Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth (Latin: Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus; Welsh: Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; c. 1095 – c. 1155) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle The History of the Kings of Britain (Latin: De gestis Britonum or Historia Regum Britanniae)[1] which was widely popular in its day, being translated into other languages from its original Latin. It was given historical credence well into the 16th century,[2] but is now considered historically unreliable.
Geoffrey of Monmouth
c. 1155 (aged 59–60)
- Galfridus Monemutensis
- Galfridus Arturus
- Galfridus Artur
- Gruffudd ap Arthur
- Sieffre o Fynwy
Catholic cleric
Life and career[edit]
Geoffrey was born between about 1090 and 1100,[3][4][5][6] in Wales or the Welsh Marches. He had reached the age of majority by 1129 when he is recorded as witnessing a charter.
Geoffrey refers to himself in his Historia as Galfridus Monemutensis (Geoffrey of Monmouth), which indicates a significant connection to Monmouth, Wales, and may refer to his birthplace.[7] His works attest to some acquaintance with the place-names of the region.[7] Geoffrey was known to his contemporaries as Galfridus Arturus or variants thereof.[7][8] The "Arthur" in these versions of his name may indicate the name of his father or a nickname based on his scholarly interests.[8]
Earlier scholars assumed that Geoffrey was Welsh or at least spoke Welsh.[8] His knowledge of this language appears to have been slight, however,[8] and there is no evidence that he was of either Welsh or Cambro-Norman descent.[7] He may have come from the same French-speaking elite of the Welsh border country as Gerald of Wales, Walter Map, and Robert, Earl of Gloucester, to whom Geoffrey dedicated versions of his History.[8] Frank Merry Stenton and others have suggested that Geoffrey's parents may have been among the many Bretons who took part in William the Conqueror's conquest and settled in the southeast of Wales.[7] Monmouth had been in the hands of Breton lords since 1075[7] or 1086,[8] and the names Galfridus and Arthur were more common among the Bretons than the Welsh.[7]
He may have served for a while in the Benedictine Monmouth Priory,[9] but most of his adult life appears to have been spent outside Wales. Between 1129 and 1151, his name appears on six charters in the Oxford area, sometimes styled magister (teacher).[8] He was probably a secular canon of St. George's college. All the charters signed by Geoffrey are also signed by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford, a canon at that church. Another frequent co-signatory is Ralph of Monmouth, a canon of Lincoln.[8]
Archbishop Theobald of Bec consecrated Geoffrey as Bishop of St Asaph at Lambeth on 24 February 1152,[10] having ordained him a priest at Westminster 10 days before. According to Lewis Thorpe, "There is no evidence that he ever visited his see, and indeed the wars of Owain Gwynedd make this most unlikely."[11] He appears to have died between 25 December 1154 and 24 December 1155 according to Welsh chronicles, when his successor took office.[8]
Notes
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