The History of the English People 1000-1154

by Henry of Huntingdon, Diana Greenway (Translator)

Henry of Huntingdon's narrative covers one of the most exciting and bloody periods in English the Norman Conquest and its aftermath. He tells of the decline of the Old English kingdom, the victory of the Normans at the Battle of Hastings, and the establishment of Norman rule. His accounts of the kings who reigned during his lifetime--William II, Henry I, and Stephen--contain unique descriptions of people and events. Henry tells how promiscuity, greed, treachery, and cruelty produced a series of disasters, rebellions, and wars. Interwoven with memorable and vivid battle-scenes are anecdotes of court life, the death and murder of nobles, and the first written record of Cnut and the waves and the death of Henry I from a surfeit of lampreys. Diana Greenway's translation of her definitive Latin text has been revised for this edition.

About the For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Classics, Medieval History, British Literature, 12th Century

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1155

About the author

Henry of Huntingdon (circa 1088 to circa 1158), was archdeacon of Huntingdon and a canon of Lincoln Cathedral. Wrote poetry, prose and a history of the English people down to the year 1154.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

I heard Henry of Huntingdon call out from the shelves of the large Waterstones bookshop on Piccadilly (allegedly the largest bookshop in Europe, I have my doubts but lack the funding and the measuring wheel to carry out the detailed research required to verify this claim). "Buy me", "buy me" he called from the pages of his book. The call was relentless and I found myself dragged entirely against my will to the shelf and then to the till - because I'm nice and disapprove of shop lifting.

It is fun to find and finally read some of the sources for the history that I studied long ago. Henry is the source of some well-known tales including King Canute and the waves as well as the Empress Matilda escaping over the snow from a besieged castle, evading capture by being dressed all in white - but it striking how bald some of his narration is. For instance this is the Matilda escape:

In the same year, the king besieged the empress at Oxford, from after Michaelmas until Advent. During the latter season, not long before Christmas, the empress fled across the frozen Thames, clothed in white garments, which reflected and resembled the snow, deceiving the eyes of the besiegers. She fled to the castle at Wallingford, and thus at last Oxford was surrendered to the king.

In the earlier sections, before the events of his own (and his listeners and readers) lifetimes Henry feels free to be a little more expansive. Greenway in her introduction suggests that Henry may have drawn from some lost sagas as well as folk-tales or what ever the twelfth century equivalent of urban legends were in compiling his account there is a nice instance of this in his (very fictional) account of the death of Edmund Ironside:

A few days after this, King Edmund was treacherously killed at Oxford...When the king, fearful and most formidable to his enemies, was prospering in his kingdom, he went one night to the lavatory to answer a call of nature. There the son of Ealdorman Eadric, who by his father's plan was concealed in the pit of the privy, struck the king twice with a sharp knife in the private parts, and leaving the weapon in his bowels, fled away. Then Eadric came to King Cnut and saluted him, saying, 'Hail, sole king!' When he revealed what had happened, the king answered, 'As a reward for your great service, I shall make you higher than all the English nobles.' Then he ordered him to be beheaded, and his head to be fixed on a stake on London's highest tower.

Henry was Archdeacon of Huntingdon. His father was a Norman, a married priest and Archdeacon of Huntingdon before his son. His mother was English - Henry has an interest in English phrases, place names and English saints - the latter is particularly interesting as some English saints had a period on the scrap heap (literally) after the Norman conquest before later being replaced in affection by mainstream fashionable saints from the continent. There's a nice sense as he moves from place to place mentioning the saints associated with each one of a geography of holiness, the sainted men and women radiating out from their resting places over the beautiful fens.

Henry was commissioned by the Bishop of Lincoln to narrate the history of this kingdom and the origins of our people, it was apparently intended to be read aloud and Henry has a taste here for the cartoonishly comic moment such as when William the Conqueror is giving a speech to his Normans at the battle of Hastings:

Duke William had not yet concluded his speech when all his men, boiling with unbelievable anger, charged forward in their lines with indescribable force against the enemy, and left the duke alone, speaking to himself.

God delivers up the English to be destroyed by the violent and cunning Norman race, which comes as some surprise since the English seem to have been no strangers to violence and cunning themselves according to Henry. Presumably the Normans were even more violent and so cunning that they made foxes look innocent by comparison. Punishments, such as the death of King Henry's children in a shipwreck, are due to sin - generally sodomy - which was according to many writers the sin of choice for inhabitants of the British Isles since Gildas.

Added to the chronicle is what is ostensibly a letter to a dying friend on the subject of on contempt for the world that shines a light on courtly life. Since Henry was in service to the Bishop of Lincoln he spent some time in the company of the great and the good, he has here an odd sympathy for the worries of King Henry I "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". He mentions the back biting and intriguing; the son of a bishop (clerical celibacy was being introduced to England in the face of some protest during this period) boasting that he passes among the courtiers like salt amongst live eels commenting that those who are brought up in beds of roses are surrounded by manure. Henry notices his Bishop crying next to him at dinner one day. The cause of the bishops tears - that he has been fined so much money that he can only afford to clothe his retinue in woollens - a really sharp image of the worldliness and desire for magnificence from a Prince of the Church in the age of Archbishops Lanfranc and Anslem.

This is a nice paperback edition with good supporting introduction and endnotes by Diana Greenway.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 3 out of 5]

A contemporary history of England from 1000 through 1154, and written by a priest, this book is a portrayal of English kings from a medieval historical and religious perspective and an interesting primary source for early English history. Henry sees the arrival of the Vikings and of the Normans as divine judgment upon the English. He also writes with a sense of the futility and temporality of power in the long run - with his epilogue speaking directly to people living millennia from his own time and with a section about his contempt for the world. As part of that theme, I especially liked his recounting the story of the Danish King Cnut who had such great power through his conquests that he wanted to test his power against the tide as well. Sitting by the sea he told the tide to halt but the tide continues. Cnut then exclaims that the power of kings is worthless and never wears his crown again.

Being Danish myself, I enjoyed reading especially the Danish invasion, but also the Norman conquest. As the Normans were themselves descendants of the Danes and Norwegians, the Vikings can in a way be said to have conquered England twice. I also enjoyed reading Henry's sometimes contradictory assessments of English kings, especially the version A and version B of his assessment of King Henry I - which shows how Huntingdon toned down his criticism of the king once his descendant, Henry II, became king. Henry's coverage of the Crusades was also an interesting highlight.

[Amy]

Say what you like about his accuracy/objectivity, Henry of Huntingdon knew how to write, and for that he's one of the few historians- mediaeval or modern- I've ever really wished I could write as well as.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This piece of work was originally written in Latin by Henry of Huntingdon and translated into modern English. Why in Latin and not old English? Because at that time Latin replaced English as the language of governmental documentation after the Norman Invasion.
This book is much less about the common people and deals mostly with elites and the ruiling class - the story revolves around kings, dukes, earls and bishops. Herny drew his sources from ancient documentations, oral storeis, and his direct observation. Throughout the book we will find many stories about battles - who lead the battles and how those ended - castle besieging - who surrendered to whom, and bishops - who replaced whom. And also conflicts between kings, dukes, and their kinsmen.
The writer's religious views also look strong here. People who performed evil crimes or anything that displeased God would meet their fate in a miserable way and vice versa. This book is not only intended as the art of rhetoric, but also as a collection of moral story.

[Janez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry of Huntingdon is a typical product of the Middle Ages when the learning was monopolyzed by the men (and women) of the Church. The archdeacon of Huntingdon gives us a detailed account of the history of England before and after the Norman Conquest of 1066. He vividly retells the decline of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the Danish invasions and settlements (the Danelaw), the family connections between the Anglo-Saxon ruling families and the Norman dukes. Add to this the treachery of the nobility, murders, rapes, the extorsion of money from the Church and a decription of the First Crusade (1096-1099), and you get a mediaeval thriller book. At some times, this book was extremly difficult to read, because of the enormously dense text (very few dialogues), and because of the large quantity of names which are unfamiliar to anyone who didn't specialise in this period of history. However, Henry amends to this by inserting anecdotes into the text (king Canute and the waves, the death of king Henry I because of food poisoning) and his poems and epitaphs.
Henry also reveals his sources for his writing (the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bede's The Ecclesiastical history of the English People and others). Another great feature of this book is the introduction which gives the reader some historical background and some sparse information about Henry of Huntingdon. Complementary to this introduction and to the text itself are the explanatory notes without which I personally would have been at a loss of understanding a lot of things and people.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a work becomes a "primary document" the difficulty becomes, at least to a layman like me, in assessing the aesthetic merit of the work itself. Suggesting that works like Herodotus's "Histories" or Plutarch's "Fall of the Roman Republic" are flawed feels like some kind of sacrilege. And yet I have to stand by my principles and say that while I rated this work high, the actual act of reading this book wasn't always terribly interesting.

There are numerous genealogies that just seem to stretch on and on to the point of nausea, and because I don't possess familiar knowledge of the names and characters entailed the feeling of this book is often akin to hearing the same "glorious victories" or "wretched defeats" over and over again.

Despite this, I recognize the lasting importance of a work like "History of the English People 1000-1154," because even I didn't always enjoy reading this book, it's existence is a valuable resource for historians and scholars writing history every day. Primary documents like this one matter because they provide the foundation of everything that follows in terms of history. Henry of Huntington wrote down what happened, and while we have to acknowledge that we're building our arguments on his bias and perceptions, there is still the opportunity to discuss those biases and perceptions.

And that's what makes history, as a discourse, truly fascinating.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"England, long numbered by mortal chill, now you grow warm, revived by the heat of a new sun. You raise the country's bowed head, and with tears of sorrow wiped away, you weep for joy. With tears you utter these words to your foster child: 'You are spirit, I am flesh: now as you enter I am restored to life.'"

Henry of Huntingdon's History of the English People is probably quite valuable , considering that it covers a pretty elusive period of time. Of course, other histories have been written about it, some of which I've also read. But this one feels just a little less dramatized than something like Geoffrey of Monmouth's edition, perhaps. So really, this is a concise little work that gives some really interesting accounts of a few English kings, mainly a few Anglo-Saxon kings, William the Conquerer, William II, and Stephen. For all of the aforementioned people, he provides engaging stories and accounts of their victories and losses. To say the least, I wasn't bored. He's pretty damn good at his descriptions in general that it almost doesn't read like a history.

Other than that, I don't think I have much to say about this history other than I highly recommend it. Of course, Geoffrey of Monmouth's work is probably good as a companion work but if you want some really interesting information about early kings of England from a primary source, Henry's your guy.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically unreliable, but very entertaining to read.

[Marcos Augusto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bidden by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln to write a history of England from the earliest period and bringing it to modern times, ending it upon the accession of Henry II in 1154. It was assumed that the first edition was published at the end of 1129 and the second in 1135, at the end of the reign of Henry I of England. He published new editions as the years went on, the final fifth copy coming down in 1154, supposedly to terminate the History with the death of Stephen, leaving his history organised into eight books. There is some evidence that Henry did not intend to stop there, intending to add another book to his series that would cover the events of the first five years of the reign of Henry II. It was never carried out, as Henry of Huntingdon must have been at least seventy years old by the time of the king's accession and died shortly afterwards.

Henry's ear for telling detail is responsible for entertaining touches drawn from current legend and his own fertile imagination. C. Warren Hollister notes the anecdote of King Canute's failure to stem the tide by command and Henry I's ignoring his physician's orders to dine on lampreys. Such touches rendered his history popular – there are twenty-five surviving manuscripts – and they embedded his anecdotes firmly into popular history. However, as the bishop's household was with the royal court frequently, it is possible that Henry was an eyewitness for many of the anecdotes he describes. Diana Greenway points out that the details he provides about the royal family are remarkably accurate.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read Henry of Huntingdon's The History Of The English People, 1000 1154, you come away with the impression that it was all war all the time. Henry's history is based on the format of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in which the names of the combatants (kings, bishops, nobles) appear side by side with the locale and, once in a blue moon, the date ofnthe battles.

[Robert Monk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super fun little book for those who are interested in the period. Henry lived through a lot of the events that took place in this history, got a lot of his information first-hand, and what's more he was opinionated and perhaps a bit crotchety. As with all histories from this period, one must always make allowances for the fact that Henry was churchman, but he was a *married* churchman in a time when that was rapidly becoming a no-no, so he has things to say about it. What's more, he took a cue from classical history and wrote speeches for various people (mostly before battles), which are blood-thirsty and entertaining. Good translation (at least from a readability aspect), pretty solid introduction. I read a modern history of the period before jumping in (I was actually reading this and the Anglo Saxon Chronicle concurrently, which is grant fun if you get the chance), which helped keep straight who was who and what was what. But I found it to be a page-turner, and happily recommend it to anyone.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Henry of Huntingdon is a valuable resource for the period in question. Obviously historiography has developed apace since the 1100s, and Henry is very much of his time. His evident prejudices (Scots= bad, Normans= the weapon of the almighty, his local area= more beautiful than elsewhere, & etc) and determination to shoehorn everything into a predictable moral narrative strip most of the vitality out of the work. Henry, for example, mentions the White Ship disaster casually, and only as an opportunity to admonish against 'sodomy'. What a lost opportunity! He lacks the slightly later Gerald of Wales' verve and chatter and sharp eye for detail that could have leavened the didacticism. I feel Henry also lacks his hero Bede's easy warmth and genuine interest in what he is writing about- the lumbering moral narrative is always more important. If this is your historical period of interest, Henry makes necessary, but rather dull reading. My own copy shall probably be going on the charity-shop pile.

[Henna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The History of the English People is a riveting primary source, particularly since Henry of Huntingdon's writing and comments are rather entertaining. Typical in medieval style, it's a flowery text; I certainly enjoyed William the Conqueror's speech before the Battle of Hastings.

This was one of the first medieval chronicles I read for a course about the Normans and it inspired me to delve more into the chronicles and contemporary accounts because it was such riveting and easy to read.

[Acanthus Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and vividly told history of the build up to the Norman Invasion, the First Crusade and the rather bloody deeds of several monarchs.

It feels that Henry is stretching the truth somewhat when he claims that it was due to the personal moral failings of the English that the invasion occurred... (Livy also had a habit of pushing these sorts of arguments). But, otherwise, this really is great stuff and it's always nice when source material covering critical historical events actually also happens to be entertaining literature as well.

[Maisie Wrubel]

I've been re-reading parts of this book as preparation for my COL comprehensive exams, and while most of it is a boring chronicle, the chapters that are not are INCREDIBLE. I get chills every time I read the epilogue. His thoughts on time, history, and morality are beautiful... religious in a way that makes me want to be religious. I truly believe that if anything could convert me, it would probably be Henry asking me to pray for him.

[Katie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this history. It read like notes taken for class, concise and clear. I especially liked the ending, where in the epilogue, Henry spoke directly to me (and all those of the “future”).

[Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A primary document that is a riveting and interesting read. The whole thing was worth it just for his aside comments about people, showing how truly human and and they were, and his beautifully written Epilogue.

[J Grimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Guide to Peterborough Cathedral I enjoyed this book. Henry cones over as a warm man though he seems to be very tolerant of kings and nobles.

[Mehmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the paperback OWC edition, which is abridged in the sense that it cuts the first books of the works (a sizable chunk mostly derived from Bede, Asser and the Anglo-Saxon chronicle(s)) and two of the letters (one recounting general genealogies and the other a crib of Geoffrey of Monmouth's work). For those one will need to read the hardback OMT version of the same translation, which is impossible own due to the steep price. The work itself is excellent, and close to his time he gets, better a story Henry tells. Clearly seeing the Moral importance of writing a history, he also did so in a remarkably judicious way, as the arrangement and material flow very well, are well proportioned, the digressions are small (but delightful) and the narrative is mostly excellently handled. The section of the Anarchy is very well written, although the Gesta Stephani is a quite good rival from the time as well. A very well written medieval work, not as good as a William of Malmesbury or Orderic Vitalis, but also not intending to be, clearly written for a more general audience. The occassional defences of clerical marriage (coming from the son of one such marriage who also had one) are fun to trace. The letter "on the contempt of the world" is itself very charming gem of an essay utilising short biographies of important figures from his lifetime to appraise how human life should be approached, and the various pitfalls that attend it. If nothing else, give it a shot, and perhaps it will convince you to read the rest of the work as well.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Significant as a contemporary source (for the last part of the work) with information about and judgments on the powerful figures of the time that reflect personal contact with the royal court. I was struck by the fact that he did not seem to regret the death of Henry I's son William in the wreck of the White Ship, accusing him of sodomy (however that was interpreted at the time --not necessarily homosexuality) and other vices. I was also struck by his rather sarcastic remarks about proponents of clerical celibacy (he himself was a married cleric and son of a married cleric).

[Pete daPixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Henry of Huntingdon was born around 1088. His History of the English People is therefore 12th century narrative. The 11th century section of his history is largely taken from one of the A.S. chronicles. Henry was a churchman, so there is a large amount of God's vengeance written into the narrative. However, a thousand years on, we should forgive the style. His history does contain some unique descriptions of people and events. The first written record of Cnut and the waves. Some interesting information on Earl Harold of Wessex, and a collection of early English saints and their miracles.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the later part of the book most when Henry is giving an account of events and people from his lifetime as opposed to recounting prior histories. It seems that life in England in the eleventh and twelfth centuries was a continual round of turmoil at least in the lives of Kings.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-red for Honours History thesis.

***

Read for a uni history project on King Stephen and Empress Matilda.