This is a list of the most important

Chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

s relevant to the kingdom of England in the period from the Norman Conquest to the beginning of the Tudor dynasty (1066–1485). The chronicles are listed under the name by which they are commonly referred to. Some chronicles are known under the name of the chronicler to whom they are attributed, while some of these writers also have more than one work to their name. Though works may cover more than one reign, each chronicle is listed only once, with the dates covered. Only post-conquest dates have been included. Though many chronicles claim to describe history "from the earliest times" (from Brutus, from the creation,

ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an exp ...

), they are normally only useful as historical sources for their own times. Some of the later works, such as Polydore Vergil and Thomas More, are as close to history in the modern sense of the word, as to medieval chronicles.

William I (1066–1087), and William II (1087–1100)

* ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...

'' (–1154) * Eadmer (–1122) * ''

Gesta Herwardi Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...

'' (1070–1071) *

Guy of Amiens Guy, Bishop of Amiens (d.1075) was an eleventh-century churchman, in what is now the north-east of France. Although the genealogy of early Ponthieu and Boulogne is scanty (and the 12th century versions unreliable, because of their efforts to tie t ...

(1066) * William of Malmesbury (–1127) * Ordericus Vitalis (–1141) * '' Roman de Rou'' (–1106) * William of Jumièges (–1137) * William of Poitiers (–1068) * Florence of Worcester (–1117)

Henry I (1100–1135)

* Henry of Huntingdon (–1154) * John of Hexham (1130–1154) * Simeon of Durham (several)

Stephen (1135–1154)

* Aelred of Rievaulx (several) * '' Chronicle of Holyrood'' (–1187 with additions to 1355) * Gervase of Canterbury (1100–1199) * '' Gesta Stephani'' (1135–1154) * John of Salisbury (several) * William of Newburgh (1160–1198 with a continuation to 1298) * Richard of Hexham (several) * Robert of Torigni (–1186)

Henry II (1154–1189)

* '' Chronicle of Melrose'' (–1270) * ''

The Deeds of the Normans in Ireland ''The Song of Dermot and the Earl'' (french: Chanson de Dermot et du comte) is an anonymous Anglo-Norman verse chronicle written in the early 13th century in England. It tells of the arrival of Richard de Clare (Strongbow) in Ireland in 1170 (the ...

'' (''Song of Dermot and the Earl'') (–1175) * Ralph de Diceto (several) * Stephen of Rouen (–1169) *

Jordan Fantosme Jordan Fantosme (died c. 1185) was an Anglo-Norman historian and poet. He was a cleric and probably the spiritual chancellor of the Diocese of Winchester. His major work is an Anglo-Norman verse chronicle of the war between Henry II of England a ...

(1173–1174) * Geoffroy of Vigeois (–1184) * '' Gesta Regis Henrici II'' (1169–1192) * Gerald of Wales (several) * ''

L'Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal ''L'Histoire'' is a monthly mainstream French magazine dedicated to historical studies, recognized by peers as the most important historical popular magazine (as opposed to specific university journals or less scientific popular historical ma ...

'' (c. 1140–1219) * Rigord (1179–1208)

Richard I, the Lionheart (1189–1199)

* Ambroise (1190–1192) * '' Itinerarium Regis Ricardi'' (1190–1192) * Ralph of Coggeshall (1066–1223) * Richard of Devizes (1189–1192) * Roger of Howden (–1201)

John of England (1199–1216)

* Walter of Coventry (–1225) * Roger of Wendover (–1235) *

William the Breton William the Breton (c. 1165c. 1225), French chronicler and poet, was a contemporary and dependent of French king Philip Augustus for whom he served in diplomatic missions and for whom he wrote a Latin prose chronicle and a Latin epic poem. Willia ...

(See Rigord, above)

Henry III (1216–1272)

* '' Annales S. Pauli Londoniensis'' (1064–1274) * ''

Chronicle of Lanercost The ''Lanercost Chronicle'' is a northern English history covering the years 1201 to 1346. It covers the Wars of Scottish Independence, but it is also highly digressive and as such provides insights into English life in the thirteenth century as we ...

'' (1201–1346) * Arnold Fitz Thedmar (1188–1274) * '' Flores Historiarum'' (–1326) * Matthew Paris (–1259) * Richard de Morins (–1297) *

William Rishanger William Rishanger (born 1250), nicknamed "Chronigraphus", was an English annalist and Benedictine monk of St. Albans. Rishanger quite likely wrote the ''Opus Chronicorum'', a continuation from 1259 of Matthew Paris's ''Chronicle''. In effect it ...

(1259–1307) * Robert of Gloucester (–1270) * Thomas Wykes (1066–1289)

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
(1272–1307)

* ''

Annales Londonienses Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles conta ...

'' (1194–1330 with a gap 1293–1301) * '' The Brus'' (1286–1332) * '' Chronica Johannis de Oxenedes'' (c. 1290) * John of Fordun (–1383) *

Guisborough Guisborough ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of the North York Moors National Park. Roseberry Topping, midway between the town and Great Ayton, is a landmark i ...

(1048–1346) *

Pierre de Langtoft Peter Langtoft, also known as Peter of Langtoft ( fro, Piers de Langtoft; died 1305) was an English historian and chronicler who took his name from the small village of Langtoft in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Langtoft was an Augustinian canon ...

(–1307) * Nicholas Trevet (1135–1307)

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
(1307–1327)

* ''

Annales Paulini The Annales Paulini is an English medieval chronicle. The Chronicles of St Paul's, as the Annales Paulini might be translated, is thought to have been written by a canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London. Because it covers the period of 1307-1341 it ...

'' (–1307 with continuation to 1341) * Geoffrey the Baker (1303–1356) * '' Gesta Edwardi de Carnarvan'' (1307–1377) * '' Polychronicon'' (–1352) * '' Scalacronica'' (1066–1362) * John of Trokelowe (1307–1326) * ''

Vita Edwardi Secundi The ''Vita Edwardi Secundi'' (''Life of Edward II'') is a Latin chronicle most likely written in 1325 by an unknown English medieval historian contemporary to Edward II. It covers the period from 1307 until its abrupt end in 1325. Manuscript T ...

'' (1307–1326) * '' Castleford's Chronicle'' (—1327)

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
(1327–1377)

* '' Eulogium Historiarum'' (–1366) * Jean Froissart (1307–1400) * Herald of Chandos * Henry Knighton (1066–1395 with a gap 1366–1377) * Jean Le Bel (1272–1361 poor until 1326) * Adam Murimuth (1303–1347) * Jean de Venette (1340–1368)

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
(1377–1399) and Henry IV (1399–1413)

Jean Creton Jean Creton ( ''fl''. 1386–1420) was a medieval French historian and poet who served as '' valet de chambre'' (or squire) to King Charles VI of France in the late fourteenth century. He is most notable, however, for his chronicle (written in v ...

(most valuable for 1399) * '' Kirkstall Chronicle'' (–1400) * Enguerrand de Monstrelet (1400–1444) * Adam of Usk (1377–1404) *

The Westminster Chronicle An important historical document for the reign of Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Pr ...

(1381–1394) *

Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (died c. 1422) was an English chronicler, and is the source of much of the knowledge of the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, and the careers of John Wycliff and Wat Tyler. Walsingham was a Benedictine monk who sp ...

(several, among these ''The St Albans Chronicle'')

Henry V (1413–1422)

* John Capgrave (–1417) * Thomas Elmham (see Henrici V Gesta below) * '' Henrici V Gesta'' (1413–1416) * Jean Le Fevre (1408–1435)

Henry VI (1422–1461 and 1470–1471)

* John Amundesham (1421–1440) * Robert Blondel (1449–1450) * ''

Croyland Chronicle Crowland (modern usage) or Croyland (medieval era name and the one still in ecclesiastical use; cf. la, Croilandia) is a town in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Peterborough and Spalding. Crowland c ...

'' (1149–1486) * John Hardyng (–1437) * ''

Great Chronicle of London Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

'' (1189–1512) * ''

Gregory's Chronicle ''Gregory's Chronicle'', the ''Chronicle of London'', or MS Edgerton 1995, is the name given to a fifteenth-century English chronicle. It takes its name from its supposed author, William Gregory, who started as a skinner in London and went on ...

'' (1189–1469) * '' A Short English Chronicle'' (1189–1465) * Jean de Wavrin (–1471) * William Worcester (1324–1468, 1491)

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
(1461–1470 and 1471–1483)

* ''

Brief Latin Chronicle Brief, briefs, or briefing may refer to: Documents * A letter * A briefing note * Papal brief, a papal letter less formal than a bull, sealed with the pope's signet ring or stamped with the device borne on this ring * Design brief, a type of edu ...

'' (1422–1471) * John Hardyng (–1464) * Philippe de Commynes (1464–1498) * Robert Fabyan (–1485) * '' Historie of the arrivall of Edward IV'' (1471) * Warkworth's Chronicle (1461–1474)

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
(1483–1485)

* Edward Hall (1399–1547) * Dominic Mancini (1483) * John Rous (–1485) * Thomas More's ''History of King Richard III'' (1452–1485) * Polydore Vergil's ''Anglica Historia'' (1538)

External links

History of English chronicles Yale U.

William I (1066–1087), and William II (1087–1100)

Henry I (1100–1135)

Stephen (1135–1154)

Henry II (1154–1189)

Richard I, the Lionheart (1189–1199)

John of England (1199–1216)

Henry III (1216–1272)

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
(1272–1307)

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
(1307–1327)

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
(1327–1377)

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
(1377–1399) and Henry IV (1399–1413)

Henry V (1413–1422)

Henry VI (1422–1461 and 1470–1471)

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
(1461–1470 and 1471–1483)

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
(1483–1485)

See also

Further reading

External links

William I (1066–1087), and William II (1087–1100)

Henry I (1100–1135)

Stephen (1135–1154)

Henry II (1154–1189)

Richard I, the Lionheart (1189–1199)

John of England (1199–1216)

Henry III (1216–1272)

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ... (1272–1307)

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ... (1307–1327)

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ... (1327–1377)

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ... (1377–1399) and Henry IV (1399–1413)

Henry V (1413–1422)

Henry VI (1422–1461 and 1470–1471)

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ... (1461–1470 and 1471–1483)

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ... (1483–1485)

See also

Further reading

External links

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
(1272–1307)

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
(1307–1327)

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
(1327–1377)

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
(1377–1399) and Henry IV (1399–1413)

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
(1461–1470 and 1471–1483)

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
(1483–1485)