St Bede

The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation St Bede

Originally written in 731 and published in English in 1903 in a translation by LIONEL CECIL JANE (1879-1932), The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation was the first book of its kind. In it, British Benedictine monk SAINT BEDE (672-735) details the history of England from the time of Caesar until the year of its writing. Assembled using a variety of Roman sources, including Prosper of Acquitaine and Pope Gregory I, this astonishing work resounds of true scholarly diligence: Bede cited his references throughout his work, and used personal accounts only with skepticism. Bede's history covers the wars between the Britons, Scots, and Picts; the conquest of England by the Romans; and the conversion of the Britons, the Scots, and the Saxons. Bede also details the rise and fall of tribal kings and the lives of influential bishops. Historians will find this an interesting historical document both as a record of history and as a specimen of history itself.