Eadmer facts for kids
Eadmer (born around 1060 – died around 1126) was an English historian, a religious scholar, and a church leader. He is best known for writing about his friend and leader, Saint Anselm, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury. Eadmer's book, Vita Anselmi, tells the story of Anselm's life. He also wrote Historia novorum in Anglia, which talks about important events in England and supports the idea that Canterbury was more important than York in the church.
Eadmer's Life
Eadmer was born in England around 1060, just before the Norman conquest of England in 1066. He became a monk at a Benedictine monastery called Christ Church, Canterbury. There, he met Anselm, who was visiting England at the time.
Their friendship grew stronger when Anselm became the archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. Eadmer became Anselm's student, friend, and even his helper, officially chosen by Pope Urban II.
In 1120, Eadmer was chosen to be a bishop in Scotland, at St. Andrews. However, the Scottish people did not want to follow the authority of the church in Canterbury. Because of this, Eadmer was never officially made a bishop there, and he soon gave up his claim to the position. He is believed to have died in or after 1126.
Eadmer also played a role in spreading an important idea about the Blessed Virgin Mary. He defended the belief that Mary, Jesus's mother, was born without any sin. This idea, called the Immaculate Conception, had been around in the East for a long time. It started to become popular in England in the early 1000s. Eadmer wanted to bring back these local traditions at Canterbury.
Some people, like Anselm, believed that everyone, except Jesus, was born with Original Sin. They thought that if Mary was born without sin, it would change the reason why Jesus had to come to Earth. Even with these debates, Eadmer's writings helped the idea of Mary being sinless spread across England and France. This happened partly because some people mistakenly thought Anselm had written Eadmer's book on the topic.
Eadmer's Writings
Eadmer wrote many books and papers. His most important work is Historia novorum in Anglia (History of New Events in England). This book mainly covers the history of England between 1066 and 1122. Even though it focuses on church matters, experts agree it is a very good and valuable historical writing.
Another key work is Vita Anselmi (Life of Saint Anselm), written around 1124. This book is considered the best account of Saint Anselm's life written by someone who knew him.
Eadmer also wrote lives of other saints, including St Dunstan, St Bregwine, and St Oswald. Many of Eadmer's original writings are kept in the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Here are some of his important works:
- Historia novorum: This is his history of new events in England.
- Vita S. Anselmi: This is the life story of Saint Anselm.
- Vita S. Oswaldi: The life story of Saint Oswald.
- Vita S. Odonis: The life story of Saint Oda.
- Vita S. Dunstani: The life story of Saint Dunstan.
- De Conceptione Sanctae Mariae: This book discusses the idea of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
