English historians in the Middle Ages is an overview of the history of English¹ historians and their works in the Middle Ages. These historians helped lay the groundwork for modern historical methodology, provided vital accounts of the early history of England, Wales and Normandy, its cultures, and revelations about the historians themselves. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... Historiography is the study of the way history is and has been written. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Flag of Normandy Mont Saint Michel is a historic pilgrimage site and a symbol of Normandy Normandy is a geographical region in northern France. ...

The most remarkable period of historical writing was during the High Middle Ages in the 12th and 13th centuries, when English chronicles produced works with a variety of interest, wealth of information and amplitude of range. However one might choose to view the reliability or nature of particular works, it is from these that much of our knowledge of the Middle Ages originates. The cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, a significant architectural contribution of the High Middle Ages. ...

Early Middle Ages

Prior to the boom in historical writing in the High Middle Ages, the number and quality of works from England's earlier period is often lacking, with some notable and bright exceptions. Later historians lamented the gaps in this period and usually explained it by way of Viking invasions; in the 12th century William of Malmesbury said "..in many places in England that knowledge of the deeds of the saints has been wiped out, in my opinion by the violence of enemies..".²

List of Historians

Listed chronologically, by author's death. Dates represent the historical period covered by the work(s). Works and authors listed are not exhaustive. These are the major and most significant historians and chroniclers of the period.

1. Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae) (died 570)
2. Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum) 1-731 AD
3. Nennius, History of Britain (Historia Britonum) 809
4. Asser, Life of King Alfred 893
5. Annales Cambriae, Annals of Wales 447-954 (c.970)

Gildas (c. ... Bede depicted in an early medieval manuscript Depiction of Bede from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493 Bede (Latin Beda), also known as Saint Bede or, more commonly, the Venerable Bede (ca. ... The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Venerable Bede on the history of the Christian church in England, and of England generally. ... Nennius, or Nemnivus, is the name of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. ... The Historia Britonum, or The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first written sometime shortly after AD 820, and exists in several recensions of varying difference. ... Asser (d. ... Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, believed to date from 970, is a chronicle of events thought to be significant occurring during the years 447-954. ...

High Middle Ages

The High Middle Ages were a golden period for historical writing in England. The craft of history was not a professional subject taught in school, such as the scholastic subjects of logic, theology, law and natural science, but rather something practiced by well educated men of learning, not subjected to the process of systems and procedures of Academia. It was a realm for educated men in monasteries and the courts of kings, bishops and barons, who had the time and position and particular talents to pursue it. As a result the quality and variety of the histories from this period are highly variable, with some entertaining and appealing examples. The cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, a significant architectural contribution of the High Middle Ages. ... Scholastic redirects here. ... This article is about European institutions. ...

After the Norman Conquest there was an explosion of interest in English history. It has been theorized this was due in part to the native English desire to reclaim their cultural identity from the debacle of 1066. As well the new Norman rulers were interested in discovering who it was they had reigned over, which fueled demand for legends of England's early Kings, such as Geoffrey’s King Arthur. Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. ...

Characteristics

The works of this period are often categorized by Chronicles, and by literary Histories. Chroniclers recorded events and dates of events with little prose or expansion. For example the Winchcombe Annals, by a 12th century monk, wrote one paragraph for each year, no matter how much or little happened, with one-sentence for each event in that year. In this way Chronicles would often give as much, or more, attention to things of little importance as those things of greater importance. Generally a chronicle (Latin chronica) is historical account of facts and events in chronological order. ...

Unlike Chronicles, the literary histories could be classified along with other forms of medieval literature. Indeed, entertainment was considered a legitimate function of historical writing. Historical accounts of battles often included long, and entirely invented, speeches from leaders. Histories were as much a part of medieval literature as other forms, such as the romance. Most of them endeavoured to be readable, arming themselves, as Roger of Wendover does, against both "the listless hearer and the fastidious reader" by "presenting something which each may relish," and so providing for the joint "profit and entertainment of all."³

Another characteristic of the histories of the period is that they borrowed heavily from other writers, often directly copying entire works as their own. For example Henry of Huntingdon's History of the English is only one fourth original, relying in many places on Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica. This process would often be compounded as later writers would copy these works in full or part. Henry of Huntingdon (c. ...

Bede was highly regarded by historians of this period, and later historians lamented the fact that the 223 year period between Bede's death in 735 and Eadmers History of Recent Events (starting in 960) was sparsely represented. William of Malmesbury said of Bede "after him you will not easily find men who turned their minds to the composition of Latin histories of their own people".⁴ Henry of Huntigdon referred to Bede as "that holy and venerable man, a man of brilliant mind,".⁵ Bede depicted in an early medieval manuscript Depiction of Bede from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493 Bede (Latin Beda), also known as Saint Bede or, more commonly, the Venerable Bede (ca. ... Eadmer, or Edmer (c. ...

For writing contemporary history, historians could draw on their own eye-witness accounts, reports from those they met and primary source documents such as letters. A good network of contacts was essential, and taking many journeys was common. Clerics assigned to the courts of Kings would often have the best access to information, such as Roger of Howden in Henry I's reign. Although some monks, such as William of Newburgh, never left their monastery, yet he was able to obtain considerable information through the network of story-telling and gossip which existed in the theoretical seclusion and silence of monastic life. Henry I of England (c. ...

List of Historians

Listed chronologically, by authors death. Dates represent the historical period covered by the work(s). Works and authors listed are not exhaustive. These are the major and most significant Historians and Chroniclers of the period.

1. Eadmer, History of Recent Events (Historia novorum) 960-1109
2. Florence of Worcester Chronicon ex chronicis 0-1117
3. William of Malmesbury, Deeds of the Kings (Gesta regum) 449-1120
4. Symeon of Durham, History of the Kings (Historia regum) 616-1129
5. Henry of Huntingdon, History of the English (Historia Anglorum) 55BC-1129
6. Alfred of Beverley, Annales sive Historia de gestis regum Britanniae 0-1129
7. Orderic Vitalis, Ecclesiastical History (Historia Ecclesiastica) 1-1141,
8. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1-1154
9. Deeds of King Stephen (Gesta Stephani) 1-1154
10. William of Newburgh, History of English Affairs (Historia rerum Anglicarum), 1066-1198
11. Gervase of Canterbury, Chronicle (Chronicon), 1135-1199
12. Ralph of Diceto, Images of History (Imagines Historiarum), 1148-1202
13. Roger of Howden, Chronicle (Chronicon) 732-1201
14. Walter Map, Trifles of the Court (De Nugis Curialium) (died 1209)
15. Gerald of Wales, Itinerarium Cambriae 1191, Descriptio Cambriae 1194
16. Ralph of Coggeshall, Chronicle (Chronicon) 1066-1224
17. Roger of Wendover, Flores Historiarum 1202-1235
18. Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora (died 1259)
19. Piers Langtoft, Langtoft's Chronicle (Chronicon) (died 1307)
20. Nicholas Trivet, Annales sex regum Angliae 1135-1307
21. Robert Mannyng, Chronicle (Chronica) (translations of earlier work, through 1338)

Eadmer, or Edmer (c. ... Florence of Worcester (died July 7, 1118) was a 12th century English chronicler. ... William of Malmesbury (c. ... Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (d. ... Henry of Huntingdon (c. ... Alredus, or Alfred of Beverley, English chronicler, was sacristan of the church of Beverley in the first half of the 12th century. ... Orderic Vitalis (1075 – c. ... The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the English and their settlement in Britain. ... Deeds of King Stephen or Acts of Stephen or Gesta Stephani is a 12th century English history by an anonymous author. ... William of Newburgh (1136?-1198?), also known as Nubrigensis, was a 12th century English historian, and monk, from Yorkshire. ... Gervase of Canterbury (Gervas us Dorobornensis) was an English chronicler. ... Ralph of Diceto was a 12th century English chronicler. ... Roger of Hoveden, or Howden (fl. ... Walter Map (~1137-1209) was a medieval writer, probably either of Welsh origin or from Herefordshire (which at the time was almost the same thing). ... Giraldus Cambrensis (c. ... Ralph of Coggeshall (d. ... Roger of Wendover (d. ... The Flores Historiarum (Flowers of History) is a Latin chronicle dealing with English history from the creation to 1326 (although some of the earlier manuscripts end at 1306). ... Self portrait of Matthew Paris from a manuscript of his chronicle (London, British Library, MS Royal 14. ... Piers Langtoft (died ~1307) was an English historian and chronicler who took his name from the small village of Langtoft in Yorkshire (present day East Yorkshire). ... Nicholas Trivet (or Trevet), (c. ... Robert Mannyng of Brunne, a Gilbertine Monk, provides a surprising amount of information about himself in his two known works, Handlyng Synne and a Chronicle. ... Mannyngs Chronicle is a chronicle written by Robert Mannyng in 1338. ...

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth is singled out from the list because, on the one hand he was the most popular historian of all of England in this period. On the other hand his work History of the Kings of Britain (Historia Regum Britannia) was considered almost entirely fiction and was not considered authentic history by some other contemporary historians. Kings of Britain covers the legend of King Arthur as well as other Welsh legends of the early period of England, and was presented, and often accepted as, actual English history. It was extremely popular, but other contemporary historians, interested in impartiality and truth, were highly critical of Geoffrey. William of Newburgh devotes an extended section of the preface of Historia to discredit Geoffrey, saying at one point "only a person ignorant of ancient history would have any doubt about how shamelessly and impudently he lies in almost everything".⁶ The discussion over the Historical basis for King Arthur continues to this day. Geoffrey of Monmouth was a clergyman and one of the major figures in the development of British history. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... There is considerable debate among historians about the historical basis of King Arthur. ...

References

• Robert Bartlett. England under the Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225, Oxford, 2000, ISBN 0199251010
• Antonia Gransden. Historical Writing in England, volume 1. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1974.
• Nancy F. Partner. Serious Entertainments: The Writing of History in Twelfth-Century England. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977.
• Edgar Graves, A Bibliography of English History to 1485, Oxford 1975 ISBN 0198223919
• Richard Sharpe, A Handlist of the Latin Writer of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540, Turnhout 1997 ISBN 2503505759
• The Cambridge History of English and American Literature Volume I, English, Chapters 5 through 10.

Footnotes

• Note 1: The term "English" in the context of this article also includes Welsh and Norman authors who wrote about history relevant to England.
• Note 2: William of Malmesbury, Gesta pontificum, ed. N.E.S.A. Hamilton (RS;1870).
• Note 3: "Latin Chroniclers from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries: England and Normandy" from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature (1907-1921).
• Note 4: William of Malmesbury, Gesta regum, prolouge.
• Note 5: Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum, 4.11
• Note 6: William of Newburgh, History of English Affairs, Book I, preface.

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. ...

See also

• List of English chronicles