Johannes de Garlandia

Who is Johannes de Garlandia?

Johannes de Garlandia or John of Garland was a philologist and university teacher. His dates of birth and death are unknown, but he probably lived from about 1190 to about 1270. Of English origin, he studied at Oxford and then at the medieval University of Paris, where he was teaching by 1220; he lived and taught on the Left Bank at the Clos de Garlande; this is the origin of the name by which he is usually known. The main facts of his life are stated in his long poem De triumphis ecclesiae.

In 1229, he was one of the first Masters of the new University of Toulouse. His poem Epithalamium Beatae Mariae Virginis was presented in 1230 to the Papal legate Romanus de Sancto Angelo, one of the founders of the university. He was in Toulouse during the turbulent events of 1229-1231, which he describes in De Triumphis. After the death of bishop Foulques of Toulouse in 1231, the Cathars regained influence at Toulouse, university teachers ceased to be paid, and many considered it too dangerous to remain in the city. Johannes de Garlandia was one of those who escaped, disguising himself as a serf or slave.