Anselm was born in Aosta, Italy, in 1033. Little is known of his childhood, other than some events narrated in Eadmer’s
Life of Saint Anselmand occasional insights that can be gleaned from Anselm’s letters. His father, Gundulf, came from Lombardy and his mother, Ermenberga, was a citizen of Aosta. He had a sister, Richeza. The family were kinsfolk and vassals of the Counts of Savoy.
After the death of his mother, Anselm fell out with his father and left Aosta in 1056, never to return. He headed north to Burgundy and then to France. After about three years he decided to go to Normandy and seek out the famous teacher, Lanfranc, who by now was the prior of the Benedictine monastery at Bec. Anselm thus ended up in a place that was to play a significant role in the initial phase of Norman
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Citation: Logan, Ian. "Saint Anselm". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 September 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=120, accessed 25 November 2024.]
