Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum facts for kids

Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum is a very old history book. Its name means "Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg" in Medieval Latin. Adam of Bremen wrote it between 1073 and 1076. He kept adding notes to it until he died, probably around 1081.

This book is super important for understanding the history of Northern Europe during the Viking Age. It's also the oldest written source that talks about the Vikings discovering parts of North America.

The book covers the time from 788, when the church region (called a bishopric) was started, until 1072. It mainly focuses on the history of the Hamburg-Bremen church and its leaders, called bishops. These bishops were in charge of spreading Christianity in Scandinavia. Because of this, the book also tells us a lot about the old Norse paganism (the Viking religion) from that time.

People forgot about this book for a long time. It was found again in the late 1500s in a library in Denmark.

What Does This Important Book Talk About?

The Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum has several main parts:

• An introduction, written for Bishop Liemar.
• Book 1: The history of the Bremen church region from 788 to 940.
• Book 2: The history of the Hamburg-Bremen church region from 940 to 1045.
• Book 3: A story about Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg (who led the church from 1043 to 1072).
• Book 4: Descriptio insularum aquilonis, which means "Description of the Northern Islands." This part describes the geography of Northern Europe.
• A final dedication to Bishop Liemar.

This book is a key source for learning about Northern Germany and Scandinavia during the Viking Age and the early High Middle Ages. It talks about the relationships between the Saxons, the Wends (West Slavs), and the Danes (Vikings). Adam used other old historians' works and the Bremen church library to write his book. He finished the main text in 1075 or 1076.

After Bishop Leuderich died in 845, the church region of Bremen joined with Hamburg. This new Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen was in charge of "missions to the North." This meant they oversaw all efforts to spread Christianity in Scandinavia and where the Vikings explored. This included places like Russia, Iceland, and Greenland. This continued throughout the Viking Age. Later, a new church region was set up in Lund in 1105.

Old Norse Gods and Beliefs

Adam of Bremen's book is also a great source for understanding the old Norse paganism of the Viking Age. He describes the famous temple at Uppsala in Sweden.

He wrote: "In this temple, covered in gold, people worship statues of three gods. The most powerful, Thor, sits in the middle. Odin and Freyr are on either side. Thor, they say, controls the air, thunder, lightning, winds, rains, good weather, and crops. Odin, whose name means 'Fury,' leads wars and gives strength to people against their enemies. The third god, Freyr, brings peace and happiness to people."

Exploring Northern Europe and Vinland

The fourth book of the Gesta describes the geography of Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea region. It mentions many church towns and churches, like Meldorf, Schenefeld, Verden, Pahlen, Ratzeburg, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg in Holstein, and Jumne.

This book also describes the coast of Scandinavia and the "northern islands." These include Iceland, Greenland, and, very importantly, Vinland (which is in North America). This makes it the oldest written record we have about the Vikings discovering North America. Adam of Bremen learned about these Viking discoveries in the North Atlantic from the Danish king Sven Estridson.

Who Wrote This Important Book?

Adam of Bremen probably came from Meissen in Saxony, Germany. He was likely born before 1050 and died on October 12th, possibly in 1081 or by 1085 at the latest.

From his writings, we know he was very well-read. The title "Magister Adam" shows he had a good education. He might have studied at the cathedral school in Magdeburg.

Around 1066 or 1067, Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg invited Adam to join the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen. Adam became part of the church leaders in Bremen. By 1069, he was the head of the cathedral's school. Soon after, he started writing his Gesta, which tells the history of Hamburg-Bremen and the northern lands.

Because of his job and the church's work to spread Christianity, Adam could gather a lot of information. He learned about the history and geography of Northern Germany. He also visited the court of King Svend Estridson in Denmark. This trip gave him the chance to find out about the history and geography of Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

Images for kids

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  Beginning of Book 1 in the Vienna manuscript.

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  First page of the description of northern islands.

See also

In Spanish: Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum para niños