Fact or Fiction? Geoffrey of Monmouth's "Historia Regum Britanniae" (1136-1138)

Eliana Briel

jan 2015 · GRIN Verlag

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Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Tubingen, language: English, abstract: "König Artus lebt!" As the title of Stefan Zimmer’s book illustrates, the fame of the English myth around King Arthur and his deeds seem to be as alive today as when his first reports appeared. The vast literary canon connected to the Arthurian legend alone proves its omnipresence and importance. Arthur’s merits are primarily known thanks to Geoffrey of Monmouth (~1100-1155), one of “the Fathers of Arthurian literature”, who published his Latin best-seller Historia Regum Britanniae, the History of the Kings of Britain, in the Anglo-Norman period, between 1136 and 1138. Another major milestone in connection with Arthur is “the discovery of Arthur’s remains at Glastonbury Abbey, in 1191.” Those twelfth century events contributed to Arthur’s popularity and had “[...] such an impact on contemporary minds that Arthur acquired a reality and a dimension that he had never had before”. This paper focuses on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s literary legacy. Little is certain about Geoffrey of Monmouth’s life and even the scarce details that exist are not necessarily reliable. He probably originated from Monmouth and thus paid homage to his birthplace through his name. Geoffrey’s exact date of birth is unknown, but some sources suggest that he died in 1155. Interestingly, he used his father’s name, Arthur, at the beginning of his career . Therefore, his alias already showed a link to the legend of the famous warrior king, he later on wrote about. Geoffrey was ordained bishop in Saint Asaph and Lambeth and taught as magister at Oxford . Moreover, Geoffrey was said to be part British, because he paints a positive image of the Bretons in his Historia. His literary career was based on three major works: The Prophecies of Merlin, The History of the Kings of Britain, and The Life of Merlin, which he later on incorporated in his Historia. Whether Geoffrey wrote parts of the Book of Llandaff is still an ongoing debate . By all means, the Historia’s reputation made it known as one of the most important books of the Middle Ages.