Historia Brittonum facts for kids
The History of the Britons (in Latin, Historia Brittonum) is an old book that tells the story of the native people of Britain, called the Britons. It was written around the year 828 AD. Many copies of this book still exist today, but they are from after the 11th century.
People often say that a writer named Nennius wrote Historia Brittonum. This is because some copies of the book have an introduction with his name on it. However, some experts now think that this introduction was added later and that the book was actually written by someone unknown.
Contents
What is the Historia Brittonum About?
The Historia Brittonum tells a story about how Britain was supposedly settled by people from Troy, an ancient city. It says that Britain got its name from Brutus, who was a descendant of a famous Trojan hero named Aeneas.
This book was super important for another famous writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth. He used it as his main source when he wrote his own popular book, Historia Regum Britanniae. Because Geoffrey's book was so widely read, the story of Britain's Trojan origins became part of many other history books for a long time.
The Historia Brittonum was also the first book to describe King Arthur. But it doesn't call him a king. Instead, it says he was a dux bellorum (a military leader) or a miles (a warrior or soldier). The book lists twelve battles that Arthur fought. However, unlike other old records, it doesn't give exact dates for these battles.
One part of the Historia Brittonum says that Arthur carried an image of St. Mary on his shoulders during a battle. Later writers thought this might have been a mistake. They believe the original text meant Arthur carried the image of Mary on his shield, because the Welsh words for "shoulders" and "shield" sound very similar.
A famous historian named Theodor Mommsen divided the book into seven main parts. These included a preface, a section on the history of the Britons, a part about Saint Patrick, a section about Arthur, and lists of cities and wonders in Britain.
Historians believe the Historia Brittonum was written around 829 AD. This date comes from clues within the book itself, which mentions events up to that time.
The book uses some ways of telling history that modern historians don't always trust. For example, it mixes legends with facts. This can make it hard to tell what's true and what's not. It also tries to connect different stories and traditions, which sometimes makes the history less reliable.
Who Wrote the Book?
For a long time, people thought Nennius wrote the Historia Brittonum. But over the years, scholars have had many debates about this. Today, many experts believe the book was put together by someone whose name we don't know. They think it went through several changes by different people before it became the versions we have now.
The person who put the book together said they "heaped together" everything they could find. This included not just other written works, but also "ancient traditions," which means old stories passed down by word of mouth. So, the author gathered information from many different sources to create this history.
King Arthur's Stories
The Historia Brittonum is very important because it helped shape the famous legends and myths about King Arthur. It's the earliest book that talks about Arthur as a real historical person. It also includes several stories that were later retold and made even bigger by other authors.
Vortigern and Ambrosius
The Historia tells a story about a king named Vortigern. He allowed the Saxons to settle in Britain in exchange for marrying the daughter of their leader, Hengist.
One famous story about Vortigern is about his attempt to build a fort near Snowdon, called Dinas Emrys. Every time he tried to build it, his materials would disappear! His advisors told him he needed to sprinkle the blood of a boy born without a father on the site to stop the curse. Vortigern found such a boy named Ambrosius. Ambrosius then told the wise men they were wrong. He revealed that the problem was two dragons buried under the ground, causing the disturbance.
Later, Geoffrey of Monmouth retold this story in his book, but he said it was Merlin who revealed the dragons, not Ambrosius. Geoffrey also added other characters and made the story more detailed.
Arthur's Battles
Chapter 56 of the Historia Brittonum talks about twelve battles that King Arthur fought and won. It calls him a "dux bellorum" (war leader) instead of a king:
At that time, the Saxons grew strong by virtue of their large number and increased in power in Britain. Hengist having died, however, his son Octha crossed from the northern part of Britain to the kingdom of Kent and from him are descended the kings of Kent. Then Arthur along with the kings of Britain fought against them in those days, but Arthur himself was the military commander ["dux bellorum"]. His first battle was at the mouth of the river which is called Glein. His second, third, fourth, and fifth battles were above another river which is called Dubglas and is in the region of Linnuis. The sixth battle was above the river which is called Bassas. The seventh battle was in the forest of Celidon, that is Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth battle was at the fortress of Guinnion, in which Arthur carried the image of Holy Mary ever virgin on his shoulders; and the pagans were put to flight on that day. And through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of the blessed Virgin Mary his mother there was great slaughter among them. The ninth battle was waged in the City of the Legion. The tenth battle was waged on the banks of a river which is called Tribruit. The eleventh battle was fought on the mountain which is called Agnet. The twelfth battle was on Mount Badon in which there fell in one day 960 men from one charge by Arthur; and no one struck them down except Arthur himself, and in all the wars he emerged as victor. And while they were being defeated in all the battles, they were seeking assistance from Germany and their numbers were being augmented many times over without interruption. And they brought over kings from Germany that they might reign over them in Britain, right down to the time in which Ida reigned, who was son of Eobba. He was the first king in Bernicia, i.e., in Berneich.
Most of these battle locations are not clear today and cannot be identified. Some of the battles appear in other old Welsh writings, but not all of them are clearly linked to Arthur.
The story about Arthur carrying the image of the Virgin Mary on his shoulders at Guinnion is similar to a story in another old book called the Annales Cambriae. In that book, Arthur carries "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ on his shoulders" during the Battle of Badon. Historians debate whether these stories come from the same source or if one copied the other.
The Battle of Mount Badon is often linked to Arthur in later stories, but not in any books older than the Historia. It was a real battle, mentioned by another writer named Gildas, who didn't name the British leader. The "City of the Legion" might mean Caerleon or Chester, both places where the Romans had big army bases.
Cat Coit Celidon probably refers to the Caledonian Forest in Scotland. Some scholars think this battle is the same as the "Battle of the Trees" from an old Welsh poem.
Some writers believe this chapter proves that King Arthur was a real historical person and have tried to find the real locations of these twelve battles. Others argue that the battles linked to Arthur in the oldest Welsh sources are actually mythological, meaning they are more like legends than real events.
Wonders of Britain
The Historia also includes a section called De mirabilibus Britanniae (or simply Mirabilia), which means "Wonders of Britain." It lists 13 amazing places or things in Britain, and then a few more wonders in Anglesey and Ireland.
This "Wonders" section is thought to have been added to the book shortly after it was first written. It's found in many, but not all, of the old copies.
Two of these wonders are about King Arthur.
The first is about Arthur's dog, Cabal (Cavall in Welsh), and a footprint it left while chasing a giant boar named Troynt (or Troit):
There is another marvel in the region which is called Buelt. There is a mound of stones there and one stone placed above the pile with the pawprint of a dog in it. When Cabal, who was the dog of Arthur the soldier, was hunting the boar Troynt, he impressed his print in the stone, and afterwards Arthur assembled a stone mound under the stone with the print of his dog, and it is called the Carn Cabal. And men come and remove the stone in their hands for the length of a day and a night; and on the next day it is found on top of its mound.
The second wonder is about Arthur's son, Anir or Amr (Amhar in Welsh), and his grave:
There is another wonder in the region which is called Ercing. A tomb is located there next to a spring which is called Licat Amr; and the name of the man who is buried in the tomb was called thus: Amr(←Anir). He was the son of Arthur the soldier, and Arthur himself killed and buried him in that very place. And men come to measure the grave and find it sometimes six feet in length, sometimes nine, sometimes twelve, sometimes fifteen. At whatever length you might measure it at one time, a second time you will not find it to have the same length—and I myself have put this to the test.
Other Stories in the Book
The Historia Brittonum also has sections about Saint Germanus of Auxerre and a special collection of stories about Saint Patrick. It also describes events in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries. One part even mentions the beginnings of Welsh poetry:
Other Books Connected to the Historia
Several other old books are often studied alongside the Historia Brittonum. This is partly because some of them appear with the Historia in old manuscripts, and partly because they share similar information.
- The Frankish Table of Nations: This is a short family tree text from around 520 AD. It's like the family trees found in the Bible. Parts of it were included in the Historia's family tree sections.
- The Lebor Bretnach: This is an Irish translation of the Historia Brittonum.
- The Annales Cambriae: This is a list of events from 445 AD to 977 AD, with some years having notes about what happened. Two important notes are about the Battle of Badon (516 AD) and the Battle of Camlann (537 AD), where "Arthur and Mordred fell."
- Welsh Genealogies: These are collections of family trees of Welsh kings, like Hywel Dda.
- Anglo-Saxon Genealogies: These are collections of family trees for the kings of five early English kingdoms, such as Bernicia and Kent.
Images for kids
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The beginning of an old Welsh book called Enwau ac Anryfeddodau Ynys Prydain, which continued the tradition of describing the wonders of Britain after the Historia.
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