The passage of Dominion. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the periodization of insular history in the twelfth century

159 Pages·1981·18.807 MB·English

by  R. William Leckie, Jr.

R. willillm leckie, jR
rhe pllssllqe of
DomiNioN: qeoffRev
of mONmourh llNb
rhe peRioDizllrioN
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iN rhe rwelfrh
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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
C University of Toronto Press 1981
Toronto Buffalo London
Printed in Canada
ISBN 0-8020-5495-1
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Lcckic. R. William, 1940-
The passage of Dominion
Bibliography
Indudes indelt.
ISB1'I0-8010-5495-1
1. Ceoffreyof Monmouth. Bp of St. Asaph, ll00?-1154·
HisfOria regum BritanniaI,'. 1. Great Britain - History
To 1485 - Historiography. I. Title.
DAU9.5·4 2 942.0) CSo-09·U40-1
FOR NIKI

n:el-n:s
COl. .
PREFACE ix
ABBREVIATIONS xi
Introduction 3
,
New light on a shadowed past 29
,
A didactic construct 55
}
Compilation and compromise 73
4
From the First Variant to Layamon 102
NOTES 123
WORKS CITED 1}8
INDEX 145

pRefZlce
Thepresem study examines one aspect ofGeoffreyol Monmouth's reception in
the twelfth century, namely the impact of the Historia regum Britanniae on
notions regarding the periodization of Insular history. Following the appear
v
Inee of Geoffrey's imaginative depiction, writers engaged in a variety of
endeavours found it necessary to grapple with a new and very pressing prob
lem: At what point could dominion be said to have passed from the Britons to
the Anglo-Saxons~ The difficulties posed by this question make themselves felt
not only in compendious surveys, but also in Latin rerensions and vernacular
paraphrases of the Historia itself. Although the number of examples in any
Riven category is relatively small, taken together these texts provide a dear line
through the twelfth century, one which reveals a great deal about changing
Initudes toward the Galfridian version of events.
The necessity of dealing with such a wide range of works has imposed certain
ilrnitJ on the investigation. The textual footing is seldom as secure as one might
Wllh, and many of the vexed questions surrounding the manuscript transmis·
lion of individual texts lie outside both my competence and the scope of the
Itudy. I have involved myself in the discussion of the relative chronology for
tht' three principal recensions of the Historia regum Britanniae, because here
the' hLlndling of the periodization would seem to have important implications.
I:ur all other works J have relied on the available scholarship, mindful that the
l"urre'nt state of knowledge varies considerably from text to text,
Inwrest in at least some of the relevant works runs high, and there is cause
for uptimism regarding the prospects for significant advances. New editions of
,he.' j-/istnria Brittonum (David N. Dumvillej and of Henry of Huntingdon's
IIj_tor;o J\ng/orum (Antonia Gransden) can be expected in the foreseeable
flnurt'. As progH'SS continues to be made, specific points in my discussion may
We'll bt, found in 1\t'('J of modification, corr('(tion, or elaboration. I offer the
x Prdace
present study as a framework within which certain aspects of Geoffrey's
reception can be better explained. My hope is that it wHl both prove useful and
will spark additional work in the area.
It has not been practicable to provide complete bibliographies Ear all the
works and subjects touched upon. Wherever pertinent, I have cited the most
recent studies, and here the concerned reader will find fuller listings, especially
of earlier scholarship. In preparing the notes I have used a system of abbrevia
tions and short-titles throughout. Complete references can be found in the final
list of Works Gted.
A number of people have read and criticized this study at various stages i.n its
preparation. My colleagues Angus Cameron, A.G. Rigg, and Michae\ M.
Sheehan graciously took time out from their own work to give me the benefit of
fresh perspectives. Their detailed, thoughtful comments brought about many
changes, and I can only hope that they approve of the final resuh. In addition,
three anonymous readers went over the penultimate version for the University
of Toronto Press and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities. The names
of these individuals are not known to me, but I wish to thank them for their
painstaking and very helpful reviews. I have had excellent advice, and what
errors remain, whether factual or judgmental, are mine alone.
Major portions of this investigation first took shape during several summers
spent in lush subtropical surroundings at the University o£ Miami, Coral
Gables, Florida. I should like to express my appreciation to Paul C. Fe-ehan and
the staff of the Otto C. Richter Library for the many courtesies extendt!d to me
over the years. Special thanks are also due to University of Toronto Press and
particularly to Prudence Traey who gUided both the manuscript and its author
through the editorial process with patient good humour. This book has been
published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the
Humanities, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada, and a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Founda
tion to the University of Toronto Press. Without such generous subvention my
scholarly labours could not have appeared in their present form.
The book is dedicated to my wife Niki, who has an aversion to the kind of
sentimentality often found in statements of gratitude. Let it simply be noted
that she provided what r needed most to bring this project to completion: a lot of
patience, timely nagging, and flawless typing - not n«essarily in that order.
Mississauga, Ontario
January 1980
l\BBRevil\Tio}Js
AI Alfred of Beverley Annales, sive Historia de gestis regum BritanniaI'! ed
Thomas Hearne (Oxford 1716)
..c .A:thelweard Chronicon edA. Campbell Nelson's Medieval Texts (Edin
bur8h 1962)
Ale The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Revised Translation ed Dorothy
Whitelock with David C. Douglas and Susie 1. Tucker (London 1961)
UBe C. Julius Caesar De bello Gallico ed Otto See! Commentarii rerum
s"tarum 1 (Leipzig 1961)
uu Gildas De excidio et conquestu Britanniae ed Theodor Mommsen MGH:AA,
1) (Berlin 1898) 25-85
Idr. GeHrei Gaimar L'Estoire des Eng/eis edAlexander Bell Anglo-Norman
Tt'Xts, 14-16 (Oxford 1960)
flrnl Edmond Faral La legende arthurienne J vols Bibliotheque de l'Ecole des
I hmtes Etudes, Sciences historiques et philologiques, 255-7 (Paris 1929)
IV First Variant Geo/frey of Monmouth, Historia regum Britanniae: A
Variant Version ed Jacob Hammer Publications of the Mediaeval Academy of
Amrrica, 57 (Cambridge Mass. 1951)
Ile· {;ervllseof Canterbury The Historical Works ed William Stubbs 2 vols Rolls
St'r!t'~ (London 1879-80)
(l .... Willillm of Malmesbury Gesta regum Ang/orum ed William Stubbs 2 vols
Mull. Series (London 1887-9)
GrllllMdell Antonia Gransden Historical Writing in England c 550 to C 1307
(Lumlon 1974)
(ld.mm Ceoffrey of Monmouth Historia regurn Britanniae edActon Griscom
(LIIIUIIIll, Nt'w York, and Toronto 1929)
U. .. 11t'IlTY of Iluntingclon Historia Allg/orum I'd Thomas Arnold Rolls Series
(Lumlon I H7())
xii Abbreviations
HAP PaulusOrosius Historiarum adversum paganoslibri vIIed C. Zangemeis
terCSEL, 5 (1882; repr Hildesheim 1967)
HB Historia Brittonum ed Theodor Mommsen MGII:AA, 1} (Berlin 1898) 111-
'"
HE Bede Ecclesiastical History of the English People ed Bertram Colgrave and
R.A. B. Mynors Oxford Medieval Texts (Oxford 1969)
HRA WilIiam of Newburgh Historia rerum Anglicarum ed Richard Howlett 2
vols Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II. and Richard 1" ;1-2 Rolls
Series (London 1884-5)
HRB Geoffreyof Monmouth Historia regum Britanniae Faral,}: 64-}0}
LB Layamon Bruted. G.L. Brook and R.F. Leslie 2 vols EETS, 250, 277 (Oxford
196}-78)
O'Sullivan Thomas D. O'Sullivan The 'De excidio' of Gildas; Its Authenticity
and Date Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition, 7 (Leiden 1978)
Partner Nancy F. Partner Serious Entertainments; The Writing of History in
Twelfth-Century England (Chicago and London 1977)
RD Ralph Diceto The Historical Works ed William Stubbs 2 vols Rolls Series
(London 1876)
RdB Wace Le Roman de Brut ed lvor Arnold 2 vols SATF (Paris 1938-4°)
RT Robert of Torigni Chronique ed teopold Delisle 2 vols (Rouen 1872-})
RW Roger of Wendover Chronica, sive Flores historiarum ed H.O. Coxe 4 vols
(London 1841-2)
SG Sigebertof Gembloux Chronographia ed L.e. Bethmann MGH:ss,6 (1844;
repr Leipzig 1925) 268-}74
Tatlock J. S.P. Tatlock The Legendary History of Britain; Geoffrey of Mon
mouth's 'Historia regum Britanniae' and Its Early Vernacular Versions (Ber
keley and Los Angeles 1950)