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Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at
St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, ,  "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...
in
Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later editions were compiled in the 13th century. Despite the name, the record not only events in Wales, but also events in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and sometimes further afield, though the focus of the events recorded especially in the later two-thirds of the text is Wales.


Sources

The principal versions of appear in four manuscripts: * A: London,
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
, Harley MS 3859, folios 190r–193r. * B: London (Kew), National Archives, MS. E.164/1 (K.R. Misc. Books, Series I) pp. 2–26 * C: London, British Library, MS.
Cotton Domitian This is an incomplete list of some of the manuscripts from the Cotton library that today form the Cotton collection of the British Library. Some manuscripts were destroyed or damaged in a fire at Ashburnham House in 1731, and a few are kept in othe ...
A.i, folios 138r–155r * D: Exeter, Cathedral Library, MS. 3514, pp. 523–28, the . * E: ''ibid.'', pp. 507–19, the . *A is written in a hand of about 1100–1130 AD, and inserted without title into a manuscript (MS) of the where it is immediately followed by a pedigree for Owain ap Hywel (died 988). Although no explicit chronology is given in the MS, its annals seem to run from about AD 445 to 977 with the last entry at 954, making it likely that the text belongs to the second half of the 10th century. *B was written, probably at the Cistercian abbey of Neath, at the end of the 13th century. It is entitled 286 *C is part of a book written at St David's, and is entitled 288 this is also of the late 13th century. Two of the texts, B and C, begin with a World Chronicle derived from Isidore of Seville's ''Origines'' (Book V, ch. 39), through the medium of Bede's ''Chronica minora''. B begins its annals with Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain "sixty years before the incarnation of the Lord." After A.D. 457, B agrees closely with A until A ends. C commences its annals after the empire of Heraclius (AD 610–41) at a year corresponding to AD 677. C mostly agrees with A until A ends, although it is clear that A was not the common source for B and C (Dumville 2002, p. xi). B and C diverge after 1203, C having fewer and briefer Welsh entries. D and E are found in a manuscript written at the Cistercian abbey of
Whitland Whitland (Welsh: , lit. "Old White House", or ''Hendy-gwyn ar Daf'', "Old White House on the River Tâf", from the medieval ''Ty Gwyn ar Daf'') is both a town and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Description The Whitland community is ...
in south-west Wales in the later 13th century; the ' (which takes its title from its opening words) extends from 1132 BC to 1285 AD, while the ' extends from 1190 to 1266. A alone has benefited from a complete diplomatic edition (Phillimore 1888).


Source for the Arthurian legend

There are two entries in the on King Arthur, one on Medraut (Mordred), and one on Merlin. These entries have been presented in the past as proof of the existence of Arthur and Merlin, although that view is no longer widely held because the Arthurian entries could have been added arbitrarily as late as 970, long after the development of the early Arthurian myth. The entries on Arthur and Mordred in the A Text: :Year 72 (c. AD 516) The
Battle of Badon The Battle of Badon /ˈbeɪdən/ also known as the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( la, obsessio isBadonici montis, "Blockade/Siege of the Badonic Hill"; ''Bellum in monte Badonis'', "Battle on Badon Hill"; ''Bellum Badonis'', "Battle of Badon"; Old W ...
, in which Arthur carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ on his shoulders for three days and three nights and the Britons were victors. :Year 93 (c. 537) The Strife of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut (Mordred) fell and there was death in Britain and in Ireland. Concerning Arthur's cross at the Battle of Badon, it is mirrored by a passage in Nennius where Arthur was said to have borne the image of the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
"on his shoulders" during a battle at a castle called Guinnion. The words for "shoulder" and "shield" were, however, easily confused in Old Welsh "shield" versus "shoulder"Jones, W. Lewis. ''The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes''
Vol. I, XII, §2.
Putnam, 1921. Accessed 30 Jan 2013.
and
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...
played upon this dual tradition, describing Arthur bearing "on his shoulders a shield" emblazoned with the Virgin. Merlin (Old Welsh Myrddin) is not mentioned in the A Text, though there is mention of the battle of Arfderydd, associated with him in medieval Welsh literature: :Year 129 (c. 573) The Battle of Armterid Texts B and C omit the second half of the year 93 entry. B calls Arfderydd "Erderit"; C, "Arderit". In the B Text, the year 129 entry continues: "between the sons of Elifer and Guendoleu son of Keidau in which battle Guendoleu fell and Merlin went mad". Both the B and C texts display the influence of Geoffrey of Monmouth's ',Gough-Cooper, 2012 and this is reflected in the Arfderydd entry by the choice of the Latinized form ''Merlinus'', first found in Geoffrey's ''Historia'', as opposed to the expected Old Welsh form ''Merdin''.


See also

*
English historians in the Middle Ages Historians in England during the Middle Ages helped to lay the groundwork for modern historical historiography, providing vital accounts of the early history of England, Wales and Normandy, its cultures, and revelations about the historians themselv ...
*
History of Wales The history of what is now Wales () begins with evidence of a Neanderthal presence from at least 230,000 years ago, while ''Homo sapiens'' arrived by about 31,000 BC. However, continuous habitation by modern humans dates from the period after ...


References


Further reading

*Brett, Caroline, 1988 'The Prefaces of Two Late Thirteenth-century Welsh Latin Chronicles', ''Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies'' ''35, pp. 64–73.'' *Dumville, David N., 1972-74 'Some aspects of the chronology of the ''Historia Brittonum, ''Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies'' 25, pp. 439–445. *Dumville, David N., 1977 'Sub-Roman Britain: history and legend', ''History'' 62, pp. 173–192. *Dumville, David N., 1977/8 'The Welsh Latin annals', ''Studia Celtica'' 12/13, pp. 461–467 (review of Hughes 1974) *Dumville, David N., 1984 'When was the 'Clonmacnoise Chronicle' created? The evidence of the Welsh annals', in Grabowski K. & Dumville D.N., 1984 ''Chronicles and Annals of Mediaeval Ireland and Wales: The Clonmacnoise-group of texts'', Boydell, pp. 209–226. *Dumville, David N. (ed, and trans.), 2002 'Annales Cambriae, A.D. 682-954: Texts A-C in Parallel', Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge. *Dumville, David N. 2004 ' ''Annales Cambriae'' and Easter', in ''The Medieval Chronicle III'', Rodopi, Amsterdam & New York. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2010 'Annales Cambriae, from Saint Patrick to AD 682: Texts A, B & C in Parallel.' ''The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwest Europe'', Issue 15 (October 2012
The Heroic Age website
*Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2018 'Decennovenal Reason and Unreason in the C-text of ''Annales Cambriae'' ', in Erik Kooper et al. ''The Medieval Chronicle 11'', Brill, pp. 195–212. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2020 'Meet the Ancestors?' in Ben Guy et al. ''The Chronicles of Medieval Wales and the March'', Brepols, pp. 107–138. *Gough-Cooper, Henry, 2021 'How was the chronology of the earliest Welsh Latin chronicle regulated?', ''Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium'' 39 (2019), pp. 134–165.
Grigg, Erik, 2009 ' 'Mole Rain' and other natural phenomena in the Welsh annals: can ''mirabilia'' unravel the textual history of the ''Annales Cambriae''?'
''
Welsh History Review ''The Welsh History Review'' (Welsh: Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of Wales. It is published in four parts per volume, one volume every two years. The journal was established in 1960. The editors- ...
'' 244, p. 1-40. *Hayward, P.A., 2010 ''The Winchcombe and Coventry chronicles: hitherto unnoticed witnesses to the work of John of Worcester'', (2 vols.) Tempe, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. *Hughes, Kathleen, 1974 'The Welsh Latin chronicles: ''Annales Cambriae'' and related texts', in (1980) ''Celtic Britain in the Early Middle Ages'', Boydell, pp. 67–85. *Hughes, Kathleen, 1980 'The A-text of ''Annales Cambriae, in ''Celtic Britain in the Early Middle Ages'', Boydell, pp. 86–100 *Jones, T., 1948, ''Cronica de Wallia and other Documents from Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514'', Oxford University Press. *Ker, N.R. 1955, 'Sir John Prise'. ''The Library'', 5th series, x (1955), p. 1-24. *Miller, Molly, 1975 'The Commanders at Arthuret', ''Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society'', New Series, 75, pp. 96–118. *Miller, Molly, 1977/8 'Date-Guessing and Dyfed', ''Studia Celtica'' 12/13, pp. 33–61. *Miller, Molly, 1979 'The disputed historical horizon of the Pictish king-lists', ''Scottish Historical Review'', 58, pp. 1–34. *+Miller, Molly, 2004 'Final stages in the construction of the Harleian ''Annales Cambriae'': the evidence of the framework' in ''The Journal of Celtic Studies JCS 4'', Brepols. *Phillimore, Egerton (ed.), 1888 'The ''Annales Cambriae'' and Old Welsh Genealogies from ''Harleian'' MS. 3859'
Cymmrodor'' 9 (1888)
pp. 141–183 . *Phillimore, Egerton (ed.), 1890/1 'The publication of the Welsh historical records'
''Y Cymmrodor'' 11 (1890/1)
pp. 133–75. *Remfry, P.M., 2007, ''Annales Cambriae. A Translation of Harleian 3859; PRO E.164/1; Cottonian Domitian, A 1; Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514 and MS Exchequer DB Neath, PRO E'', Castle Studies Research and Publishing () * *Stephenson, David, 2008 'Welsh Chronicles' Accounts of the Mid-Twelfth Century', ''Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies'', No. 56, Aberystwyth, CMCS, pp 45–57. *Stephenson, David, 2010 'Gerald of Wales and ''Annales Cambriae'' ', ''Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies'', No. 60, Aberystwyth, CMCS, pp 24–37. *Wiseman, Howard, 2000 'The derivation of the date of Badon in the Annales Cambriae from Bede and Gildas' ''Parergon'' 17.2, pp. 1–10. *Wiseman, Howard, 2002 'The derivation of the date of the Arthurian entries in the Annales Cambriae from Bede and Gildas'


External links

*Complete editions of A, B, C, D and E are availabl
here
*An English translation of the original annals (combining text from MSS. A, B & C for the period from the mid-5th century to the mid-10th) can be foun
here.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annales Cambriae Medieval Welsh literature Arthurian literature in Latin Welsh chronicles Medieval Latin histories 10th-century history books 10th-century Latin books