ÉLOISE

Éloise: translation

Éloise f

French: probably of Germanic origin, although the elements of which it is composed have not been identified. Éloise or Héloïse was the name of the learned and beautiful wife (d. c.1164) of the French philosopher and theologian Peter Abelard (1079–1142), whom she married secretly. A misunderstanding with her uncle and guardian, the powerful and violent Canon Fulbert of Notre Dame led to Abelard being set upon, beaten up, and castrated. He became a monk, and Héloïse spent the rest of her days as abbess of a nunnery, but they continued to write to each other. The name has been occasionally revived in modern times in allusion to her fidelity and piety.

Cognate: English: Eloise.