Louis of Velthem
Lodewijk van Velthem was a Flemish poet and priest of the late 13th and early 14th century writing in Middle Dutch.
Also recorded as Lodewijk van Velthem
Louis of Velthem
Tweede Partiekopiist · Universiteitsbibliotheek Gent UB 1374 · CC BY 3.0
- Born
- 1260
- Died
- 1320
- Occupation
- writer · poet
- Known for
- Merlijn · Continuation of the Spiegel historiael
- Languages
- Middle Dutch
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Lodewijk van Velthem was a Flemish poet and priest of the late 13th and early 14th century writing in Middle Dutch.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Louis of Velthem (1260–1320) was a poet and writer.
Among the works are Continuation of the Spiegel historiael and Merlijn. Languages used include Middle Dutch. Works are held at KB, nationale bibliotheek.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Louis of Velthem. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2568999
In this article
Biography
Biography
Very little is known about the life of Lodewijk van Velthem. He was said to be from Brabant, and from descriptions of what he witnessed we can deduce that he was active before 1293 and until at least 1327. He presumably lived in Paris between 1293 and 1296. In the winter of 1298, he was in Ghent. He was ordained a priest in or before 1304 as he worked as a chaplain in Zichem then. By 1312, he was the parish priest of Veltem, now a part of Herent; this is presumably the origin of his name. His earliest known writings date to this period, as the 4th part of the Spieghel Historiael was finished in 1315.
Work
Work
After the death of Jacob van Maerlant, Van Velthem finished his most important work, the Spieghel historiael, writing the end of the 4th part and the complete 5th part. In 1326, he finished the Boec van Merline, an Arthurian poem.
Manuscript Leyden BPL E 14, with the nearly complete Vijfde Partie, written by Lodewijk van Velthem.
Spieghel Historiael by Lodewijk van Velthem. Manuscript Leiden University Library (The Netherlands)
Lodewijk van Velthem · Lodewijk van Velthem, Spiegel historiael. Leiden University Library, BPL 14 E f078v-079r
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1260
Louis of Velthem born.
1320
Louis of Velthem died.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Louis Marie FontanAuthor
- Louis McKeeAuthor
- Louis Narcisse Baudry des LozièresAuthor
- Louis O. CoxeAuthor
- Louis OliverAuthor
- Louis ParrotAuthor
- Louis Paul BoonAuthor
- Louis PayenAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Louis of Velthem?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.