Lucius of Britain facts for kids
Lucius (also known as Lles map Coel, Lleirwg, Lleufer or Lleufer Mawr in Welsh) was a legendary king of the Britons. People traditionally believe he brought Christianity to Britain in the 100s AD.
Lucius is first mentioned in a book from the 500s called the Liber Pontificalis. This book says he sent a letter to Pope Eleutherius. In the letter, Lucius asked to become a Christian.
The story became very popular after Bede, an English monk, wrote about it in the 700s. Bede added that after the Pope agreed, the Britons followed their king. They stayed Christian until a time of persecution around 303 AD. Later writers added more details, saying Lucius helped start many churches.
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Where Was Lucius First Mentioned?
The first time Lucius is mentioned is in a list of popes from 532 AD. This list is called the Catalogus Felicianus. It says that Pope Eleutherius "received a letter from Lucius, King of Britain." The letter asked the Pope to help Lucius become a Christian.
This list was an update of older lists. However, parts of the very old lists are missing. This means we don't know if Lucius was mentioned in them. So, it's hard to tell if he was a later invention or if he was always part of the story.
Was King Lucius Real?
Historians wonder if King Lucius was a real person. This is because there is no other proof of him from his time. We don't have old writings, coins, or other items that mention him.
Some scholars in the 1800s thought the story might be a made-up story. They thought it was created to help missionaries in Britain later on.
Since the early 1900s, many experts have believed it was a mistake by a scribe. A German scholar named Adolf von Harnack suggested this idea. He thought King Lucius was actually King Abgar VIII from a place called Edessa. Harnack believed a scribe mixed up "Britanio" (Britain) with "Britio," which was a fort in Edessa. He also thought the scribe used Abgar's middle name, Lucius.
However, a British archaeologist named David J. Knight has recently challenged this idea. Knight argues that Abgar of Edessa was never called Lucius of Britio. He also points out that calling Lucius the king of a "citadel" (a fort) doesn't make sense. Plus, Abgar only got the name Lucius after 193 AD, which was years after Lucius supposedly became Christian. Knight believes Lucius was indeed a British ruler.
British Stories About King Lucius
For many centuries, people in Britain widely believed the story of Lucius. They thought he was the "first Christian king." During the English Reformation, the story was used by both Catholics and Protestants. Catholics used it to show the Pope's power from early times. Protestants used it to support the idea of a British church led by the king.
The English monk Bede included the Lucius story in his book, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, finished in 731 AD. Bede added that Lucius's new faith was adopted by his people. They kept it until the Diocletianic Persecution.
After Bede, versions of the Lucius story appeared in other important British works. These included Historia Brittonum from the 800s and works from the 1100s. The most famous version was by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae.
Geoffrey's story makes Lucius sound very good. It gives a detailed, but imaginary, account of how Christianity spread. In his version, Lucius is a good king like his father. He hears about Christian miracles and good deeds. So, he writes to Pope Eleutherius for help to convert.
The Pope sends two missionaries, Fuganus and Duvianus. They baptize the king and set up a successful Christian order in Britain. They convert people and turn pagan temples into churches. They also set up dioceses (church areas) where pagan priests used to have power. The Pope is happy with their work. Lucius gives land and special rights to the Church. He dies in 156 AD without an heir.
St Peter upon Cornhill Church
There is a long-standing belief in London that the St Peter upon Cornhill church was founded by King Lucius. The church's altar is located above where a pagan shrine might have been. If Lucius was real, it would make sense that he turned a pagan shrine into a church.
Two other facts might support a Roman past for this church. First, London sent a bishop named Restitutus to a church meeting in Arles in 314 AD. Restitutus must have had a church base. Second, in 1417, the Mayor of London confirmed that St Peter's was the first church founded in London. Since St Paul's Cathedral was founded in 604 AD, this means St Peter's was thought to be much older.
The King Lucius Tablet
John Stow, a London historian writing in the late 1500s, reported seeing a "table" (tablet) in the church. It said that King Lucius founded the church. It claimed he made it an archbishop's see metropolitan, or the main church of his kingdom. It also said it stayed that way for 400 years.
This original tablet was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. But before the fire, many writers had copied what it said. The text from 1631 began:
Be hit known to al men, that the yeerys of our Lord God an clxxix [AD 179]. Lucius the fyrst christen kyng of this lond, then callyd Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrst chyrch in London, that is to sey, the Chyrch of Sent Peter apon Cornhyl, and he fowndyd ther an Archbishoppys See, and made that Chirch the Metropolitant, and cheef Chirch of this kingdom...
After the Great Fire, a new brass plate was put up. It still hangs in the church today. The text on this brass plate has been printed many times.
