Historia regum Britanniae - wikipedia Historia regum Britanniae This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( June 2013 ) Historia regum Britanniae The History of the Kings of Britain Illumination of a 15th - century manuscript of Historia regum Britanniae showing Vortigern and Ambros watching the fight between two dragons. Author ( s ) Geoffrey of Monmouth Ascribed to Geoffrey claims to have translated `` a very ancient book in the British tongue '' into Latin Dedicated to Robert, earl of Gloucester and Waleran, count of Meulan Language Latin Date c. 1136 Manuscript ( s ) 215 manuscripts, notably Bern, Burgerbibliothek, MS. 568 Genre Pseudohistory Subject Legendary kings of the Britons Setting Mainly Great Britain Personages See, e.g., List of legendary kings of Britain Adapted and translated, e.g., by Wace, Layamon and the authors of the Brut y Brenhinedd. Historia regum Britanniae ( The History of the Kings of Britain ), originally called De gestis Britonum ( On the Deeds of the Britons ), is a pseudohistorical ( fictitious ) account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons over the course of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation and continuing until the Anglo - Saxons assumed control of much of Britain around the 7th century. It is one of the central pieces of the Matter of Britain. Although credited uncritically well into the 16th century, it is now considered to have no value as history. When events described, such as Julius Caesar 's invasions of Britain, can be corroborated from contemporary histories, Geoffrey 's account can be seen to be wildly inaccurate. It remains, however, a valuable piece of medieval literature, which contains the earliest known version of the story of King Lear and his three daughters, and helped popularise the legend of King Arthur. Contents 1 Contents 1.1 Dedication 1.2 Book One 1.3 Book Two 1.4 Book Three 1.5 Book Four 1.6 Books Five and Six 1.7 Book Seven : The Prophecies of Merlin 1.8 Book Eight 1.9 Books Nine and Ten 1.10 Books Eleven and Twelve 2 Sources 3 Influence 4 Manuscript tradition and textual history 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links Contents Dedication Geoffrey starts the book with a statement of his purpose in writing the history : `` I have not been able to discover anything at all on the kings who lived here before the Incarnation of Christ, or indeed about Arthur and all the others who followed on after the Incarnation. Yet the deeds of these men were such that they deserve to be praised for all time. '' He claims that he was given a source for this period by Archdeacon Walter of Oxford, who presented him with a `` certain very ancient book written in the British language '' from which he has translated his history. He also cites Gildas and Bede as sources. Then follows a dedication to Robert, earl of Gloucester and Waleran, count of Meulan, whom he enjoins to use their knowledge and wisdom to improve his tale. Book one The Historia itself begins with the Trojan Aeneas, who according to Roman legend settled in Italy after the Trojan War. His great - grandson Brutus is banished, and, after a period of wandering, is directed by the goddess Diana to settle on an island in the western ocean. Brutus lands at Totnes and names the island, then called Albion, `` Britain '' after himself. Brutus defeats the giants who are the only inhabitants of the island, and establishes his capital, Troia Nova, on the banks of the Thames ; after his time it is renamed London. Book two When Brutus dies, his three sons, Locrinus, Kamber and Albanactus, divide the county between themselves ; the three kingdoms are named Loegria, Kambria ( Wales ) and Albany ( Scotland ). The story then progresses rapidly through the reigns of the descendants of Locrinus, including Bladud, who uses magic and even tries to fly. Bladud 's son Leir reigns for sixty years. He has no sons, so upon reaching old age he decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. To decide who should get the largest share, he asks his daughters how much they love him. Goneril and Regan give extravagant answers, but Cordelia answers simply and sincerely ; angered, he gives Cordelia no land. Goneril and Regan are to share half the island with their husbands, the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall. Cordelia marries Aganippus, King of the Franks, and departs for Gaul. Soon Goneril and Regan and their husbands rebel and take the whole kingdom. After Leir has had all his attendants taken from him, he begins to regret his actions towards Cordelia and travels to Gaul. Cordelia receives him compassionately and restores his royal robes and retinue. Aganippus raises a Gaulish army for Leir, who returns to Britain, defeats his sons - in - law and regains the kingdom. Leir rules for three years and then dies ; Cordelia inherits the throne and rules for five years before Marganus and Cunedagius, her sisters ' sons, rebel against her. They imprison Cordelia ; grief - stricken, she kills herself. Marganus and Cunedagius divide the kingdom between themselves, but soon quarrel and go to war with each other. Cunedagius eventually kills Marganus in Wales and retains the whole kingdom, ruling for thirty - three years. He is succeeded by his son. A later descendant of Cunedagius, King Gorboduc, has two sons called Ferreux and Porrex. They quarrel and both are eventually killed, sparking a civil war. This leads to Britain being ruled by five kings, who keep attacking each other. Dunvallo Molmutius, the son of the King of Cornwall, becomes pre-eminent. He eventually defeats the other kings and establishes his rule over the whole island. He is said to have `` established the so - called Molmutine Laws which are still famous today among the English ''. Book three Dunvallo 's sons, Belinus and Brennius, fight a civil war before being reconciled, and proceed to sack Rome. Victorious, Brennius remains in Italy, while Belinus returns to rule Britain. Numerous brief accounts of successive kings follow. These include Lud, who renames Trinovantum `` Kaerlud '' after himself ; this later becomes corrupted to Lon don. Lud is succeeded by his brother, Cassibelanus. Book four After his conquest of Gaul, Julius Caesar looks over the sea and resolves to order Britain to swear obedience and pay tribute to Rome. His commands are answered by a letter of refusal from Cassivellaunus. Caesar sails a fleet to Britain, but he is overwhelmed by Cassivellaunus 's army and forced to retreat to Gaul. Two years later he makes another attempt, but is again pushed back. Then Cassivellaunus quarrels with one of his dukes, Androgeus, who sends a letter to Caesar asking him to help avenge the duke 's honour. Caesar invades once more and besieges Cassivellaunus on a hill. After several days Cassivellaunus offers to make peace with Caesar, and Androgeus, filled with remorse, goes to Caesar to plead with him for mercy. Cassivellaunus pays tribute and makes peace with Caesar, who then returns to Gaul. Cassivelaunus dies and is succeeded by Androgeus 's son Tenvantius, who is succeeded in turn by his son Kymbelinus, and then Kymbelinus 's son Guiderius. Guiderius refuses to pay tribute to emperor Claudius, who then invades Britain. After Guiderius is killed in battle with the Romans, his brother Arvirargus continues the defence, but eventually agrees to submit to Rome, and is given the hand of Claudius 's daughter Genvissa in marriage. Claudius returns to Rome, leaving the province under Arviragus 's governorship. The line of British kings continues under Roman rule, and includes Lucius, Britain 's first Christian king, and several Roman figures, including the emperor Constantine I, the usurper Allectus and the military commander Asclepiodotus. After a long period of Roman rule, the Romans decide they no longer wish to defend the island and depart. The Britons are immediately besieged by attacks from Picts, Scots and Danes. In desperation the Britons send letters to the general of the Roman forces, asking for help, but receive no reply ( this passage borrows heavily from the corresponding section in Gildas ' De Excidio Britanniae ). Books five and six After the Romans leave, Vortigern comes to power, and invites the Saxons under Hengist and Horsa to fight for him as mercenaries, but they rise against him. Book seven : the prophecies of Merlin At this point Geoffrey abruptly pauses his narrative by inserting a series of prophecies attributed to Merlin. Some of the prophecies act as an epitome of upcoming chapters of the Historia, while others are veiled allusions to historical people and events of the Norman world in the 11th - 12th centuries. The remainder are obscure. Book eight After Aurelius Ambrosius defeats and kills Vortigern, becoming king, Britain remains in a state of war under him and his brother Uther. They are both assisted by the wizard Merlin. At one point during the continuous string of battles, Ambrosius takes ill and Uther must lead the army for him. This allows an enemy assassin to pose as a physician and poison Ambrosius. When the king dies, a comet taking the form of a dragon 's head ( pendragon ) appears in the night sky, which Merlin interprets as a sign that Ambrosius is dead and that Uther will be victorious and succeed him. So after defeating his latest enemies, Uther adds `` Pendragon '' to his name and is crowned king. But another enemy strikes, forcing Uther to make war again. This time he is temporarily defeated, gaining final victory only with the help of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall. But while celebrating this victory with Gorlois, he falls in love with the duke 's wife, Igerna. This leads to war between Uther Pendragon and Gorlois of Cornwall, during which Uther clandestinely lies with Igerna through the magic of Merlin. Arthur is conceived that night. Then Gorlois is killed and Uther marries Igerna. But he must war against the Saxons again. Although Uther ultimately triumphs, he dies after drinking water from a spring the Saxons had poisoned. Books nine and ten Uther 's son Arthur assumes the throne and defeats the Saxons so severely that they cease to be a threat until after his death. In the meantime, Arthur conquers most of northern Europe and ushers in a period of peace and prosperity that lasts until the Roman emperor Lucius Hiberius demands that Britain once again pay tribute to Rome. Arthur defeats Lucius in Gaul, but in his absence, his nephew Mordred seduces and marries Guinevere and seizes the throne. Books eleven and twelve Arthur returns and kills Mordred at the Battle of Camlann, but, mortally wounded, he is carried off to the isle of Avalon, and hands the kingdom to his cousin Constantine, son of Cador and Duke of Cornwall. The Saxons returned after Arthur 's death, but would not end the line of British kings until the death of Cadwallader. Sources See also : Brut y Brenhinedd § Brut Tysilio and Geoffrey 's putative British source Geoffrey claimed to have translated the Historia into Latin from `` a very ancient book in the British tongue '', given to him by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford. However, no modern scholars take this claim seriously. Much of the work appears to be derived from Gildas 's 6th - century polemic The Ruin of Britain, Bede 's 8th - century Ecclesiastical History of the English People, the 9th - century History of the Britons ascribed to Nennius, the 10th - century Welsh Annals, medieval Welsh genealogies ( such as the Harleian Genealogies ) and king - lists, the poems of Taliesin, the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, and some of the medieval Welsh saints ' lives, expanded and turned into a continuous narrative by Geoffrey 's own imagination. Influence In an exchange of manuscript material for their own histories, Robert of Torigny gave Henry of Huntington a copy of Historia regum Britanniae, which both Robert and Henry used uncritically as authentic history and subsequently used in their own works, by which means some of Geoffrey 's fictions became embedded in popular history. The history of Geoffrey forms the basis for much British lore and literature as well as being a rich source of material for Welsh bards. It became tremendously popular during the High Middle Ages, revolutionising views of British history before and during the Anglo - Saxon period despite the criticism of such writers as William of Newburgh and Gerald of Wales. The prophecies of Merlin in particular were often drawn on in later periods, for instance by both sides in the issue of English influence over Scotland under Edward I and his successors. The Historia was quickly translated into Norman verse by Wace ( the Roman de Brut ) in 1155. Wace 's version was in turn translated into Middle English verse by Layamon ( the Brut ) in the early 13th century. In the second quarter of the 13th century, a version in Latin verse, the Gesta Regum Britanniae, was produced by William of Rennes. Material from Geoffrey was incorporated into a large variety of Anglo - Norman and Middle English prose compilations of historical material from the 13th century onward. Geoffrey was translated into a number of different Welsh prose versions by the end of the 13th century, collectively known as Brut y Brenhinedd. One variant of the Brut y Brenhinedd, the so - called Brut Tysilio, was proposed in 1917 by the archaeologist William Flinders Petrie to be the ancient British book that Geoffrey translated, although the Brut itself claims to have been translated from Latin by Walter of Oxford, based on his own earlier translation from Welsh to Latin. Geoffrey 's work is greatly important because it brought the Welsh culture into British society and made it acceptable. It is also the first record we have of the great figure King Lear, and the beginning of the mythical King Arthur figure. For many centuries, the Historia was accepted at face value, and much of its material was incorporated into Holinshed 's 16th - century Chronicles. Modern historians have regarded the Historia as a work of fiction with some factual information contained within. John Morris in The Age of Arthur calls it a `` deliberate spoof '', although this is based on misidentifying Walter, archdeacon of Oxford, as Walter Map, a satirical writer who lived a century later. It continues to have an influence on popular culture -- e.g., Mary Stewart 's Merlin Trilogy and the TV miniseries Merlin both contain large elements taken from the Historia. Manuscript Tradition and textual history Two hundred and fifteen medieval manuscripts of the Historia survive, dozens of them copied before the end of the 12th century. Even among the earliest manuscripts a large number of textual variants, such as the so - called `` First Variant '', can be discerned. These are reflected in the three possible prefaces to the work and in the presence or absence of certain episodes and phrases. Certain variants may be due to `` authorial '' additions to different early copies, but most probably reflect early attempts to alter, add to or edit the text. Unfortunately, the task of disentangling these variants and establishing Geoffrey 's original text is long and complex, and the extent of the difficulties surrounding the text has been established only recently. The variant title Historia regum Britaniae was introduced in the Middle Ages, and this became the most common form in the modern period. A critical edition of the work published in 2007, however, demonstrated that the most accurate manuscripts refer to the work as De gestis Britonum, and that this was the title Geoffrey himself used to refer to the work. See also List of legendary kings of Britain References Jump up ^ Polydore Vergil 's skeptical reading of Geoffrey of Monmouth provoked at first a reaction of denial in England, `` yet the seeds of doubt once sown '' eventually replaced Geoffrey 's romances with a new Renaissance historical approach, according to Hans Baron, `` Fifteenth - century civilization and the Renaissance '', in The New Cambridge Modern history, vol. 1 1957 : 56. Jump up ^ Thorpe, Lewis G.M. ( 1966 ). `` Dedication ''. The history of the Kings of Britain. New York : Penguin Books. pp. 51 -- 52. ISBN 0 - 14 - 044170 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Thorpe ( 1966 : 14 -- 19 ) Jump up ^ Wright, Neil ( 1984 ). The Historia Regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Woodbridge, England : Boydell and Brewer. p. xvii. ISBN 978 - 0 - 85991 - 641 - 7. Jump up ^ Lang, Andrew. History Of English Literature - From Beowulf to Swinburne. Vincent Press. p. 45. OCLC 220536211. He says that he has had the advantage of using a book in the Breton tongue which Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford, brought out of Brittany ; this book he translates into Latin. Jump up ^ Wright, Neil ( 1984 ). The Historia Regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Woodbridge, England : Boydell and Brewer. pp. xvii -- xviii. ISBN 978 - 0 - 85991 - 641 - 7. This fusion of heterogeneous sources, which is apparent almost everywhere in the Historia, completely dispels the fiction that the work is no more than a translation of a single Breton ( or Welsh ) book Jump up ^ ``... the Historia does not bear scrutiny as an authentic history and no scholar today would regard it as such. '' : Wright ( 1984 : xxviii ) Jump up ^ C. Warren Hollister, Henry I ( Yale English Monarchs ), 2001 : 11 note44. Jump up ^ A.O.H. Jarman, Geoffrey of Monmouth, University of Wales Press, 1965, p. 17. Jump up ^ Sir William Flinders Petrie, Neglected British History, 1917 Jump up ^ William R. Cooper, Chronicle of the Early Britons ( pdf ), 2002, p. 68 Jump up ^ John Morris. The Age of Arthur : A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650. Barnes & Noble Books : New York. 1996 ( originally 1973 ). ISBN 0 - 7607 - 0243 - 8 Jump up ^ Reeve 2007, p. lix. Bibliography Geoffrey of Monmouth. The history of the kings of Britain : an edition and translation of De gestis Britonum ( Historia regum Britanniae ). Arthurian studies. 69. Michael D. Reeve ( ed. ), Neil Wright ( trans. ). Woodbridge, Suffolk : Boydell Press. 2007. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84383 - 206 - 5. John Jay Parry and Robert Caldwell. Geoffrey of Monmouth in Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, Roger S. Loomis ( ed. ). Clarendon Press : Oxford University. 1959. ISBN 0 - 19 - 811588 - 1 Brynley F. Roberts, Geoffrey of Monmouth and Welsh Historical Tradition, Nottingham Medieval Studies, 20 ( 1976 ), 29 - 40. J.S.P. Tatlock. The Legendary History of Britain : Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia regum Britanniae and its early vernacular versions. University of California Press. Berkeley. 1950. Michael A. Faletra, ed., The History of the Kings of Britain ( Broadview Press, 2008 ) N. Wright, ed., The Historia regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 1, Bern, Burgerbibliothek, MS. 568 ( Cambridge, 1984 ) N. Wright, ed., The historia regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 2, The first variant version : a critical edition ( Cambridge, 1988 ) J.C. Crick, The historia regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 3, A summary catalogue of the manuscripts ( Cambridge, 1989 ) J.C. Crick, The historia regum Britannie of Geoffrey of Monmouth. 4, Dissemination and reception in the later Middle Ages ( Cambridge, 1991 ) J. Hammer, ed., Historia regum Britanniae. A variant version edited from manuscripts ( Cambridge, MA, 1951 ) A. Griscom and J.R. Ellis, ed., The Historia regum Britanniæ of Geoffrey of Monmouth with contributions to the study of its place in early British history ( London, 1929 ) M.D. Reeve, ' The transmission of the Historia regum Britanniae ', in Journal of Medieval Latin 1 ( 1991 ), 73 -- 117 Edmond Faral, La légende Arthurienne : études et documents, 3 vols. ( Paris, 1929 ) R.W. Leckie, The passage of dominion : Geoffrey of Monmouth and the periodization of insular history in the twelfth century ( Toronto, 1981 ) External links Wikisource has original text related to this article : History of the Kings of England Online text at Google Books Online Latin text at Google Books Historia regum Britanniae Second Variant version at Cambridge Digital Library History of the Kings of Britain public domain audiobook at LibriVox Geoffrey of Monmouth Works Prophetiae Merlini ( c. 1135 ) Historia Regum Britanniae ( c. 1136 ) Vita Merlini ( c. 1150 ) Translations Roman de Brut Layamon 's Brut Brut y Brenhinedd Characters Aeneas Saint Alban Albanactus Alhfrith of Deira Allectus Ambrosius Aurelianus Amphibalus Andragius Archgallo Archmail King Arthur Arvirargus Ascanius Augustine of Canterbury Aurelius Conanus Bedivere Beldgabred Beli Mawr Belinus Bladud Bledric ap Custennin Bledudo Brennius Brutus Greenshield Brutus of Troy Budic II of Brittany Cadfan ap Iago Cadoc Cador Cadwaladr Cadwallon ap Cadfan Camber ( legendary king ) Cap of Britain Capetus Silvius Capoir Caracalla Caradocus Carausius Cassivellaunus Catellus Catigern Cherin Claudius Cledaucus Clotenus Coel Hen Coilus Conan Meriadoc Constans II ( usurper ) Constantine the Great Constantine III ( Western Roman Emperor ) Constantine ( Briton ) Constantius Chlorus Cordelia of Britain Corineus Cunedagius Cunobeline Danius Saint David Digueillus Diocletian Dionotus Dunvallo Molmutius Ebraucus Edadus Edern ap Nudd Edwin of Northumbria Eldol Eldol, Consul of Gloucester Elidurus Eliud Enniaunus Estrildis Eudaf Hen Ferrex Fulgenius Gawain Gerennus Goffar the Pict Gogmagog ( folklore ) Goneril Gorboduc Gorbonianus Gorlois Gracianus Municeps Guiderius Guinevere Guithelin Gurgintius Gurguit Barbtruc Gurgustius Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio Queen Gwendolen Helena ( empress ) Helenus Hengist and Horsa Hoel Humber the Hun Iago ap Beli Idvallo Igraine Ingenius of Britain Jago of Britain Julius and Aaron Julius Asclepiodotus Julius Caesar Sir Kay Keredic Kimarcus Kinarius Latinus Lavinia Leil Leir of Britain Locrinus King Lot Lucius of Britain Lucius Tiberius Lud son of Heli Maddan Maelgwn Gwynedd Magnus Maximus Mandubracius Queen Marcia Marganus Marganus II Marius of Britain Mempricius Merianus Merlin Millus Mordred Morgause Morvidus Myrddin Wyllt Nennius of Britain Octa of Kent Oenus Oswald of Northumbria Oswiu of Northumbria Owain mab Urien Penda of Mercia Peredur Peredurus Pir of the Britons Porrex I Porrex II Publius Septimius Geta Quintus Laberius Durus Redechius Redon of Britain Regan ( King Lear ) Rhydderch Hael Rience Rivallo Rud Hud Hudibras Runo Sawyl Penuchel Septimius Severus Silvius ( mythology ) Sisillius I Sisillius II Sisillius III Son of Gorbonianus Taliesin Tasciovanus Trahern Turnus Urianus Uther Pendragon Venissa Vespasian Vortigern Vortimer Vortiporius Wulfhere of Mercia Ywain Æthelberht of Kent Æthelfrith of Northumbria Œthelwald of Deira Topics Avalon Battle of Arfderydd Battle of Badon Battle of Camlann Battle of Guoloph Brut y Tywysogion Crocea Mors Excalibur Lailoken List of legendary kings of Britain List of legendary rulers of Cornwall Logres Matter of Britain Molmutine Laws Nennius Riothamus River Malvam Siege of Exeter ( c. 630 ) Locations associated with Arthurian legend Treachery of the Long Knives Trinovantum Trojan genealogy of Nennius Walter of Oxford Wikiquote Wikisource texts VIAF : 105642044 LCCN : n83160992 GND : 4211887 - 6 SUDOC : 027598373 BNF : cb119603974 ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Historia_Regum_Britanniae&oldid=812929490 '' Categories : 1130s books 12th century in Great Britain 12th - century medieval Latin literature 12th - century Latin books Arthurian literature in Latin British traditional history Historical writing from Norman and Angevin England King lists Medieval Latin histories Medieval Welsh literature Pseudohistory Works by Geoffrey of Monmouth Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from June 2013 All articles lacking in - text citations All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017 Articles with LibriVox links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Brezhoneg Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Kernowek Latina Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 30 November 2017, at 18 : 53. 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Question: who wrote the history of the kings of britian
Answer: Geoffrey of Monmouth