at least once before to write an epic poem and had written light verse in his youth. In the explicit of two manuscripts, Gilo is said to have been a cleric of the diocese of Paris at the time he wrote the Historia, which was before he became a monk. He was writing before 1120, probably in the first decade of the 12th century. According to others, he is first attested as a cardinal-bishop only in a papal bull of 6 April 1123. His predecessor, Divitius, is said to have signed a papal privilege on 16 May 1122. His consecration may have taken place on 20 September or 20 December 1122 or possibly as late as 7 March 1123. It was considered a great honour to be elevated to a cardinal-bishopric without first having been a deacon or presbyter. His remit almost certainly extended beyond Carinthia and 1126, since he is only seen again at Rome on 7 May 1128, when he signed a privilege of Honorius II.

Gilo's third mission is better known than his first two. He embarked for the Holy Land in the first half of July 1128 in Bari, taking the same ship as the archbishop of Tyre.

The work in its fullest form is divided into nine books, but Gilo's original work apparently only contained five, one each on the siege of Nicaea; the first siege of Antioch; the second siege of Antioch; the capture of Bara, Maʿarrat an-Nuʿman and Tartus; and the fall of Jerusalem. With the Charleville poet's additions, these became books IV, V, VII, VIII, and IX. There are unique details in Gilo's work that suggest that he had access to eyewitnesses.

Vita The Vita sancti Hugonis abbatis Cluniacensis was mostly written between the canonization of Hugh (1120) and the resignation of Pons (1122). Gilo's is just one of eight biographies of Hugh of Semur, but it is the most detailed. Pons also asked Ezelo of Liège and Hildebert of Lavardin to write biographies of Hugh. That of Ezelo is lost, but may have been used by Gilo as a source. Gilo also had access to eyewitnesses and acquaintances of Hugh at Cluny. Hildebert made use of Gilo's Vita for his own more famous biography.

Gilo's biography was designed for spiritually edification. It devotes most of its space to Hugh's virtues and miracles. His political activities during the Investiture Contest and his construction a new church at Cluny are covered tersely.

The Vita is preserved in two manuscripts, now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Lat. 12607 and Lat. 13090.