By “ Anglo-Saxon Chronique ” (English the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ) one understands one of written annals of IXe in XIIe century, essentially in Old-English. They recall the events which have occurred in the island of Brittany since the conquest of Roman in -60 - in fact, since the birth of Christ - until the death of the king Etienne of Blois (1154)

One preserves today nine manuscripts or fragments of manuscripts, all the copies. The unit is divisible in seven parts,

Several translations and electronic editions of the text are available on line. That of the reverend James Henry Ingram (1774-1850), today out-of-date, fact public part of the domain and can ête downloaded on the site of the Projet Gutenberg.

Manuscripts

Various manuscripts (ms.) or fragments of manuscripts ( G and H ) of the Chronique were called as follows: Oldest of these manuscripts - the manuscript has or chronic Parker - could be dated as soon as possible from the reign of Alfred Large the, king of Wessex (towards 890 - 899) and at the latest of the beginning of Xe century. Its contents are as old English and the majority of its authors are anonymous: it probably was compiled and written by scribes of the royal court of Wessex (for the hands 1,1a and 1b), perhaps at the instigation of Alfred himself.

The Chronique constitutes in any case one of the first written works of such a width which is written in vernacular language.

The manuscript G is a “cleaned” copy of the manuscript has which was probably carried out with the abbey of Winchester to XIe century: the manuscript was almost destroyed by fire at the time of the fire of the library in which it was preserved in 1731.

The manuscript B is dated from the beginning of XIe century whereas the manuscript C is dated from the medium of XIe century: this last was continued until in 1066. Both would come from a Chronique similar to, sent to Abingdon and lost today. The events reported until the end of this chronic Abingdon are former to the conquest Norman: the manuscripts B and C constitute on the other hand an original source on the war between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danish, source which is the only one that we have.

Another Chronique had to be sent in the north of England: it was increased information coming from Bède and was copied in the middle of XIe century, then continued until in 1179 (handwritten D)

It could also be sent to Canterbury where it was preserved after 1066: the manuscripts E (1122 - 1154) and F are probably late copies of this chronicle, continued in XIIe century on the manuscript E: these versions of the Chronique give to reading a language closer to average English.

Contents

With regard to their form, the entries of the Chronique are generally laconic: each year mentioned contains often only one event. Here, as an example, the entry for the year 455 during which the Anglo-Saxon recently arrived in the island of Brittany gain a victory over Breton king Vortigern:

455 Her Hengest 7 Horsa fuhton wiþ Wyrtgeorne þam cyninge, in þære stowe þe is gecueden Agælesþrep, 7 his broþur Horsan man ofslog; 7 æfter þam Hengest feng to rice 7 Æsc his sunu.

455 This Hengist year fought with Horsa king Vortigern with the Aylesford locality, and his/her Horsa brother was killed; after Hengist then his Æsc son became king.

(according to the transcription by J.H. Ingram. Corrected translation: in the original translation, Wyrtgeorn is not identified in Vortigern, however mentioned in the preceding entry)

For the years going of the birth of Christ until in 823, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle takes as a starting point several sources.

For the events former to the first third of VIIIe century, the Chronique draws its information in the ecclesiastical Histoire of the English people of Bède Worthy the ( historia ecclesiastica gentis anglorum towards 734), as for it written in Latin, or perhaps in a first summary of work, written as old English.

One however postulated that certain entries, covering the events former to 754 and in Wessex, come from annals of the kingdom former to IXe century (hand 1). A second whole of scattered information, concerning Wessex during the years 755 with 823, would be of oral tradition. Lastly, a compilation of preexistent annals which would have formed the first “chronicle” itself would have taken place in 855 or shortly after.

The Chronique also presents information on the genealogy of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, in particular the Northumbrie and the Mercie, undoubtedly as for them of oral tradition and settings in writing earlier in the form of lists (see East Anglia).

Lastly, if the essence of the Chronique is written in prose, some poems in worms, also of oral tradition, were inserted in its body: it is the case of that on the Bataille of Brunanburh which opposed the king of the Angles Athelstan to a Celtic coalition in 937.

See too

Sources

• Anglo-Saxon The Chronicle , ED. D. Whitelock, D. Douglas and S.I Tucker, London, 1961
• Introduction to the Anglo-Saxon English Chronicle, on the site Labyrinth (see below)

Bibliography and bonds

• transcription and description on the site Labyrinth of the Georgetown university in Virginia (the United States of America), contains currently only the ms. A.
• Anglo-Saxon The Chronicle, electronic edition by Douglas B. Killings (1996) of the translation in English by the reverend James Ingram (1843) on site O.M.A.C.L
• Anglo-Saxon The Chronicle , translated and edited by Michael Swanton, Routledge, New York, 1996, ISBN 0-415-92129-5.

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