Annales Cambriæ
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Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at
St David's St Davids or St David's (, ,  "Saint David, David's Welsh toponymy, house”) is a St David's Cathedral, cathedral City status in the United Kingdom, city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun, Pembrokeshire, River Alun and is ...
in
Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later editions were compiled in the 13th century. Despite the name, the record not only events in Wales, but also events in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and sometimes further afield, though the focus of the events recorded especially in the later two-thirds of the text is Wales.


Sources

The five principal versions of appear in four manuscripts: * A: London,
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
, Harley MS 3859, folios 190r–193r. * B: London (Kew),
National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...
, MS. E.164/1 (K.R. Misc. Books, Series I) pp. 2–26 * C: London, British Library, MS. Cotton Domitian A.i, folios 138r–155r * D: Exeter, Cathedral Library, MS. 3514, pp. 523–28, the . * E: ''ibid.'', pp. 507–19, the . A is written in a hand of about 1100–1130 AD, and inserted without title into a manuscript (MS) of the where it is immediately followed by a pedigree for Owain ap Hywel (died 988). Although no explicit chronology is given in the MS, its annals seem to run from about AD 445 to 977 with the last entry at 954, making it likely that the text belongs to the second half of the 10th century. B was written, probably at the
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...
abbey of
Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
, at the end of the 13th century. It is entitled 286 C is part of a book written at St David's, and is entitled 288 this is also of the late 13th century. Two of the texts, B and C, begin with a World Chronicle derived from
Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...
's ''Origines'' (Book V, ch. 39), through the medium of
Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
's ''Chronica minora''. B begins its annals with Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain "sixty years before the incarnation of the Lord." After A.D. 457, B agrees closely with A until A ends. C commences its annals after the empire of
Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...
(AD 610–41) at a year corresponding to AD 677. C mostly agrees with A until A ends, although it is clear that A was not the common source for B and C (Dumville 2002, p. xi). B and C diverge after 1203, C having fewer and briefer Welsh entries. D and E are found in a manuscript written at the Cistercian abbey of
Whitland Whitland (, , or , , from the medieval ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Geography The Whitland Community (Wales), community is bordered by the communities of: Henllanfallteg; Llanboidy; and Eglwyscummin, a ...
in south-west Wales in the later 13th century; the ' (which takes its title from its opening words) extends from 1132 BC to 1285 AD, while the ' extends from 1190 to 1266. A alone has benefited from a complete diplomatic edition (Phillimore 1888).


Source for the Arthurian legend

There are two entries in the on
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
, one on Medraut (Mordred), and one on
Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...
. These entries have been presented in the past as proof of the existence of Arthur and Merlin, although that view is no longer widely held because the Arthurian entries could have been added arbitrarily as late as 970, long after the development of the early Arthurian myth. The entries on Arthur and Mordred in the A Text: :Year 72 (c. AD 516) The
Battle of Badon The Battle of Badon, also known as the Battle of Mons Badonicus, was purportedly fought between Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Post-Roman Britain during the late 5th or early 6th century. It was credited as a major victory for the Britons, st ...
, in which Arthur carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ on his shoulders for three days and three nights and the Britons were victors. :Year 93 (c. 537) The Strife of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut (Mordred) fell and there was death in Britain and in Ireland. Concerning Arthur's cross at the Battle of Badon, it is mirrored by a passage in
Nennius Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...
where Arthur was said to have borne the image of the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
"on his shoulders" during a battle at a castle called Guinnion. The words for "shoulder" and "shield" were, however, easily confused in
Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...
"shield" versus "shoulder"Jones, W. Lewis. ''The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes''
Vol. I, XII, §2.
Putnam, 1921. Accessed 30 Jan 2013.
and
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...
played upon this dual tradition, describing Arthur bearing "on his shoulders a shield" emblazoned with the Virgin. Merlin (Old Welsh Myrddin) is not mentioned in the A Text, though there is mention of the battle of Arfderydd, associated with him in medieval Welsh literature: :Year 129 (c. 573) The Battle of Armterid Texts B and C omit the second half of the year 93 entry. B calls Arfderydd "Erderit"; C, "Arderit". In the B Text, the year 129 entry continues: "between the sons of Elifer and Guendoleu son of Keidau in which battle Guendoleu fell and Merlin went mad". Both the B and C texts display the influence of Geoffrey of Monmouth's ',Gough-Cooper, 2012 and this is reflected in the Arfderydd entry by the choice of the Latinized form ''Merlinus'', first found in Geoffrey's ''Historia'', as opposed to the expected Old Welsh form ''Merdin''.


See also

* English historians in the Middle Ages *
History of Wales The history of what is now Wales () begins with evidence of a Neanderthal presence from at least 230,000 years ago, while ''Homo sapiens'' arrived by about 31,000 BC. However, continuous habitation by modern humans dates from the period after ...


References


Further reading

*Brett, Caroline, 1988 'The Prefaces of Two Late Thirteenth-century Welsh Latin Chronicles', ''Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies'' ''35, pp. 64–73.'' *Dumville, David N., 1972-74 'Some aspects of the chronology of the ''Historia Brittonum, ''Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies'' 25, pp. 439–445. *Dumville, David N., 1977 'Sub-Roman Britain: history and legend', ''History'' 62, pp. 173–192. *Dumville, David N., 1977/8 'The Welsh Latin annals', ''Studia Celtica'' 12/13, pp. 461–467 (review of Hughes 1974) *Dumville, David N., 1984 'When was the 'Clonmacnoise Chronicle' created? The evidence of the Welsh annals', in Grabowski K. & Dumville D.N., 1984 ''Chronicles and Annals of Mediaeval Ireland and Wales: The Clonmacnoise-group of texts'', Boydell, pp. 209–226. *Dumville, David N. (ed, and trans.), 2002 'Annales Cambriae, A.D. 682-954: Texts A-C in Parallel', Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge. *Dumville, David N. 2004 ' ''Annales Cambriae'' and Easter', in ''The Medieval Chronicle III'', Rodopi, Amsterdam & New York. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2010 'Annales Cambriae, from Saint Patrick to AD 682: Texts A, B & C in Parallel.' ''The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwest Europe'', Issue 15 (October 2012
The Heroic Age website
*Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2018 'Decennovenal Reason and Unreason in the C-text of ''Annales Cambriae'' ', in Erik Kooper et al. ''The Medieval Chronicle 11'', Brill, pp. 195–212. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2020 'Meet the Ancestors?' in Ben Guy et al. ''The Chronicles of Medieval Wales and the March'', Brepols, pp. 107–138. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2021 'How was the chronology of the earliest Welsh Latin chronicle regulated?', ''Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium'' 39 (2019), pp. 134–165.
Grigg, Erik, 2009 ' 'Mole Rain' and other natural phenomena in the Welsh annals: can ''mirabilia'' unravel the textual history of the ''Annales Cambriae''?'
''
Welsh History Review ''The Welsh History Review'' (Welsh: Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of Wales. It is published in four parts per volume, one volume every two years. The journal was established in 1960. The editors- ...
'' 244, p. 1-40. *Hayward, P.A., 2010 ''The Winchcombe and Coventry chronicles: hitherto unnoticed witnesses to the work of John of Worcester'', (2 vols.) Tempe, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. *Hughes, Kathleen, 1974 'The Welsh Latin chronicles: ''Annales Cambriae'' and related texts', in (1980) ''Celtic Britain in the Early Middle Ages'', Boydell, pp. 67–85. *Hughes, Kathleen, 1980 'The A-text of ''Annales Cambriae, in ''Celtic Britain in the Early Middle Ages'', Boydell, pp. 86–100 *Jones, T., 1948, ''Cronica de Wallia and other Documents from Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514'', Oxford University Press. *Ker, N.R. 1955, 'Sir John Prise'. ''The Library'', 5th series, x (1955), p. 1-24. *Miller, Molly, 1975 ' The Commanders at Arthuret', ''Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society'', New Series, 75, pp. 96–118. *Miller, Molly, 1977/8 'Date-Guessing and Dyfed', ''Studia Celtica'' 12/13, pp. 33–61. *Miller, Molly, 1979 'The disputed historical horizon of the Pictish king-lists', ''Scottish Historical Review'', 58, pp. 1–34. *+Miller, Molly, 2004 'Final stages in the construction of the Harleian ''Annales Cambriae'': the evidence of the framework' in ''The Journal of Celtic Studies JCS 4'', Brepols. *Phillimore, Egerton (ed.), 1888 'The ''Annales Cambriae'' and Old Welsh Genealogies from ''Harleian'' MS. 3859'
Cymmrodor'' 9 (1888)
pp. 141–183 . *Phillimore, Egerton (ed.), 1890/1 'The publication of the Welsh historical records'
''Y Cymmrodor'' 11 (1890/1)
pp. 133–75. *Remfry, P.M., 2007, ''Annales Cambriae. A Translation of Harleian 3859; PRO E.164/1; Cottonian Domitian, A 1; Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514 and MS Exchequer DB Neath, PRO E'', Castle Studies Research and Publishing () * *Stephenson, David, 2008 'Welsh Chronicles' Accounts of the Mid-Twelfth Century', ''Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies'', No. 56, Aberystwyth, CMCS, pp 45–57. *Stephenson, David, 2010 'Gerald of Wales and ''Annales Cambriae'' ', ''Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies'', No. 60, Aberystwyth, CMCS, pp 24–37. *Wiseman, Howard, 2000 'The derivation of the date of Badon in the Annales Cambriae from Bede and Gildas' ''Parergon'' 17.2, pp. 1–10. *Wiseman, Howard, 2002 'The derivation of the date of the Arthurian entries in the Annales Cambriae from Bede and Gildas'


External links

*Complete editions of A, B, C, D and E are availabl
here
*An English translation of the original annals (combining text from MSS. A, B & C for the period from the mid-5th century to the mid-10th) can be foun
here.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annales Cambriae Medieval Welsh literature Arthurian literature in Latin Welsh chronicles Medieval historical texts in Latin 10th-century history books 10th-century books in Latin Manuscripts about Wales in Latin