Background
Li Muisis was born in January 1272, probably in Tournai, Belgium.
Li Muisis was born in January 1272, probably in Tournai, Belgium.
In 1289 Li Muisis entered the Benedictine abbey of St Martin in his native city. After being made prior of the abbey in 1329, he journeyed to Paris in 1330 to defend its interests against creditors. On April 30, 1331, he became abbot and, through his skill as an administrator, was able to revive some of Saint-Martin’s former prosperity. He only secured the position after a contest with a competitor, but he appears to have been a wise ruler of the abbey. Gilles wrote two Latin chronicles, Chronicon majus and Chronicon minus, dealing with the history of the world, spanning from its creation up to 1349. This work, which was expanded by another writer to encompass 1352, is valuable for containing the history of northern France and Flanders in the first half of the 14th century. It is published by J. J. de Senet in the Corpus chronicorum Flandriae. His two Latin chronicles are reasonably trustworthy sources because he was close to political events, harboured prominent persons at his abbey, and had a critical historical view. He drew upon eyewitness testimony and was critical of reported miracles. Toward the end of his life he composed poems in the rustic Tournaisien dialect. These are more interesting for philological study than as literature, being repetitious and lacking in elegance. They are primarily warnings against immorality, corruption, and decadence. He died on October 15, 1352.