Primat of Saint-Denis

[3] Long regarded as a mere scribe or translator, the 20th-century discovery that he authored a Latin chronicle spurred a reassessment of his role in creating the Grandes Chroniques.

That his Latin chronicle appears to have ended abruptly in 1277 in the middle of the reign of Philip III suggests that Primat died at that time or shortly after.

Guillaume de Nangis, in his Vita Ludovici IX, borrows directly from Primat without citing him, apparently because he considered his work just an extension of Gilon's.

[6] Auguste Molinier suggests that the original chronicle ended with the disgrace of Pierre de la Broce in 1278.

[7] Primat's Old French chronicle, Roman des rois ("Romance of Kings"), was presented to Philip III in about 1274.

[8] Primat's abbot, Matthew of Vendôme, also had a large role in its production and is a more imposing figure than the king in the original presentation miniature.

[8] The main source was a compendium of Latin histories from Saint-Denis copied about 1250 and now in Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat.

[1][10] This contained the Liber historiae Francorum; the Gesta Dagoberti; two works by Sigebert of Gembloux, the Chronographia and the Vita Sigeberti III; Aimon of Fleury's De gestis regum Francorum with its continuation; Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni and Annales; the chronicle of Pseudo-Turpin; Hugh of Fleury's Historia regum Francorum with its continuation; William of Jumièges's Gesta Normannorum ducum with its continuation; Suger's lives of Louis VI and Louis VII; Rigord's life of Philip Augustus; and William the Breton's Gesta Philippi Augusti.

[11] The original presentation copy of the Roman des rois is generally thought to be Paris, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, MS 782, which is illustrated with thirty-four miniatures.

[11] Primat's Latin chronicle became a source for the first continuation of the Grandes Chroniques de France, much of its text appearing verbatim (in translation) there.