Henry of Huntingdon facts for kids

Henry of Huntingdon (born around 1088 – died around 1157 AD) was an important English historian from the 12th century. He was a priest, serving as the archdeacon of Huntingdon. Henry is best known for writing a book called Historia Anglorum, which means "History of the English" in Latin. This book tells the story of England from its very early days up to the year 1154.

Most of what we know about Henry comes from his own writings and some official records. He grew up in the rich household of Robert Bloet, who was a powerful bishop. Later, another bishop named Alexander of Lincoln asked Henry to write his famous history book.

Henry's Life Story

Henry was born around 1088 and passed away around 1157. In 1110, he took over from his father, Nicholas, as the archdeacon of the Diocese of Lincoln. An archdeacon is a senior church official who helps the bishop manage the church's affairs in a certain area.

Henry spent his childhood in the luxurious home of Bishop Robert Bloet in Lincoln. This was one of the wealthiest church courts in England. Growing up in such a grand place gave Henry a positive view of the world. However, as he got older, he started to feel a bit of "contempt for the world." This means he began to see that people often cared more about their belongings than about their own spiritual well-being. This feeling influenced much of his later writing.

Bishop Alexander of Lincoln, who followed Bishop Bloet, noticed Henry's skills. He often asked Henry to handle important tasks. It was Bishop Alexander who encouraged Henry to start writing Historia Anglorum. Henry even wrote a special introduction to his history book, dedicating it to Bishop Alexander. In this introduction, he explained why writing history was so important and showed off his education.

Like his father, Henry was a married priest. We don't know his wife's name, but they had at least one son named Adam, who also became a clerk. The family lived in a village called Little Stukeley.

Henry mentioned that a famous church leader named Lanfranc was well-known "in our own time." Lanfranc died in 1089, which helps us guess that Henry was born a few years before that. His history book ends in 1154, and he planned to write more, but he never did. This suggests he probably died soon after, perhaps around the age of 70.

Henry's Writings

The Historia Anglorum

Henry's most famous work is definitely the Historia Anglorum. Bishop Alexander asked him to write a history of England from the very beginning up to the time King Henry II came to power in 1154.

Henry published different versions of his book over the years. The final version, which came out in 1154, was organized into eight books. It was meant to end with the death of King Stephen. Henry might have wanted to add another book to cover the first five years of King Henry II's rule, but he never got to it. He was quite old by then and likely died soon after.

Henry was very good at including interesting details and stories in his history. For example, he wrote about King Canute trying to command the ocean waves to stop (which, of course, didn't work!). He also wrote about King Henry I ignoring his doctor's advice and eating too many lampreys, which supposedly caused his death. These kinds of stories made his history very popular, and many copies of his book still exist today. Because Henry often traveled with the bishop's household, which was often with the royal court, he might have seen many of these events himself. The details he shared about the royal family are known to be very accurate.

Henry used many different sources to write his history, including:

• The Ecclesiastical History by Bede, which covered events up to 731.
• The Historia Brittonum, another early history of Britain.
• Works by Roman historians like Eutropius.
• Old English poems, which he translated into Latin. This included the story of King Canute and the tide.
• Different versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which was a collection of historical records kept by monks.
• Old French songs, which helped him with Norman history.

Other Works by Henry

Besides his famous history, Henry also wrote poetry when he was younger. He wrote books of poems about love and even eight books about herbs, spices, and gems, which had a medical theme. Some of these poetry books have been found and published in modern times.

Henry also wrote letters, called Epistles. One important letter was to his friend Walter of Leicester, called De contemptu mundi ("On Contempt for the world"). This letter, written around 1135, talked about his feelings on how people were too focused on worldly things.

Henry's Impact on History

Henry of Huntingdon made a big contribution to history not just with his Historia Anglorum, but also with his other writings like his letters. All of his works give us a peek into what people in the 12th century thought and how historians of that time wrote about the past.

Henry's legacy is important because he added to the history of England and shared his own thoughts and ideas. This gives us a valuable look into the mindset of his era. Like many writers in the Middle Ages, Henry believed that the main purpose of history was to teach moral lessons. He hoped that by reading his history, people would learn from the past and become better individuals.