Editing Suger (section)

== Early life ==
Suger was born into a family of minor knights {{c.}} 1081 (or 1080), landholders at [[Chennevières-lès-Louvres]], a small village surrounding [[Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis|Saint-Denis]] in northern [[Pays de France|Parisis]].<ref>John F. Benton, "[https://archive.org/details/abbot-suger-and-saint-denis_202104/page/3/mode/1up Suger's Life and Personality]," in Paula Lieber Gerson, ed. ''Symposium'' (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986) p. 3. {{free access}}</ref> Suger was one of the younger sons in a family of some substance and upwardly connections where many went into the church, and so he was given as an [[Oblate (religion)|oblate]] to the [[abbey of St. Denis]] at age ten in 1091. He first trained at the priory of [[Estrées-Saint-Denis|Saint-Denis de L'Estrée]] for about a decade, where he would have first met the future king [[Louis VI of France]].<ref group=note>Their friendship may have been shortlived for Louis had left the abbey's schooling in 1092: whilst it is not ''certain'' that the two were friends yet, it is not unlikely given the cozy number of students present. In 1124, Louis refers to Suger as a "faithful and familiar" companion (Jules Tardif, ''[https://archive.org/details/monumentshistori00tard/page/217/mode/2up Monuments historiques]'', no. 391).</ref> Suger took up the oblate life relatively easily, and showed strong ability including in [[Latin]] and a firm grasp of legal matters. This ability led to him being chosen to work in the abbey archives to find documents that could protect the abbey from usurpation by [[Bouchard II of Montmorency]], where historians speculate of his involvement in the appearance of a forged [[charter]]—if this was Suger's work, then it is certainly a fitting reflection and early example of his close admiration of the abbey.<ref group=note>Lindy Grant, ''Abbot Suger of St-Denis: Church and State in Early Twelfth-Century France'' (Essex: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998) p. 80, fn. 30.</ref>

Suger began a successful career in monastic administration as he went on several missions for his abbey, which held land at several vantage points across the country. Finding favour with the [[abbot]] of Saint-Denis, Abbot Adam, Suger's political career would develop under him as in 1106 he became his secretary.<rEF group=note>Suger has a tendency to downplay Abbot Adam's achievements: these are explored in Rolf Große, "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486835427.31/pdf ''L'abbé Adam, Prédécesseur De Suger''],"  in Rolf Große, ed. ''Suger en question'' (Munich: Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2004) pp. 31–43. [in French] {{free access}}</ref> Suger found himself involved in significant events: in the same year, he was at the [[synod]] at [[Poitiers]]; in the Spring of 1107 to attend [[Pope Paschal II]]; in 1109, where he met Louis VI again as he sat a dispute between the king and [[Henry I of England]], and; in 1112 at [[Rome]] for the second [[Lateran council]]. During this time, he held administrative roles that required him to be first at [[Berneval-le-Grand|Berneval]] in [[Normandy]] in 1108 as provost, then from mid-1109 to 1111 provost to the more important priory of [[Toury]]. The area was suffering as a result of [[Hugh III of Le Puiset]]'s exploitation of revenues, with a series of disputes and failing alliances eventually led to Suger gaining experience on the battlefield.<ref>John France<!--[France!]-->, ''Medieval France at War'' (Leeds: Arc Humanities Press, 2022) p. 79. OCLC WorldCat [https://search.worldcat.org/title/1381142379 1381142379.]</ref> He appeared to take up this new challenge well and was successful, though would go on to heavily regret his involvement in warfare by his sixties.<ref>In ''Ordinatio'', he asks God to forgive "what I have done," and refers to himself as "clearly being an irreligious man." (trans. Panofsky, p. 123)</ref> There is a complete gap in sources on Suger's whereabouts after he left Toury in 1112,<Ref>Grant, ''Suger: Church and State'', p. 96.</ref> though he was likely advancing his monastic position alongside working on further negotiations.

It is from 1118 when the sources start again, where Suger is deeply entrenched in royal affairs. He is chosen as the royal envoy to welcome the fleeing [[Pope Gelasius II]] (John of Gaetani) to France and arrange a meeting with Louis VI.<ref group=note>Pope Paschal II dies January 1118; John of Gaetani is made the new pope, becoming Gelasius II; Henry V marched on Rome and appointed Gregory (VIII) as an [[antipope]]; Gelasius fled to France to the protection of Louis VI.</ref> Suger was sent to live at the court of Gelasius at [[Maguelonne]], and later at his successor [[Pope Calixtus II]]'s court in Italy in 1121. It was on his return from in March 1122 that Suger, now 41, learned of Abbot Adam's death and that the others at the abbey had elected him to be the new abbot. Suger took pride in the fact that this happened in his absence and without his knowledge—whilst Louis was initially enraged at the fact that the decision was made without him being consulted first, he was clearly content with Suger assuming the role, as the two enjoyed a strong working relationship.