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Full Description
The History of the Kings of Britain is arguably the most influential text written in England in the Middle Ages. 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. Most importantly, he provides the first birth-to-death account of the life of King Arthur. His focus on that king's reign sparked the vogue for Arthurian romance throughout medieval Europe that has continued into the twenty-first century.
This new translation is the first in over forty years and the first to be based on the Bern manuscript, now considered the authoritative Latin text. It is accompanied by an introduction that highlights the significance of Geoffrey's work in his own day and focuses in particular on the ambiguous status of the text between history and fiction. Appendices include historical sources, early responses to the History, and other medieval writings on King Arthur and Merlin.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Geoffrey of Monmouth: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text
The History of the Kings of Britain
Appendix A: Major Historical Sources
From Gildas, The Ruin of Britain (De Excidio Britanniae)
From Pseudo-Nennius, The History of the Britons (Historia Brittonum)
Appendix B: Merlin
The Apple Trees (Afallennau)
Geoffrey of Monmouth, The Life of Merlin (Vita Merlini)
From Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales (Itinerarium Kambriae)
Appendix C: King Arthur, From Myth to Man
From Aneirin, The Gododdin
From What Man is the Gatekeeper? (Pa gur yw y porthor?)
From The Stanzas of the Graves
From Trioedd Ynys Prydein:The Welsh Triads
From The Legend of St. Goeznovius (Legenda Sancti Goeznovii)
From William of Malmesbury, The Deeds of the Kings of the English (Gesta Regum Anglorum)
From Caradoc of Llancarvan, The Life of Gildas (Vita Gildae)
From Gerald of Wales, The Description of Wales (Descriptio Kambriae)
From Gerald of Wales, The Education of Princes (De Principis Instructione Liber)
From William Caxton's Preface to Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur
Appendix D: Early Responses to Geoffrey of Monmouth
From Henry of Huntington, Epistle to Warin the Briton
From Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales (Itinerarium Kambriae)
From William of Newburgh, The History of the Deeds of the English (Historia Rerum Anglicarum)
From Ranulf Higden, Polychronicon
Works Cited and Recommended Reading
Index of Proper Names
