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The Date of Geoffrey Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis, the Connections of His Patrons, and the Politics of Stephen's Reign

The Date of Geoffrey Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis, the Connections of His Patrons, and the... by Paul Dalton Geoffrey Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis is widely regarded as the oldest extant history written in French. According to Ian Short, it was intended "to provide a vast panorama of the Celto-British, Anglo-Saxon, and AngloNorman dynasties in the British Isles from Trojan times until the death of William Rufus."1 Its author, about whom very little is known, was possibly a secular clerk acquainted with life in court circles, who may have begun writing in Hampshire and finished in Lincolnshire, and who wrote for Constance, wife of Ralf Fitz Gilbert, a Hampshire and Lincolnshire landholder.2 The earlier section of the work, which has not survived, apparently comprised an Estoire des Troiiens and an Estoire des Bretuns, and was probably based to some extent on the Historia Regum Britannie (HRB) of Geoffrey of Monmouth.3 The surviving portion, covering the history of England from the time of King Cerdic down to 1100, largely follows and translates the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far as 959. Thereafter, it is based on a greater variety of sources, some of which were probably oral.4 Although modern scholars have often criticized the Estoire's value and veracity as a source for the political history of England, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Chaucer Review Penn State University Press

The Date of Geoffrey Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis, the Connections of His Patrons, and the Politics of Stephen's Reign

The Chaucer Review , Volume 42 (1) – Jul 12, 2007

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Publisher
Penn State University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1528-4204
Publisher site
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Abstract

by Paul Dalton Geoffrey Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis is widely regarded as the oldest extant history written in French. According to Ian Short, it was intended "to provide a vast panorama of the Celto-British, Anglo-Saxon, and AngloNorman dynasties in the British Isles from Trojan times until the death of William Rufus."1 Its author, about whom very little is known, was possibly a secular clerk acquainted with life in court circles, who may have begun writing in Hampshire and finished in Lincolnshire, and who wrote for Constance, wife of Ralf Fitz Gilbert, a Hampshire and Lincolnshire landholder.2 The earlier section of the work, which has not survived, apparently comprised an Estoire des Troiiens and an Estoire des Bretuns, and was probably based to some extent on the Historia Regum Britannie (HRB) of Geoffrey of Monmouth.3 The surviving portion, covering the history of England from the time of King Cerdic down to 1100, largely follows and translates the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far as 959. Thereafter, it is based on a greater variety of sources, some of which were probably oral.4 Although modern scholars have often criticized the Estoire's value and veracity as a source for the political history of England,

Journal

The Chaucer ReviewPenn State University Press

Published: Jul 12, 2007

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