English historians in the Middle Ages is an overview of the history of English historians and their works in the Middle Ages. English historians helped lay the groundwork for modern historical methodology, provided vital accounts of the early history of England, its culture, and revelations about the historians themselves.
The most remarkable period of historical writting 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.
Early Middle Ages
Prior to the boom in historical writing in the High Middle Ages, the number and quality of works from Englands earlier period is often lacking, with some notable and bright exceptions. Future 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..".
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.
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Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae) (died 570)
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Nennius, History of Britain (Historia Britonum) 809
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Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum) 1-731 AD
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Asser, Life of King Alfred 893
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Annales Cambriae, Annals of Wales 447-954 (c.970)
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.
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 Englands early Kings, such as Geoffrey’s King Arthur.
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.
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. This process would often be compounded as later writers would copy these works in full or part.
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 starkly 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
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.
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.
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Eadmer, History of Recent Events (Historia novorum) 960-1109
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Florence of Worcester Chronicon ex chronicis 0-1117
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William of Malmesbury, Deeds of the Kings (Gesta regum) 449-1120
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Symeon of Durham, History of the Kings (Historia regum) 616-1129
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Henry of Huntingdon, History of the English (Historia Anglorum) 55BC-1129
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Alfred of Beverley, Annales sive Historia de gestis regum Britanniae 0-1129
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Orderic Vitalis, Ecclesiastical History (Historia Ecclesiastica) 1-1141,
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1-1154
- Deeds of King Stephen (Gesta Stephani) 1-1154
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William of Newburgh, History of English Affairs (Historia rerum Anglicarum), 1066-1198
- Gervase of Canterbury , Chronicle (Chronicon), 1135-1199
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Ralph of Diceto, Images of History (Imagines Historiarum), 1148-1202
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Roger of Howden, Chronicle (Chronicon) 732-1201
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Walter Map, Trifles of the Court (De Nugis Curialium) (died 1209)
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Gerald of Wales, Itinerarium Cambriae 1191, Descriptio Cambriae 1194
- Ralph of Coggeshall , Chronicle (Chronicon) 1066-1224
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Roger of Wendover, Flores Historiarum 1202-1235
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Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora (died 1259)
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Piers Langtoft, Langtoft's Chronicle (Chronicon) (died 1307)
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Robert Mannyng, Chronicle (Chronica) (translations of earlier work, through 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.
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
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The Cambridge History of English and American Literature Volume I, English, Chapters 5 through 10.
Footnotes
