Sources for Early British History

• Gildas: An early sixth-century perspective on the period of Anglo-Saxon invasion.
• Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People: Translation of the most important early Anglo-Saxon account of British history, completed in Latin in AD 731. The history starts after the table of contents and introduction.
• Translation of the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A chronicle of events in England begun in late ninth-century Wessex (in Old English).

The Battle of Brunanburh

• The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle context for the Battle of Brunanburh.

The Battle of Maldon

• Michael Hanly's images of the Heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon England, the site of the Battle of Maldon, and related sites (Washington State University).
• The entry for the Battle of Maldon in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

• Map of the Angevin Empire, c. 1174.
• Gildas on the ruin of Britain, c. 540. For Gildas' full text, click here.
• Nennius, History of the Britons, 8th century, on King Arthur. For Nennius' full text, click here.
• Gerald of Wales on the discovery of King Arthur's tomb (from De instructione principis), c. 1223.
• The Account of the Battle of Hastings in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
• William of Malmesbury on the Battle of Hastings, 12th century.
• William of Malmesbury on the death of Henry I and the crowning of Stephen, from his Historia Novella.
• Short essay: John J. Parry and Robert A. Caldwell, 'Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae'.
• Short essay extracted from J.S.P. Tatlock, The Legendary History of Britain.

Marie de France

• Prologue to the Lais (translated by Judith Shoaf).
• The Lais of Marie de France (translated by Judith Shoaf).

King Horn

• An excerpt from King Horn with sound recording (from Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site)

Havelok the Dane

• Extracts from John of Salisbury's Policraticus (12th century):
  
• Selections from Book 4 on princes, tyrants, and the law.
• Book 6: The cohesion and mutual dependence of the head and members of the commonwealth.
  
• "The Legend of Havelok the Dane and the Historiography of East Anglia": An essay from my own research on Havelok the Dane.
  
• Three excerpts from Havelok the Dane with sound recordings (from Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site):
  
• Introduction
• The Land of King Athelwold
• Bourgeois Realism: Grim the Fisherman

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• The Language of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• The Reign of Richard II
• Two excerpts from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with sound recordings (from Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site):
  
• Introduction and the Land of Arthur
• Realism and Social Function: The Dressing of a Deer

Pearl

• An excerpt from Pearl with sound recording (from Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site):

Sir Thopas

• Three excerpts from Chaucer's Sir Thopas with sound recordings (from Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site):
  
• The Prologue
• The Second Fit
• The Epilogue

Audio Resources
Many students have asked me if there are recordings of Middle English readings available. Here are some links to on-line recordings.

• Teach Yourself to Read Chaucer's Middle English (Harvard Chaucer Site): On-line tutorial on the late fourteenth-century London variety of Middle English used by Chaucer. Still helpful for learning to read other varieties of Middle English and for gaining familiarity with sound and spelling correspondences.
• Chris Baugh's Medieval English Narrator Site (University of Vermont): Extracts from numerous medieval English texts with some explanatory material and sound recordings. The section on romances is especially useful (click here to go to the table of contents).
• Chaucer Studio: Commercial producer of audio and video recordings of Chaucer and other Middle English poets. There are numerous samples on-line and information for ordering products.

External Links

• Edwin Duncan Internet Resources (Towson University): A broad selection of useful links to sites with information on medieval literature and history.
• Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies: Links to a wide array of resources on all areas of medieval studies.
• Medieval Sourcebook: This site contains source texts for historical events or for the more canonical literary texts.
• The End of the Middle Ages: This site contains a number of good introductions to the literature and culture of the Middle Ages.
• BBC English and Scottish Timelines: Quick reference for the major dates in British history.
• This Sceptred Isle: Based on a BBC Radio 4 radio programme, this site provides a more detailed, but still quick, guide to British history.

Other materials will be added in the course of the semester, so keep checking back...

Please e-mail me if you have any problem reading the web site or if you have found a link which you think should be added.