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    De Excidio Brittaniae et Conquestu    (full translation of Books I & II)
      by Gildas, sixth century indignant Welsh monk extraordinaire.  Gildas's little tirade contains the first mention of an event which would later become associated with someone named Arthur, the Battle of Badon Hill.
    Historia Brittonum    (full translated text)
      by Nennius, eighth century semi-literate Welsh monk extraordinaire.  Nennius's weird compilation of British history was the first to mention Arthur by name, and to flesh out his "history" a bit.
    Annales Cambriae    (full translated text)
      Also known as the Annals of Wales, the earliest surviving version of this chronology (447-954 C.E.) is attached to the famous Harleian manuscript of the Historia Brittonum.
    The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle     (excerpted translation: 1 - 650 C.E.)
      This excerpt is, in a manner of speaking, the retrospective view from the other side before, during and after the age of Arthur. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was first compiled in the late ninth century. Arthur is not named in the Chronicle.
    Chronicle of the Kings of England  (translated excerpts, Books I & III)
      by William of Malmesbury, late 12th century historian. Included is William's history of the years from 447-670 C.E. (including an interesting description of the pyramids of Glastonbury) in which "warlike Arthur" is mentioned, and also a snippet from Book III on the sepulcher of Arthur.
    Geoffrey of Monmouth
      Geoffrey was one of the most creative "historians" ever to grace the planet.  It was he who was responsible for setting the romantic Arthurian cycle in motion, which is also the point at which all that stuff becomes worthless to historians.
    Historical Arthur
      A summary of ancient sources for and twentieth century scholarship on the question of Arthur's identity and existence.



      Dark Rooms and Dry Straw
        A historiographical romp through the millenium spanning the years from 200 to 1200.  See -- ! Giants living in Britain!  See -- ! The amazing pinhole-eyed Huns, the spawn of Scythian witches!  See -- ! The Antichrist roaming the Holy Roman Empire with a vanguard of naked acrobats!  Yep, they sure don't write history like they used to.


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        Recommended by online

        ...until Scheherazade became a victim of arcane
        domain registry regulations and ended up losing
        her domain name to a pornographer.

[ Nennius | Historical Arthur | Gildas | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle | Medieval Historiography ]
[ William of Malmesbury | Geoffrey of Monmouth ]
[ History Home: They Sure Don't Write History Like They Used To ]


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