9th-Century History Books (Study Guide): Historia Brittonum, Annales Bertiniani, Conversion of Kartli, Chronica Prophetica

This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Historia Brittonum, Annales Bertiniani, Conversion of Kartli, Chronica Prophetica, Royal Frankish Annals, Kogo Sh i, Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku, Nihon Montoku Tenn Jitsuroku, Ruij Kokushi, Futuh Al-Buldan, Nihon K ki, Shoku Nihon K ki. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: The Historia Brittonum, or The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first composed around 830, and exists in several recensions of varying difference. It purports to relate the history of the Brittonic inhabitants of Britain from earliest times, and this text has been used to write a history of both Wales and England, for want of more reliable sources. Nennius is traditionally named as the author of the text, though this is widely considered a secondary tradition, originating in the 10th century. Primarily on the basis of a dating clause in 16, the prevalent view by historians is that the text of the Historia Brittonum was composed for Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad, king of Gwynedd (r. c. 825-844) in the 4th year of his reign, probably sometime between 828 and 830. The text itself is a collection of excerpts, chronological calculations, glosses, and summaries based on earlier records, many of which no longer exist. As a result, the reliability of this work has been questioned both in part and in whole. The archaeologist Leslie Alcock observed that in one recension of this manuscript the author called his work a heap of all he could find, and suggested that if we were to extend this metaphor, this text is: like a cairn of stones, uneven and ill-fitting as an example of the historian's art it is atrocious. But it has the virtue of its defects. We can see the individual stones of the cairn, and in some cases we can trace the parent rock from whic...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=146248