De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae facts for kids
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (which means On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain) is an important book written in Latin by a British church leader named St Gildas. He lived in the 500s AD. This book is like a long sermon or speech. In it, Gildas criticizes the leaders and religious people of his time. He blamed them for the problems in sub-Roman Britain, which was Britain after the Romans left.
This book is super important for understanding British history in the 400s and 500s. It's one of the only major sources from someone who lived around the same time as the events he describes.
The book has three main parts:
- Part I tells a story of British history. It starts from when the Romans took over Britain and goes up to Gildas's own time. It mentions important figures like Ambrosius Aurelianus and a big victory against the Saxons at the Battle of Mons Badonicus.
- Part II criticizes five kings for their bad actions. Some of these kings are not well-known, but others, like Maelgwn Gwynedd, are.
- Part III is a similar attack on the British church leaders of that time.
Contents
Why Gildas's Book is Important
Gildas's book is very valuable for historians. Even though he didn't write it as a history book, it's almost the only surviving text from someone who lived during the 400s and 500s in Britain.
Historians aren't totally sure exactly when Gildas wrote De Excidio. Some think it was in the 540s, but others believe it might have been earlier, maybe between 510 and 530 AD. One historian, Guy Halsall, thinks Gildas might have written it even earlier, in the late 400s. It's likely he wrote it between 480 and 550 AD.
Gildas wrote his book to teach and warn the people of his time, much like an old prophet. He wasn't trying to write a detailed history for people in the future. So, he only included historical details that helped his message. For example, he describes Hadrian's Wall and maybe the Antonine Wall, but his history of them isn't totally accurate.
He also left out details that didn't fit his purpose. He often kept things vague, not giving many names or exact dates. Still, De Excidio is a key work for understanding medieval history and British history in general. It's one of the few books from 6th-century Britain that we still have today.
Gildas mentions that he was born in the same year as the Battle of Mons Badonicus. This battle might have happened in 482 AD. Gildas's writing style shows he had a good education in classical Latin. This kind of education was hard to find in Britain after the 400s. Records say he died around 569 or 570 AD.
How the Book Was Preserved
The oldest copy of De Excidio that we have is from the 1000s. It was damaged in a fire in 1731. Other old copies exist from the 1100s, 1200s, and 1400s.
The very first time Gildas's book was printed was in 1525 by Polydore Vergil. However, he admitted to changing some parts. Later, in 1568, John Joscelyn made a new edition that was closer to the original copies. Many other versions were printed over the years. Today, the text we use is a careful reconstruction by scholars.
What Gildas Wrote About
Part I: Britain's Story
The first part of Gildas's book explains why he wrote it. It then gives a short history of Roman Britain from when the Romans conquered it up to Gildas's own time.
Gildas talks about Britain's "stubbornness, being taken over, and rebelling." He mentions a "second time being taken over and harsh slavery." He also writes about religion, persecution, holy martyrs, and different beliefs. He describes "tyrants," "two raiding groups," and how Britain defended itself. He also talks about more destruction, hunger, a letter to a Roman general named Aëtius, and a victory. He then mentions "crimes," enemies appearing suddenly, a terrible disease, a meeting, and an even fiercer enemy. Finally, he writes about cities being destroyed and the "final victory" that God gave to his country.
Part I is important because it's the first place we hear about Ambrosius Aurelianus. He was a key figure who helped turn the tide against the Anglo-Saxon conquest. It also has the earliest mention of the Britons' victory at the Battle of Mons Badonicus.
Part II: Criticizing Five Kings
The second part of the book criticizes five British kings. This is the only information we have about them from that time, so it's very interesting to historians. Gildas uses animal comparisons from the Bible to describe these kings. He calls them a lion, a leopard, a bear, and a dragon.
The kings Gildas criticized are:
- "Constantine, the tyrannical cub of the unclean lioness of Damnonia."
- "Aurelius Conanus, you lion's cub."
- "Vortipore... like the spotted leopard... tyrant of the Demetians."
- "Cuneglasse... you bear."
- "Maglocune, dragon of the island."
We don't know why Gildas disliked these specific kings. He only chose these five, even though there were other British kingdoms doing well at the time.
Constantine is not very well-known. His "Damnonia" is usually thought to be the kingdom of Dumnonia in southwestern Britain. Later stories also mention a king with this name in that area.
Aurelius Conanus (also called Caninus) can't be linked to a specific region. Some scholars think he might be related to the hero Ambrosius Aurelianus. If so, his kingdom might have been in an area later taken by the Anglo-Saxons.
Vortiporius (Vortipore) was a king of Demetia (Dyfed). We have good records of him in Welsh and Irish family trees. There's a memorial stone found in 1895 with his name on it in both Latin and an old Irish writing style called ogham.
Cuneglasse is the Cynglas (modern Welsh: Cynlas) from royal family trees. He was linked to the southern Gwynedd region. He was also an ancestor of a later King of Gwynedd.
Maelgwn (Maglocune), King of Gwynedd, gets the strongest criticism. Gildas describes him almost like a powerful ruler over the other kings, calling him the "dragon of the island." This makes sense because the Isle of Anglesey was the main base for the kings of Gwynedd. Other sources also suggest Maelgwn was very important. For example, he gave a lot of money to support Christianity across Wales. This shows he had influence beyond his own kingdom.
Part III: Criticizing the Clergy
The third part of the book starts with Gildas saying, "Britain has priests, but they are foolish; many ministers, but they are shameless; church leaders, but they are clever robbers." Gildas continues to complain about the church leaders of his time. However, he doesn't mention any names in this section. So, it doesn't give us specific details about the Church's history during this period.
Gildas's Influence Later On
Gildas's book was very important for later writers in England, both in Latin and Old English. For example, Bede's famous book, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, uses a lot of Gildas's ideas when talking about the Anglo-Saxon invasions. Bede used Gildas's idea that the Britons lost God's favor. Bede then suggested that this favor had passed to the now Christian Anglo-Saxons.
Later, in the Old English period, Gildas's writing also influenced how writers like Alcuin talked about the Viking invasions. Alcuin used Gildas's historical example to suggest that fixing moral and religious problems could help against invasions. Similarly, Wulfstan of York used Gildas's ideas in his sermons, especially in Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, to make a similar point.
Other Historical Meanings
Gildas's work is important for more than just the historical facts he shares. When Gildas was writing, Britain was Christian. Gildas wrote in Latin to the rulers he criticized, and he saw Britons as Roman citizens, even though the central Roman government had collapsed. By 597, when St Augustine arrived in Kent, much of England was pagan, and the new rulers didn't see themselves as Roman citizens.
Knowing the exact date Gildas wrote his book would help us understand the timeline of Britain's change from a post-Roman land to Anglo-Saxon England. This is very valuable because exact dates and reliable facts are rare for this period.
Images for kids
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A map of Britain around 540 AD, showing some of the kingdoms Gildas mentions.
