Ralph of Coggeshall (died after 1227),
English
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chronicler
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 lo ...
, was at first a monk and afterwards sixth
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
(1207–1218) of
Coggeshall Abbey
Coggeshall Abbey, situated south of the town of Coggeshall in Essex, was founded in 1140 by King Stephen of England and Matilda of Boulogne, as a Savigniac house but became Cistercian in 1147 upon the absorption of the order.
History
In 121 ...
, an
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
foundation of the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
order.
Chronicon Anglicanum
Ralph himself tells us these facts; and that his resignation of the abbacy was made against the wishes of the brethren, in consequence of his bad health. He took up and continued a ''Chronicon Anglicanum'' belonging to his house; the original work begins at 1066, his own share at 1187. He hoped to reach the year 1227, but his autograph copy breaks off three years earlier.
Ralph makes no pretensions to be a literary artist. Where he had a written authority before him he was content to reproduce even the phraseology of his original. At other times he strings together in chronological order, without any links of connection, the anecdotes which he gathered from chance visitors.
Unlike
Benedictus Abbas Benedict, sometimes known as Benedictus Abbas (Latin for "Benedict the Abbot"; died 29 September 1193), was abbot of Peterborough. His name was formerly erroneously associated with the ''Gesta Henrici Regis Secundi'' and ''Gesta Regis Ricardi'', Eng ...
and
Roger of Hoveden
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
, he makes little use of documents; only three letters are quoted in his work. On the other hand, the corrections and erasures of the autograph show that he took pains to verify his details; and his informants are sometimes worthy of exceptional confidence. Thus he vouches
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
's chaplain Anselm for the story of the king's capture by
Leopold of Austria.
The tone of the chronicle is usually dispassionate; but the original text contained some personal strictures upon
Prince John, which are reproduced in
Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.
At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of ...
. The admiration with which Ralph regarded
Henry II is attested by his edition of
Ralph Niger
Ralph Niger, Latin Radulphus Niger or Radulfus Niger, anglicized Ralph the Black (c. 1140 – c. 1217), was an Anglo-French theologian and one of the English chroniclers. He was from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and became Archdeacon of Gloucester. ...
's chronicle; here, under the year 1161, he replies to the intemperate criticisms of the original author. However, Ralph's role in editing Niger's chronicle is now disputed, and it is believed that a monk at the nearby monastery of St Osyth's made the amendment.
On Richard I the abbot passes a judicious verdict, admitting the great qualities of that king, but arguing that his character degenerated. Towards John alone Ralph is uniformly hostile; as a Cistercian and an adherent of the
Mandeville family he could hardly be otherwise.
Ralph refers in the ''Chronicon'' (s.a. 1091) to a book of visions and miracles which he had compiled, but this is no longer extant. He also wrote a continuation of Niger's chronicle, extending from 1162 to 1178 (printed in R. Anstruther's edition of Niger, London, 1851), and short annals from 1066 to 1223.
The autograph manuscript of the ''Chronicon Anglicanum'' is to be found in the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
(
Cotton, Vespasian D. X). The same volume contains the continuation of Ralph Niger. The ''Chronicon Terrae Sanctae'', formerly attributed to Ralph, is by another hand; it was among the sources on which he drew for the ''Chronicon Anglicanum''. The so-called ''Libellus de motibus anglicanis sub rege Johanne'' (printed by
Martène and
Durand, ''Ampl. Collectio'', v. pp. 871–882) is merely an excerpt from the ''Chronicon Anglicanum''. This latter work was edited for the
Rolls Series
''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...
in 1875 by
Joseph Stevenson
Joseph Stevenson (27 November 1806 – 8 February 1895) was an English Catholic priest, archivist and editor of historical texts.
Early life
Joseph Stevenson was born on 27 November 1806 in Berwick-on-Tweed, the eldest son of Robert Stevenson, s ...
.
Notes
References
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*
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Radulphi de Coggeshall: ''Chronicon Anglicanum''
{{Authority control
12th-century births
13th-century deaths
12th-century English historians
13th-century English historians
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13th-century Latin writers