num_pages: 373
description: Completed in 1136, The History of the Kings of Britain traces the story of the realm from its supposed foundation by Brutus to the coming of the Saxons some two thousand years later. Vividly portraying legendary and semi-legendary figures such as Lear, Cymbeline, Merlin the magician and the most famous of all British heroes, King Arthur, it is as much myth as it is history and its veracity was questioned by other medieval writers. But Geoffrey of Monmouth's powerful evocation of illustrious men and deeds captured the imagination of subsequent generations, and his influence can be traced through the works of Malory, Shakespeare, Dryden and Tennyson.
language: English
title: The History of the Kings of Britain
titlecomplete: The History of the Kings of Britain
characters: King Lear, Brutus of Troy, Aurelius Conanus, Gogmagog, Constantine, king of Dumnonia, King Arthur, King Cymbeline, Julius Caesar (Roman emperor), Ambrosius Aurelianus, Merlin (Arthurian wizard)
genres: Classics, British Literature, Historical, History, Arthurian, School, Literature, Mythology, Nonfiction, Medieval
ratings_count: 6317
places: Trinovanto, Guendolcena, Hengistus, Britain, Cornubia, Brennius, Great Britain, Hoelo
publisher: Penguin Classics