Database: Clavis Historicorum Antiquitatis Posterioris (CHAP)

Title(s):

History of the Britons
Historia ortografia mundi
(Historia ortografia mundi, History and description of the world)
Historia Britonum
(Historia Britonum, History of the Britons)

Author:

Nennius

Period covered:

Adam-828

Language:

Latin

State of Preservation:

Full

Genre:

Remarks:

One group of manuscripts attributes chapters 57-66 of the work to Gildas (London and Durham). In another group, the work is attributed to 'fii Urbagen' (Chartes, Paris, Rome).The Cambridge manuscript attributes it to Nennius. Dating is controversial: the last dated event is 796, but the dating of Nennius is unclear: Lot (1934: 116-122) prefers 826, Morris (1978: 1-2) 828/829. Dumville (1975/76) dates him to the eleventh century. Nennius' compilation has been revised by a clergyman called Samuel (tenth century or later?).

Edition - Translation:

F. Lot (1934) Nennius et l'Historia Brittonum: Étude critique suivie d'une édition des diverses versions de ce texte. Paris.
T. Mommsen (1898) Chronica minora saec. IV.V.VI.VII. Volume Three (Monumenta Germaniae historica: Auctores antiquissimi, 13). Berlin: 111-222.
J. Morris (1978) Nennius: The British history and the Welsh annals. London.

Fragments:

Users:

Sources:

Bibliography:

D.N. Dumville (1975/76) 'Nennius and the "Historia Brittonum"'. Studia Celtica 10-11: 78-95.
P.J.C. Field (1997) 'Nennius and his History', Studia celtica 30: 159-165.
W.W. Newell (1905) 'Doubts concerning the British history attributed to Nennius'. Proceedings of the Modern Language Association 20: 622-672.