Quotes from book
Gesta Regum Anglorum

Gesta Regum Anglorum

Gesta Regum Anglorum (meaning Chronicle of the Kings of England) is a 12th-century chronicle of the kings of England by William of Malmesbury. It followed other works written by Malmesbury on the deeds of English Bishops. Malmesbury would later add Historia Novella, which continued the account for several more years, though that account is not included here. It is notable for Arthurian scholars since Arthur is briefly mentioned, though most of the work does not pertain to Arthur directly. Malmesbury was clearly borrowing from older sources for his history. These texts are taken from public domain sources. Their inclusion in this volume is for convenience, as a way of keeping all the shorter and fragmentary texts together in one place. A free copy of the ebook is available online. About the Arthurian Classics These are public domain works presented as a cohesive and branded line of literature, brought to you by MythBank.com. Visit the site to learn more.


William of Malmesbury photo

“This Arthur is the hero of many wild tales among the Britons even in our own day, but assuredly deserves to be the object of reliable history rather than of false and dreaming fable.”

Gesta Regum Anglorum (1125), quoted in M. J. Cohen and John Major (eds.), History in Quotations (Cassell, 2004), p. 160

Similar authors

William of Malmesbury photo
William of Malmesbury 3
English historian
Thomas Fuller photo
Thomas Fuller 35
English churchman and historian
Livy photo
Livy 70
Roman historian
Herodotus photo
Herodotus 42
ancient Greek historian, often considered as the first hist…
Cædmon photo
Cædmon 3
Ancient English poet
Tacitus photo
Tacitus 42
Roman senator and historian
Bede photo
Bede 4
English monk and saint
Marek Żukow-Karczewski photo
Marek Żukow-Karczewski 10
Polish historian, journalist and opinion journalist
Thucydides photo
Thucydides 76
Greek historian and Athenian general
François-René de Chateaubriand photo
François-René de Chateaubriand 28
French writer, politician, diplomat and historian