Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
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Image:Beda Petersburgiensis f3v.jpg The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Venerable Bede on the history of the Christian church in England, and of England generally.
It is considered to be one of the most important original references on Anglo-Saxon history. It is believed to have been written in 731, when Bede was approximately 60 years old.
Divided into five books (about 400 pages), the Historia covers the history of England, ecclesiastical and political, from the time of Julius Caesar to the date of its completion (731). The first twenty-one chapters, covering the period before the mission of Augustine, are compiled from earlier writers such as Orosius, Gildas, Prosper of Aquitaine, the letters of Pope Gregory I, and others, with the insertion of legends and traditions.
After AD 596, documentary sources, which Bede took pains to obtain, are used, as well as oral testimony, which he employed along with critical consideration of its value. He cited his references and was very concerned about sources of all his sources. He is credited with inventing footnoting.
See also
External links
- Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Excerpts. From the Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
- Bede, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, in Latin from The Latin Library.
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