Everything about Historia Brittonum totally explained
The
Historia Brittonum, or
The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first written sometime shortly after AD
833, and exists in several
recensions of varying difference. It purports to relate the history of the
Brythonic inhabitants of
Britain from earliest times, and this text has been used to write a history of both
Wales and
England, for want of more reliable sources.
Nennius is traditionally named as the author of the text, though this interpretation is questioned.
The text
The text itself is a collection of excerpts, chronological calculations, glosses, and summaries based on earlier records, many of which no longer exist. As a result, the reliability of this work has been questioned both in part and in whole. The archaeologist
Leslie Alcock observed that in one recension of this manuscript the author called his work a heap of all he could find, and suggested that if we were to extend this metaphor, this text is:
» like a cairn of stones, uneven and ill-fitting… as an example of the historian's art it's atrocious. But it has the virtue of its defects. We can see the individual stones of the cairn, and in some cases we can trace the parent rock from which they came, and establish its age and soundness.
Another view is offered by Professor David N. Dumville, who has done a great deal of research into the transmission of this text and the relationship of its recensions. Dumville believes that this text has been revised, supplemented, and rewritten many times and in many ways between the date of its apparent origin, and the date of its surviving manuscripts. The intent of its author was to produce a synchronizing chronicle after the manner of
Irish historians in his own time. And since this manuscript offered the only history of Wales complementary to
Bede's own
Ecclesiastical History of the English People, it was reproduced and revised to meet this demand. N. J. Higham has suggested that the
Historia Brittonum was written primarily for
Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad, king of
Gwynedd from 825 to 844.
Author
Traditionally, the
Historia Brittonum is ascribed to be the work of
Nennius, a Welsh monk of the
ninth century. However, examination of the numerous recensions show that
Gildas was also claimed as its author (since Gildas was the only historical author its scribes knew of), while others (such as the
British Library manuscript Harleian 3859) don't name an author. Dumville's research has shown that the ascription of this
work to Nennius originated in the tenth century in one branch of the manuscript transmission, created by a scribe seeking to root this work in the intellectual traditions of that time.
Associations with King Arthur
The
Historia Brittonum has drawn attention because of its role in influencing the legends and myths surrounding
King Arthur. This history is the source of several stories some of which were repeated and amplified by later authors:
Vortigern
The story of
Vortigern, who allowed the
Saxons to settle in the island of Britain in return for the hand of
Hengest's daughter.
Ambrosius
Vortigern attempted to build a stronghold near
Snowdon, called
Dinas Emrys, but its construction was unsuccessful. in attempting to resolve this problem, he encounters
Aurelius Ambrosius, whom
Geoffrey of Monmouth in his retelling of this story identifies with
Merlin.
Arthur's battles
What appears to be a summary of a poem listing 12 battles of Arthur, some of which clearly are not properly identified with him (chapter 56):
» Then it was, that Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain, fought against the Saxons. And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror. The first battle in which he was engaged, was at the mouth of the river
Glein. The second, third, fourth, and fifth, were on another river, by the Britons called
Dubglas, in the region
Linnuis. The sixth, on the river
Bassas. The seventh in the wood
Celidon, which the Britons call Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth was near
Castle Gurnion, where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and pursued them the whole day with great slaughter. The ninth was at the
City of Legion, which is called Cair Leon. The tenth was on the banks of the river
Tribruit. The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call
Cat Breguoin. The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the
hill of Badon. In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord affording him assistance. In all these engagements the Britons were successful. For no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty.
Most of these battle sites can't be identified. Coit Celidon is generally taken to be the great forest believed to have once covered the
Southern Uplands of Scotland. Castle (or
Caer) Gurnion is sometimes taken to be Winchester. The City of the Legion is identified with either
Chester,
Caerleon, or
York. Breguoin can be translated into English as "White Hill", so it could be the White Peak in
Derbyshire. It has also been identified as
Bremenium. Badon has been identified with many different places in Britain. For further identifications see
Sites and places associated with Arthurian legend.
Marvels
The
Historia also contains a list of marvels, or wonders, in a section known as
de mirabilibus britanniae. Several of these are associated with Arthur (Chapter 73):
» There is another marvel in the region which is called
Buelt. There is a mound of stones there and one stone placed above the pile with the pawprint of a dog in it. When Cabal, who was the dog of Arthur the soldier, was hunting the boar Troynt, he impressed his print in the stone, and afterwards Arthur assembled a stone mound under the stone with the print of his dog, and it's called the Carn Cabal. And men come and remove the stone in their hands for the length of a day and a night; and on the next day it's found on top of its mound.
» There is another wonder in the region which is called
Ercing. A tomb is located there next to a spring which is called Licat Amr; and the name of the man who is buried in the tomb was called thus: Amr. He was the son of Arthur the soldier, and Arthur himself killed and buried him in that very place. And men come to measure the grave and find it sometimes six feet in length, sometimes nine, sometimes twelve, sometimes fifteen. At whatever length you might measure it at one time, a second time you won't find it to have the same length--and I myself have put this to the test.
The sections that provide these stories are present in the Harleian manuscript, but not in all of the existing recensions.
Germanus
There are also chapters relating events about Saint
Germanus of Auxerre that claim to be excerpts from a (now lost) biography about this saint, a unique collection of traditions about
Saint Patrick, as well as a section describing events in the North of England in the sixth and seventh centuries which begins with a paragraph about the beginnings of
Welsh literature (ch. 62):
» At that time, Talhaiarn Cataguen was famed for poetry, and
Neirin, and
Taliesin and Bluchbard, and Cian, who is called Guenith Guaut, were all famous at the same time in British poetry.
Associated works
There are a number of works that are frequently associated with the
Historia Brittonum, in part because some of them first appear with the text preserved in the Harleian manuscript, and partly because whenever the
Historia Britonum is studied, these sources eventually are mentioned.
- The Lebor Bretnach. A Gaelic translation of Historia Brittonum, and a recension of the 'Nennian' Historia Brittonum.
- The Annales Cambriae. This is a chronicle consisting of a series of unnumbered years, from AD 445 to 977, some of which have events added. Two notable events are next to AD 516, which describes The Battle of Badon, and 537, which describes the Battle of Camlann, "in which Arthur and Mordred fell." A version of this was used as a starting point for later Welsh Chronicles.
- Welsh Genealogies. One of many collections of Welsh genealogies, this documents the lineage of Hywel Dda, king of Wales, and several of his contemporaries. The Pillar of Eliseg is frequently discussed in connection with these genalogies.
- Anglo-Saxon Genealogies. This is a version of a collection of the genealogies of five pre-Viking kingdoms -- Bernicia, Deira, Kent, East Anglia, and Mercia -- better known in its independent form.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Historia Brittonum'.
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