Roger of Howden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roger of Howden
Persona (Minster Head) of Howden
Appointed	c. 1169
Predecessor	Robert of Howden, father
Successor	Peter Thebert
Other posts	Canon of Glasgow
Personal details
Died	1202

Roger of Howden (who died in 1202) was an important English historian. He lived in the 1100s and was also a diplomat. This means he helped kings talk to other rulers. He was also in charge of the main church, called a minster, in Howden, Yorkshire.

Roger's Life at Howden Minster

Roger was born into a family of church workers. They were connected to the old minster of St Peter of Howden. Roger took over from his father, Robert of Howden, as the head of the minster. He was appointed around 1169 by the monks of Durham Cathedral Priory.

Roger was called 'magister,' which shows he had a good education. He also wrote many books. Soon after becoming head, he had a disagreement with Bishop Hugh du Puiset of Durham. Bishop Hugh was the lord of Howden and the area around it.

The bishop had given away some church payments, called tithes, to a hospital. But these payments belonged to Howden Minster first. Roger fought back with help from the Durham monks. The bishop eventually gave up. However, Bishop Hugh was not happy. He tried to remove Roger from his job. He said Roger's appointment was not done correctly. The case went all the way to Rome. Roger proved he was appointed fairly. But he and Bishop Hugh did not get along well after that.

Working for the King: Diplomat and Judge

Most of Roger's career was spent working for the kings of England. These were the Angevin kings, like King Henry II. We know a lot about his work from his book, Gesta Henrici Secundi. This book started as a diary of his time at the royal court.

In 1171, Roger went with the king's team to visit Pope Alexander. In 1174, he was sent from France on a secret mission. He went to talk to the lords of Galloway in Scotland. In 1175, he helped the king negotiate with English religious groups.

Roger also went to Rome in 1180 and 1182–83. He was an English agent there. He helped with a disagreement about who should be the new Archbishop of St Andrews in Scotland. Roger became known as a reliable person for church matters. He was especially good at dealing with things in Scotland.

He also worked as a royal judge at least once. In 1189, he helped with forest laws in Yorkshire and other northern areas. After King Henry II died in 1189, Roger continued to work for the new king, Richard I. In 1195, he went on another mission to Scotland. By then, he was important enough to get a special position at Glasgow Cathedral.

Roger and the Third Crusade

In 1189, King Richard appointed Bishop Hugh du Puiset and William de Longchamp to rule England. This was while the king was away on a crusade. By this time, Roger and the bishop had a working relationship. Roger traveled with the bishop's group to France in late 1189.

He saw what happened when Longchamp attacked Bishop Hugh. This happened when the bishop returned to England in 1190. The bishop was put under house arrest at his home in Howden. Roger was quickly sent on a secret mission. He had to tell King Richard about this terrible event. The king was still in France.

We know about Roger's part because his travel diary was found recently. It describes his journey from Howden to Marseille in July 1190. He successfully gave the bishop's complaint to the king. He also brought a large payment to get the king's orders to stop Longchamp.

Instead of going back to Howden, Roger joined the king's group. He traveled with King Richard to Sicily and Palestine. He was seen with other people from Yorkshire at the siege of Acre in 1191. Roger returned later that year with the fleet of Philip II of France. So, he did not go with his own king on his difficult journey home.

Roger's Death

Roger kept working on his history book about England until 1201. He was very interested in the preaching of Abbot Eustace of Flay. Roger even wrote that he went to York to hear him speak. Roger lived into the next year. The process of finding a new head for Howden Minster began in September 1202. This shows that Roger had passed away by then.

Roger's Historical Writings

Roger wrote two main history books. They are connected, and experts have long discussed if he wrote both.

The Gesta Henrici II

The first book is called Gesta Henrici II et Gesta Regis Ricardi. This means "Deeds of Henry II and King Richard." It covers the years from 1169 to 1192. Much of its content is repeated and updated in his later work. This earlier book was once thought to be by Benedict of Peterborough. But Benedict only received a draft of the work from Roger to review. Most experts now believe Roger wrote both books.

The Chronica

The second, larger book is the Chronica magistri Rogeri de Hoveden. This means "Chronicles of Master Roger of Howden." It tells the story of England from before Henry II's reign. It also continues until 1201.

Roger started his writing in 1169 as a diary when he joined the royal court. By 1177, he wanted it to be a bigger history. He began to make his Gesta into a general history of England under the Angevin kings. When he returned to England in 1191, he decided to make it the main part of an English history. This led to the major changes that created the Chronica.

For English history before 1148, Roger used a text called Historia Saxonum sive Anglorum. This text was written at Durham Cathedral Priory. It used works by other historians. From 1148 to 1170, Roger used the Melrose Chronicle. He also used letters about the Thomas Becket disagreement. He also used his own diary from the Third Crusade for the years 1190–91.

Roger usually wrote in an impersonal way. He did not try to have a fancy writing style. He often quoted documents completely. He followed a year-by-year method. His dates are usually very accurate. He was very well informed about foreign events and home policies. He kept himself out of the story, even when he was there. For example, he was on the mission to Marseille in 1190, but he didn't write about his own feelings. He thought a public historian should write this way.

However, Roger did have some strong opinions. He did not like King Philip II of France. Philip was an enemy of the English kings Roger worked for. Roger also never said anything good about Bishop Hugh du Puiset, whom he had reasons to dislike. He was also very upset by the behavior of Archbishop Geoffrey of York.

Other Interesting Writings

In the late 1900s, two old books were found in French libraries. They contain three different writings that might be by Roger of Howden. This has changed how we see his interests and skills.

De Viis Maris

The longest of these is called De Viis Maris, which means "On Sea Voyages." We are sure Roger wrote this one. It uses the same information he put in his history book about his trip to Marseille and his voyage to Acre.

This book is like a guide for a sea journey. It describes a trip from the River Ouse near Howden. Then it goes to the Humber River, and around England to Dartmouth. From there, the author sailed around Spain and Portugal to Marseille. He continued down the coast of Italy to Sicily. The author adds many details about geography and history. He talks about landmarks, cities, and people. He was clearly interested in winds, ships, and large bodies of water.

Other Tracts

Two other writings are included with De Viis Maris. They are an Expositio Mappe Mundi ("Explanation of the Mappa Mundi") and the Liber Nautarum ("Book of Mariners"). These writings share similar interests with De Viis Maris. They are part of the same collection. However, we cannot say for sure if Roger wrote them too.

The De Viis Maris gives us a look into Roger's personality. He was an experienced traveler who enjoyed meeting people. He was always curious about the world. He loved learning about the cities and people he met on his many journeys. The technical side of sea and river travel clearly fascinated him. This is not surprising for someone who was an international diplomat and traveled often.

Editions of Howden's Works

• Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi et Gesta Regis Ricardi Benedicti abbatis (ed. William Stubbs) (2 vols., Rolls series, 1867), both volume 1 and volume 2 available at Gallica.
• Chronica (ed. William Stubbs) (4 vols., Rolls series, 1868–71), available at the Internet Archive here: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4,
• Rogeri Hovedeni Annalium Pars Prior & Posterior, in Rerum Anglicarum Scriptores Post Bedam Praecipui, ex vetustissimis codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum in lucem editi (G. Bishop, R Nuberie & R. Barker Typographij Regii, London 1596). digitized (Google)
• De Viis Maris in, P.G. Dalché, Du Yorkshire à l'Inde: une «géographie» urbaine et maritime du xiie siècle, (Geneva: Droz, 2005), 173–229.