Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109 CE) was a medieval philosopher, theologian, and archbishop, widely regarded as the father of Scholasticism. Born in Aosta (in present-day Italy), Anselm joined the Benedictine monastery of Bec in Normandy, where he eventually became prior and then abbot. His intellectual brilliance and spiritual discipline soon earned him renown across Europe.