Thomas Elmham facts for kids

Thomas Elmham (born in 1364 and living until at least 1427) was an English writer who kept records of history, known as a chronicler. He wrote important books about the past.

About Thomas Elmham's Life

Thomas Elmham was likely born in a place called North Elmham in Norfolk, England. He might have been a student at King's Hall, Cambridge, a famous university, between 1389 and 1394.

He became a Benedictine monk at Canterbury, which is a type of religious brother living in a monastery. Later, he joined another group of monks called the Cluniacs. He became the leader, or "prior," of Lenton Priory, a monastery near Nottingham.

Thomas Elmham also served as a special helper and religious advisor, called a chaplain, to King Henry V. It is thought that he might have traveled with the King to France in 1415. He may even have been present at the famous Battle of Agincourt, a very important battle in English history.

What Thomas Elmham Wrote

Thomas Elmham wrote several historical works. One of his main writings was a history of the St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. This was a large and important monastery. His work helped record the history of this place.

He also wrote a book in verse (like a long poem) about King Henry V, called Liber metricus de Henrico V. This book told the story of the King's life in a poetic way.

Elmham himself mentioned that he also wrote another book about King Henry V, but this one was in prose (regular writing, not poetry). For a long time, people thought a book called Vita et Gesta Henrici V was this lost prose work. However, historians later found out that this book was written after Elmham had already passed away. So, it couldn't have been his.

Another idea was that Elmham's lost prose book might be the Gesta Henrici Quinti. This book is a very good source of information about King Henry V's early reign, up to 1416. Some people even called it "the chaplain's life" because they thought it was written by the King's chaplain, Thomas Elmham. But, modern experts who studied the Gesta carefully have shown that Thomas Elmham probably did not write it.

So, even though Thomas Elmham said he wrote a prose biography of King Henry V, that particular book has not been found and is now considered lost.