Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum [Ecclesiastical History of the English People]

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Bede's

Historia ecclesiastica (HE)

is one of our earliest and best primary sources for information about the arrival, settlement and conversion of the Germanic tribes in England. Bede wrote in Latin and dedicated this great work, completed in 731 CE, to King Ceowulf of Northumbria [see also the entry on Bede]. His audience, however, grew larger almost immediately. The

HE

, along with fragments of or excerpts from it, survives in about 158 manuscripts from England and Europe dating from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries. It was available on the Continent by the late eighth century, and translated into English and Irish around the beginning of the tenth century. First printed in Strasbourg

c.

1475-80, then frequently republished during the modern era, the

HE

has been continuously…

1960 words

Citation: Rowley, Sharon. "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4740, accessed 28 March 2024.]

4740 Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum 3 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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