Biography
Richard de Fournival or Richart de Fornival (1201 – ?1260) was a medieval philosopher and trouvère perhaps best known for the Bestiaire d'amour ("The Bestiary of Love").
Richard de Fournival was born in Amiens on October 10, 1201. He was the son of Roger de Fournival (a personal physician to King Philip Augustus) and Élisabeth de la Pierre. He was also half-brother of Arnoul, bishop of Amiens (1236–46). Richard was successively canon, deacon, and chancellor of the cathedral chapter of Notre Dame d'Amiens. He was also a licensed surgeon, by the authority of Pope Gregory IX and this privilege was confirmed a second time in 1246 by Pope Innocent IV. He died on March 1, either 1260 or 1259.
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Richard also wrote several other works besides the prose Bestiaire d'amour: the Commens d'amours, Censes d’amore, Poissance d’amore, De vetula and Amistié de vraie amour. In addition, he composed a list of his own books entitled the Biblionomia, the Nativitas (an astrological autobiography), and the De arte alchemica.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.