Historia Regum facts for kids
The Historia Regum (which means "History of the Kings") is an old book that tells about events from the past. It's like a collection of historical stories. People usually say Symeon of Durham wrote it, but that's not always true for the whole book. This history covers events from when Bede died up to the year 1129.
This important book exists mostly in one copy, or manuscript, that was put together in Yorkshire during the 1100s. Even though the copy was made later, the information inside is from earlier times. The Historia Regum is a very useful source for learning about medieval English history, especially the history of a northern region called Northumbria. Today, experts believe that the first five parts of this book were actually written by someone else, named Byrhtferth of Ramsey.
Who Wrote the Historia Regum?
The complete version of the Historia Regum can be found in just one old book, known as Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 139. This specific copy is on pages 51v to 129v and was written down in the late 1100s. There's also a shorter copy in Paris, at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, called MS nouv. acq. lat. 692.
Even though the Cambridge book starts with a note (an incipit) and ends with a note (an explicit) saying Symeon of Durham was the author, many modern historians aren't so sure. The Historia Regum isn't an original history; it's more like a collection of other histories. Also, when historians look closely at the writing style and facts inside the book, it seems unlikely that the same person who wrote the Libellus de exordio also wrote the Historia Regum. The Libellus de exordio is generally accepted as Symeon's work.
