''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' (''Deeds of the Norman Dukes'') is a

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 ...

originally created by the monk

William of Jumièges William of Jumièges (born c. 1000 - died after 1070) (french: Guillaume de Jumièges) was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of the earliest writers on the subject of the Norman conquest of England. He is himself a shadowy figure, onl ...

just before 1060. In 1070

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

had William of Jumièges extend the work to detail his rights to the throne of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. In later times,

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...

(d. c. 1142) and Robert of Torigni (d. 1186), extended the volumes to include history up until

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...

. The ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' by

has become the principal work of Norman historical writings, one of many written to glorify the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqu ...

. Emily Albu, ''The Normans in Their Histories'' (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2001), p. 51 But unlike most it was probably started in the late 1050s as a continuation of Dudo's ''De moribus''. The monk William returned to his writing after the Conquest, most probably at the request of William the Conqueror. The final version of his history was written at his monastery at Jumièges .For a detailed analysis of the ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' see; Elisabeth M.C. van Houts, 'The Gesta Normannorum Ducum: a history without an end', ''Anglo-Norman Studies III: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1980'', Ed. R. Allen Brown (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1981), pp. 106-118. During the twelfth century there were interpolations and additions, first by Orderic Vitalis, then by Robert of Torigni, who added an entire book on

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

. During the medieval period his work was widely circulated and read, was an essential work in most

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and was the basic source on which the histories of Wace and

Benoît de Sainte-Maure Benoît de Sainte-Maure (; died 1173) was a 12th-century French poet, most probably from Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine near Tours, France. The Plantagenets' administrative center was located in Chinon, west of Tours. ''Le Roman de Troie'' His 40,00 ...

were based. William's ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' survives today in forty-seven manuscripts.

Jules Lair Jules–Auguste Lair (25 May 1836 – 16 May 1907) was a French lawyer, businessman and scholar. At the École des Chartes he studied palaeography, and was offered a position with the Archives, but he decided instead to become a lawyer. At the ag ...

undertook a modern translation, but the final work was interrupted by his death. The work was completed M. Jean Marx, a French scholar who published his translation in 1914. The original version had ended with the

Harrying of the North The Harrying of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate northern England, where the presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Ætheling, had encouraged Anglo- Danish re ...

by the Conqueror in 1070, but a passage mentioning

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...

as duke appears to be a revision sometime after 1087. However, there was no evidence that William made a continuation beyond 1070.'Guillaume de Jumièges, Gesta Normannorum Ducum by Jean Marx', Review by: Charles H. Haskins, ''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 31, No. 121 (Jan., 1916), p. 150 This text displays a difference from William's writing and so would seem to be of an unknown origin, but it was included by Marx in his translation, assuming it was by the original author. The most recent translations were edited and translated by Elisabeth M.C. van Houts and were published in two volumes, volume I in 1992 and volume II in 1995, both by the Clarendon Press, Oxford.'The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni. Vol. I: Introduction and Books I-IV by Elisabeth M. C. van Houts', Review by: D. J. A. Matthew, The English Historical Review, Vol. 110, No. 437 (Jun., 1995), pp. 687-688; 'The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Volume II: Books V-VIII by Elisabeth M. C. Van Houts', Review by: Cassandra Potts, ''Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies'', Vol. 29, No. 1 (Spring, 1997), pp. 82-83

Notes

References

Edition

*''The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni''. Edited and translated by Elisabeth M. C. Van Houts, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995. {{Authority control 11th-century history books 12th-century history books 11th-century Latin books 12th-century Latin books 1070s in France 1070s in England History of Normandy Norman chronicles

See also

Notes

References

Edition