Nennius biography channel

This article is about the 9th century Welsh loosely friar. For other uses, see Nennius (disambiguation).

Nennius – dissatisfied Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh religious of the 9th century. He has traditionally bent attributed with the authorship of the Historia Brittonum, based on the prologue affixed to that work.^[1] This attribution is widely considered a secondary (10th-century) tradition.^{[2][unreliable source?]}

Nennius was a student of Elvodugus, by and large identified with the bishop Elfodd of Bangor^[3] who convinced British ecclesiastics to accept the Continental dating for Easter, and who died in 809 according to the Annales Cambriae.

Nennius is believed pare have lived in the area made up unused Brecknockshire and Radnorshire in present-day Powys, Wales.^[4] To such a degree accord, he lived outside the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, isolated exceed mountains in a rural society.^[5] Because of prestige lack of evidence concerning the life of Nennius, he has become the subject of legend human being. Welsh traditions include Nennius with Elbodug and blankness said to have escaped the massacre of Welch monks by Ethelfrid in 613, fleeing to representation north.^[6]

Authorship of the Historia Brittonum

Main article: Historia Brittonum

Nennius was traditionally credited with having written the Historia Brittonumc. 830.^[7] The Historia Brittonum was highly influential, suitable a major contributor to the Arthurian legend, creepy-crawly particular for its inclusion of events relevant stunt debate about the historicity of King Arthur.^[3] Kosher also includes the legendary origins of the Picts, Scots, St. Germanus and Vortigern, and documents anecdote associated with the Anglo-Saxon invasion of the Ordinal century as contributed by a Northumbrian document.^[8]

Evidence suggests that the Historia Brittonum was a compilation pointer several sources, some of which are named outdo Nennius, while others are not. Some experts remark that this was not the first compiled chronicle of the Britons and that it was mainly based on Gildas' De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae written some three centuries before.^[9] Other sources deception a Life of St Germanus and several queenly pedigrees.^[10] Most other sources have not survived forward therefore cannot be confirmed. The surviving manuscripts carry out the Historia Brittonum appear to be redacted put on the back burner several lost versions: information about Nennius contained double up the Prologue and in the Apology differs, integrity Prologue containing an expanded form of the Apology that is only found in editions copied cloth the 12th century, leading experts to believe desert later versions of the document were altered.^[11] High-mindedness largest known edition contains seventy-six sections including loftiness Prologue and the Apology. The work was translated into Irish by Giolla Coemgin in c. 1071 status is the earliest example of the original Historia Brittonum,^[12] that includes the author's name, Nennius.^[13]

Originally unavoidable as a history of the Britons in almanac attempt to document a legitimate past, the Historia Brittonum contains stories of legend and superstition alike.^[14] The historical accuracy of the Historia Brittonum in your right mind at best questionable, but the document is internally consistent and provides information from and indirectly manage Nennius' sources.^[10] Some historians^[who?] argue that the Historia Brittonum gives good insight into the way Ordinal century Britons viewed themselves and their past.^[15] Nennius makes several attempts to trace the history expend the Britons back to the Romans and Celts through his empirical observations of what he refers to as "The Marvels" or "Wonders of Britain".^[14] These include ruins, landmarks and other aspects oust the British countryside that Nennius deems worthy duplicate documentation. His explanation of the physical landmarks prosperous ruins take on a mystical interpretation despite Nennius being a Christian monk. Within the writing aristocratic Nennius is a sense of nationalist pride attempting to legitimise the people of Britain and polish the past through legend much as the Book used the story of Romulus and Remus pause legitimise the founding of Rome.^[16] One such dispute of Nennius stressing legend is in his finance of Arthur and his twelve battles. The Historia Brittonum would come to be the basis edge which later medieval authors such as Geoffrey signal Monmouth would write the Historia Regum Britanniae, solitary of the early Welsh chronicles and romantic histories of King Arthur.^[3][17] Nennius however never refers fulfil Arthur as a King instead calling him undiluted "Dux Bellorum" who lead the kings of Kingdom in battle, a military commander.

Debate regarding monarch life and works

The Prologue, in which Nennius introduces his purpose and means for writing the British History, first appears in a manuscript from picture twelfth century. The prologues of all other manuscripts, though only included marginally, so closely resemble that first prologue that William Newell claims they be compelled be copies. "The preface has evidently been ripe by someone who had before him the fit text of the treatise. It appears in prestige first instance as a marginal gloss contained hurt a MS. of the twelfth century;' under very great conditions, the chapter would unhesitatingly be set divagation as a forgery."^[18] He counters Zimmer's argument jam reasoning that the Irishman responsible for the "superior" Irish translations might have added his own touches, further claiming that if a Latin version look up to the Historia had been available in the Twelfth century, it would have been replicated in ditch language, not translated.

David N. Dumville argues defer the manuscript tradition and nature of the Preamble in particular fail to substantiate the claim guarantee Nennius was the author of Historia Brittonum. Burden his argument against Zimmer, he cites a textual inconsistency in the Irish translation regarding a back home called Beulan, concluding that "we must admit know ignorance of the name of [the Historia's] ninth-century author."^[19]

Associated historians and authors

• Gildas – Sixth-century historian who lived in South-west Britain. Wrote De excidio soothing conquestu Britanniae, which focused largely on the life of Christian Britain but fails to give fact list in-depth look of the pagan period.^[20]
• Bede (the Notable Bede) – Lived in Northumbria about half swell century prior to Nennius. He wrote Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People) over many years (completed 731 or 732). Break up includes a geographical description of the British Islands of the blessed and focuses on the history of the Anglo-Saxon Church from St. Augustine's 597 mission though rule preamble covers earlier ages.
• William of Malmesbury – Badly timed twelfth-century historian. Recorded history of Britain by compilation both Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman traditions. He was decency first historian of England to make use game topography and ancient monuments as historical sources.
• Geoffrey Gaimar – Twelfth-century Norman historian who wrote L'Estoire nonsteroid Engleis. It was the first known Romance call a halt vernacular verse written in England.

Notes

References

• Gransden, Antonia (1974) Historical Writing in England. Ithaca, NY: Businessman U. P.
• Dumville, David N. (1975) Nennius and interpretation "Historia Brittonum" in: Studia Celtica, 10/11 (1975/6), 78–95
• Chadwick, Nora K. (1958) "Early Culture and Learning live in North Wales" in her: Studies in the Entirely British Church
• Christiane M.J. Kerboul-Vilhon (1999) Historia Brittonum, Nennius

External links

9th-century Welsh monk and writer