Critically considered, his work is the best commentary on the "Saxon Chronicle" to the year ; at which period one of the MSS. Brevity and compression seem to have been his aim, because the compilation was intended to be sent abroad for the instruction of a female relative of high rank in Germany 22 , at her request.
But there are, nevertheless, some circumstances recorded which are not to be found elsewhere; so that a reference to this epitome of Saxon history will be sometimes useful in illustrating the early part of the "Chronicle"; though Gibson, I know not on what account, has scarcely once quoted it. During the sanguinary conflicts of the eleventh century, which ended first in the temporary triumph of the Danes, and afterwards in the total subjugation of the country by the Normans, literary pursuits, as might be expected, were so much neglected, that scarcely a Latin writer is to be found: but the "Saxon Chronicle" has preserved a regular and minute detail of occurrences, as they passed along, of which subsequent historians were glad to avail themselves.
For nearly a century after the Conquest, the Saxon annalists appear to have been chiefly eye-witnesses of the transactions which they relate It is remarkable, that when the "Saxon Chronicle" ends, Geoffrey of Monmouth begins. Almost every great monastery about this time had its historian: but some still adhered to the ancient method. Florence of Worcester, an interpolator of Marianus, as we before observed, closely follows Bede, Asser, and the "Saxon Chronicle" The same may be observed of the annals of Gisburne, of Margan, of Meiros, of Waverley, etc.
Thomas Wikes, a canon of Oseney, who compiled a Latin chronicle of English affairs from the Conquest to the year , tells us expressly, that he did this, not because he could add much to the histories of Bede, William of Newburgh, and Matthew Paris, but "propter minores, quibus non suppetit copia librorum. The transcribers frequently added something of their own, and abridged or omitted what they thought less interesting.
Hence the endless variety of interpolators and deflorators of English history. William of Malmsbury, indeed, deserves to be selected from all his competitors for the superiority of his genius; but he is occasionally inaccurate, and negligent of dates and other minor circumstances; insomuch that his modern translator has corrected some mistakes, and supplied the deficiencies in his chronology, by a reference to the "Saxon Chronicle".
Henry of Huntingdon, when he is not transcribing Bede, or translating the "Saxon Annals", may be placed on the same shelf with Geoffrey of Monmouth. As I have now brought the reader to the period when our "Chronicle" terminates, I shall dismiss without much ceremony the succeeding writers, who have partly borrowed from this source; Simon of Durham, who transcribes Florence of Worcester, the two priors of Hexham, Gervase, Hoveden, Bromton, Stubbes, the two Matthews, of Paris and Westminster, and many others, considering that sufficient has been said to convince those who may not have leisure or opportunity to examine the matter themselves, that however numerous are the Latin historians of English affairs, almost everything original and authentic, and essentially conducive to a correct knowledge of our general history, to the period above mentioned, may be traced to the "Saxon Annals".
It is now time to examine, who were probably the writers of these "Annals". I say probably, because we have very little more than rational conjecture to guide us. The period antecedent to the times of Bede, except where passages were afterwards inserted, was perhaps little else, originally, than a kind of chronological table of events, with a few genealogies, and notices of the death and succession of kings and other distinguished personages. But it is evident from the preface of Bede and from many passages in his work, that he received considerable assistance from Saxon bishops, abbots, and others; who not only communicated certain traditionary facts "viva voce", but also transmitted to him many written documents.
These, therefore, must have been the early chronicles of Wessex, of Kent, and of the other provinces of the Heptarchy; which formed together the ground-work of his history. With greater honesty than most of his followers, he has given us the names of those learned persons who assisted him with this local information.
The first is Alcuinus or Albinus, an abbot of Canterbury, at whose instigation he undertook the work; who sent by Nothelm, afterwards archbishop of that province, a full account of all ecclesiastical transactions in Kent, and in the contiguous districts, from the first conversion of the Saxons.
From the same source he partly derived his information respecting the provinces of Essex, Wessex, East Anglia, and Northumbria. Bishop Daniel communicated to him by letter many particulars concerning Wessex, Sussex, and the Isle of Wight. He acknowledges assistance more than once "ex scriptis priorum"; and there is every reason to believe that some of these preceding records were the "Anglo-Saxon Annals"; for we have already seen that such records were in existence before the age of Nennius.
In proof of this we may observe, that even the phraseology sometimes partakes more of the Saxon idiom than the Latin. If, therefore, it be admitted, as there is every reason to conclude from the foregoing remarks, that certain succinct and chronological arrangements of historical facts had taken place in several provinces of the Heptarchy before the time of Bede, let us inquire by whom they were likely to have been made.
In the province of Kent, the first person on record, who is celebrated for his learning, is Tobias, the ninth bishop of Rochester, who succeeded to that see in He is noticed by Bede as not only furnished with an ample store of Greek and Latin literature, but skilled also in the Saxon language and erudition It is probable, therefore, that he left some proofs of this attention to his native language and as he died within a few years of Bede, the latter would naturally avail himself of his labours.
It is worthy also of remark, that Bertwald, who succeeded to the illustrious Theodore of Tarsus in , was the first English or Saxon archbishop of Canterbury. From this period, consequently, we may date that cultivation of the vernacular tongue which would lead to the composition of brief chronicles 27 , and other vehicles of instruction, necessary for the improvement of a rude and illiterate people.
The first chronicles were, perhaps, those of Kent or Wessex; which seem to have been regularly continued, at intervals. From internal evidence indeed, of an indirect nature, there is great reason to presume, that Archbishop Plegmund transcribed or superintended this very copy of the "Saxon Annals" to the year 29 ; the year in which he came to the see; inserting, both before and after this date, to the time of his death in , such additional materials as he was well qualified to furnish from his high station and learning, and the confidential intercourse which he enjoyed in the court of King Alfred.
The total omission of his own name, except by another hand, affords indirect evidence of some importance in support of this conjecture.
Whether King Alfred himself was the author of a distinct and separate chronicle of Wessex 30 , cannot now be determined. That he furnished additional supplies of historical matter to the older chronicles is, I conceive, sufficiently obvious to every reader who will take the trouble of examining the subject.
The argument of Dr. Beeke, the present Dean of Bristol, in an obliging letter to the editor on this subject, is not without its force; -- that it is extremely improbable, when we consider the number and variety of King Alfred's works, that he should have neglected the history, of his own country.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is known today in nine different versions that differ considerably from each other. The Chronicle begins with a brief account of the tribes living in England and then goes on to describe the history of the British Isles from the time of Julius Caesar and on.
Down to the chronicle is based on historical works, older annals, works in praise of princes, and saga literature. From about the annals consist of short notes and descriptions of events and records of deaths that have taken place in the course of the preceding year, sometimes combined with more circumstantial accounts of political and military events.
As the years pass by, the various versions of the chronicle become more and more independent, until they come to an end in the 11th or the 12th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is one of the most important sources for Viking activities in Western Europe, and naturally particularly in England. Attacks by the fleets are frequently mentioned, as are also the establishment of winter-quarters, payment of the Danegeld, and the shifting political alliances. The sizes of the Viking fleets are often named, as well as the routes they took, but there are practically no concrete descriptions of what the ships looked like.
From the year there is an indirect description, however, for king Alfred gave orders to:. Some had 60 oars, other more than these; and they were both swifter and steadier than the others.
King William and the chief men loved gold and silver and did not care how sinfully it was obtained provided it came to them. He William did not care at all how wrongfully his men got possession of land nor how many illegal acts they did. The Anglo Saxon World. You can just add bits on; add a few more pages, add a bit more history on at the end. She stresses the importance of trying to get past the anonymity of authorship.
The way to pull back the veil of anonymity is to try to understand who was writing them, and of course that also leads into the question of who was reading them.
According to Professor Stafford, they were probably written by ecclesiastics:. And this is right from the beginning. One of the things that I wanted to open up in this book was that some of them might be written by women — at least to consider that possibility. Nunneries were often full of educated women.
There are women here who write and who can compose annals. So, given that possible courtly audience, what if anything is the underlying theme of these chronicles? There is a lot about the conversion to Christianity. But the focus is kings, Christianity, and especially Wessex and West Saxon history. Instead of that, they are pushing kings, and especially West Saxon kings, and their claims to rule. They are legitimising them as successful military rulers.
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