Historia Calamitatum

by Peter Abelard

"Historia Calamitatum" by Peter Abelard is an autobiographical work written in 1132 or soon after. One of the first autobiographies in medieval Western Europe, this Latin letter offers an extensive self-analysis of the pioneering scholastic philosopher's first fifty-four years. Abelard chronicles his sense of persecution by peers while reflecting on women, learning, monastic life, and the relationship between Church and State. Throughout, he draws parallels between his struggles and those of saints, apostles, and even Christ himself.