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- The work narrates a linear history of pre-Saxon Britain, from its founding by Trojan exiles to the loss of native British (Celtic) sovereignty in the face of Germanic invaders. Along the way, Geoffrey introduces readers to such familiar figures as King Lear, Cymbeline, Vortigern, the prophet Merlin, and a host of others.
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Originally composed in Latin, The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth claims to be a history of Britain’s kings from the island’s founding by Trojan descendent Brutus in 1200 BCE, to the Britons’ abandonment of the island in the seventh century CE.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, a scholarly clergyman who was to become bishop of St. Asaph’s in Wales, undertook to write a national history of Britain from its origin through the seventh century, some...
In The History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes to set forth the history of the British kings starting with Brutus and ending with Cadwallo. Geoffrey undertakes this endeavor at the request of the Archdeacon of Oxford who presents Geoffry with an ancient text to translate from British into Latin.
The Historia Regum Britanniae, translated as ‘The History of the Kings of Britain’ is a medieval text written by Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1136, and is an account of British history laced with fictitious references and tales of drama.
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Geoffrey of Monmouth was born around 1100 and died likely in 1155, though neither date is certain. His birthplace was in or near Monmouth in Wales, hence his demonym. Considered anywhere from a genuine but flawed historian to a rhetorical historian to a “pseudohistorian,” the veracity of Geoffrey’s historical writing was, to him, unquestionable (“G...
The History of the Kings of Britain (Historia regum Britanniae) was likely completed around 1138 during a tumultuous period of civil war in England. After the death of King Henry I’s only legitimate heir in 1135, and an attempt to install his daughter Matilda on the throne, Henry’s nephew, a man named Stephen de Blois, snatched the throne. The ques...
Contemporary experts have established that much of the historical writing from the twelfth century was embellished and even theatrical at times because “history was seen as a branch of literature” rather than a discipline requiring precision and evidence (Robertson). Geoffrey of Monmouth saw his work as distinct from his peers. He dismissed histori...
The History of the Kings of Britainopens with a lush description of the island of Britain’s beauty and abundance of resources. Geoffrey asserts that of the island’s five past inhabitants – Britons, Romans, Saxons, Picts, and Scots – only the Britons “formerly possess[ed] the whole island from sea to sea.” Geoffrey tells of Brutus, founder of Britai...
Geoffrey of Monmouth. The History of the Kings of Britain. Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1136. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Download PDF. Access Full Guide. Generate discussion.
Historia regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain), originally called De gestis Britonum (On the Deeds of the Britons), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
