The text itself was probably written in the Île-de-France or near Soissons, since the author seems especially well-informed about that region. He or she probably had first-hand knowledge of the Crusader states in the East. Nothing more can be said of the author's biography. The text was probably written shortly after 1261, perhaps about 1265. The text does not hint at the death of Louis IX of France in 1270 on the Eighth Crusade or his canonization in 1297.