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Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German
Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum
' (Lat.) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adam of Bremen 11th-century German historians 11th-century writers in Latin 11th-century births 1080s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire History of Bremen (city) History of Hamburg People from Meissen History of Uppsala
Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' (''Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church''). He was "one of the foremost historians and early ethnographers
Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
of the medieval period".
In his chronicle, he included a chapter mentioning the Norse outpost of Vinland, and was thus the first European to write about the New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
.
Life
Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles. He is believed to have come from Meissen, then its own margravate. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but he was probably born before 1050 and died on 12 October of an unknown year (possibly 1081, at the latest 1085). From his chronicles, it is apparent that he was familiar with a number of authors. The honorary name of ''Magister Adam'' shows that he had passed through all the stages of a higher education. It is probable that he was taught at the ''Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
er Domschule''.
In 1066 or 1067, he was invited by Archbishop Adalbert von Hamburg-Bremen
Adalbert (also Adelbert or Albert; c. 1000 – 16 March 1072) was List of administrators, archbishops, bishops, and prince-archbishops of Bremen, Archbishop of Bremen from 1043 until his death. Called ''Vikar des Nordens'', he was an importan ...
to join the Church of Bremen. Adam was accepted among the capitulars of Bremen, and by 1069 he appeared as director of the Bremen Cathedral's school. Soon thereafter he began to write the history of Bremen/Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and of the northern lands in his ''Gesta''.
His position and the missionary activity of the church of Bremen allowed him to gather information on the history and the geography of Northern Germany
Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
. A stay at the court of Sweyn II of Denmark gave him the opportunity to find information about the history and geography of Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and the other Scandinavian countries. Among other things he wrote about in Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
were the sailing passages across Øresund such as today's Helsingør–Helsingborg ferry route.
References
Further reading
*Chłopacka Hanna: Adam Bremeński. In: Słownik Starożytności Słowiańskich. Vol. 1. 1961, p. 3-4.External links
* * Adamus Bremensis:Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum
' (Lat.) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adam of Bremen 11th-century German historians 11th-century writers in Latin 11th-century births 1080s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Chroniclers from the Holy Roman Empire History of Bremen (city) History of Hamburg People from Meissen History of Uppsala