author
active 1279 d'Orléans Laurent
A 13th-century Dominican friar at the French royal court, this medieval writer is best remembered for turning religious teaching into a practical guide for everyday life. His best-known work, La Somme le roi, traveled widely across Europe and inspired later translations and adaptations.
1 Audiobook
The Ayenbite of Inwyt (Remorse of Conscience) A Translation of Parts into Modern English
by active 14th century Dan Michel, active 1279 d'Orléans Laurent
About the author
Laurent d’Orléans was a Dominican friar active in the late 13th century. Sources describe him as a confessor to King Philip III of France and a tutor to the king’s children, placing him close to the French court.
He is best known for La Somme le roi, a moral and religious handbook written in 1279. The work explains core Christian teaching in a clear, organized way, covering subjects such as sins, virtues, and the commandments, which helps explain why it circulated so widely in manuscript form.
Laurent’s influence lasted well beyond his own lifetime. La Somme le roi was translated and reworked in other languages, including Middle English, where it helped shape later devotional writing such as The Book of Vices and Virtues.