Very little is known about the medieval historian Robert of Gloucester (

fl

.

c

. 1260–

c

. 1300)

who is credited as the author of a thirteenth-century English metrical chronicle that survives in two separate versions. Composed sometime between 1272 and 1307, Robert of Gloucester’s

Chronicle

is an important source of thirteenth-century history, particularly for the rebellion of Simon de Montfort and the Second Barons’ War (1264-7). According to an entry in the ‘longer’ version of the

Chronicle

, Robert was a witness at the Battle of Evesham (1265), and he recounts the ‘dark weder’ (l. 11,742) that followed Montfort’s defeat:

An vewe dropes of reine     þer velle grete inou Þis tokninge vel in þis lond     þo me þis men slou Ver þretti mile þanne     þis isei

2212 words

Citation: Shirley, Victoria. "Robert of Gloucester". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 June 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3805, accessed 20 April 2024.]

3805 Robert of Gloucester 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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