The ''Vita Edwardi Secundi'' (''Life of Edward II'') is a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
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
The earliest surviving version of the Vita is a copy made by
Thomas Hearne in 1729 from a manuscript lent to him by James West. The original is thought to have been burnt some years later along with many of West's other papers.
The manuscript is known to have come from the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbey of
Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...
, but it is not known if the work was written there.
Authorship
The author is unknown, but aspects of his character can be inferred from his work.
He was a highly educated person, shown in his use of biblical quotations and knowledgeable references to the
Civil Law of the time. He was likely to have been of advanced age, due to both his apparent death by 1326 and his despair at “the young men of today.”
A popular candidate for the authorship of the Vita is a lawyer from Herefordshire and clerk to the
Earl of Hereford
The title of Earl of Hereford was created six times in the Peerage of England. Dates indicate the years the person held the title for.
Earls of Hereford, First Creation (1043)
* Swegen Godwinson (1043–1051)
''earldom forfeit 1051–1052''
Earl ...
:
John Walwayn
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
.
Noël Denholm-Young first put forward the proposition that Walwayn was the author. Denholm-Young's conclusions are based on the known facts about Walwayn—such as being a king's clerk whose career reached its peak between 1315 and 1323, and who was dead by 1326—matching the interests, knowledge and timeline of the author of the chronicle. However,
Antonia Gransden
Antonia Gransden (1928 – 18 January 2020), English historian and medievalist, was Reader in Medieval History at the University of Nottingham. She was author of works in medieval historiography, including the two-volume study ''Historical Writin ...
has cast doubt on Denholm-Young's theory and has said that "the evidence seems insufficient to warrant more than a very tentative conclusion, especially as the Vita has nothing about St Paul's and practically nothing on London".
takes a similar view to Gransden but notes that "Walwayn fits a substantial number of the criteria in training, west country connections, and career. If it is not he, then someone with a career very like his is needed to fit the bill".
The most recent theory about the date in which it was written was put forward by Professor
C. J. Given-Wilson. He thought the Vita was written at intervals throughout Edward's reign, this is supported by the seeming lack of future knowledge shown by the author at different stages of his work.
References
Editions
*
*
1325 books
Latin chronicles about England
14th-century history books
Edward II of England
Books about monarchs
Works of unknown authorship
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