History Literature / HistoriaRegumBritanniae

* {{Dedication}}: To Robert, First Earl of Gloucester.

%%* EvilNephew: A lot of rulers have these. Cordelia, Arthur, and Constantine III (along with an unnamed uncle of Constantine III's nephew Aurelius) fall victim to this.

* RememberTheNewGuy: Leir's grandsons by his elder daughters, Marganus and Cunedagius, are not mentioned during any of the chapters set during Leir's lifetime, making their first appearance in the chapter following his death, set during the reign of their aunt Cordelia. It can be quite surprising for readers, especially if they are only familiar with the Shakespeare play, that Gonorilla and Regan had children, as there had been no mention of them earlier.

->''"A writer has emerged who, in order to expiate the faults of these Britons, weaves the most ridiculous figments of imagination around them, extolling them with the most impudent vanity above the virtues of the Macedonians and the Romans..."''
-->'''William of Newburgh''', ''History of English Affairs'' (c. 1198 AD)

''Historia Regum Britanniae'', or ''History of the Kings of Britain'', is a work by Geoffrey of Monmouth from around the 12th century. This work is notable for kickstarting British history, with some ArtisticLicense taken to fill in the blanks Geoffrey couldn't get from Bede or other sources. For a long time, it was considered a UniverseBible for British History in the MiddleAges, with some hints of propaganda. It can be considered a founding myth for several ethnic groups in Britain.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: 40 years after Geoffrey's death, William of Newburgh extensively criticized Geoffrey for his history as the quote at the top of this page shows and even went so far as to say his work "is a fiction, invented either by himself or by others".

%%* AncientGrome: In spades. ''Brutus'' of Troy, anyone?
%%* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Even 40 years after Geoffrey's death, William of Newburgh extensively criticized Geoffrey for his history, and even went so far as to say his work "is a fiction, invented either by himself or by others".
* BloodKnight: The Trojans' battle with the Aquitanians is decided by Brutus' ally and fellow Trojan Corineus, who turns the Aquitanians to flight by a reckless charge. As they already retreat, Corineus berates them for running away and calls on them to turn back and fight with him. Later, after settling in Cornwall, Corineus takes "great pleasure" from wrestling with the hostile giants who live there. When Brutus fights a battle with a troop of giants, he makes sure the giant Gogmagog is captured alive only so that Corineus can wrestle him, and Corineus is "delighted by this".

* LeftStuckAfterAttack: In the battle following the Romans' first invasion of Britain, King Cassivelaunus' younger brother Nennius comes face to face with UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar. Caesar gives Nennius a head wound but with his second blow his sword gets stuck in Nennius' shield, forcing him to leave it there as they are separated. Nennius pulls out Caesar's sword, which is superior to his own and is called the Yellow Death (Crocea Mors), and uses it to make a bloodbath of the Romans. The Britons win the battle, but since wounds by the Yellow Death never heal, Nennius dies fifteen days later from the wound Caesar gave him, and is buried with Caesar's sword at his side.

* AncientGrome: In spades. ''Brutus'' of Troy, anyone?
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Very much so. Even 40 years after Geoffrey's death, William of Newburgh extensively criticised Geoffrey for his history, and even went so far as to say his work "is a fiction, invented either by himself or by others".

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: There is no [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield Sword in the Stone]], no Round Table and no Lancelot (Guinevere hooks up with ''Mordred'' instead), Merlin doesn't actually serve or mentor Arthur, and no Morgan Le Fay, but Arthur has one sister named Anna. Morgan does appear in Geoffrey's related work ''Vita Merlini'' where she lives in Avalon and uses her magic for healing instead of evil.
* TheEmperor: Arthur. As King of Britain he conquers the whole British isles, gains the allegiance of rulers of various tribes and lands including Iceland and Norway, and invades continental Europe and comes close to conquering the UsefulNotes/RomanEmpire itself but is sidetracked by Mordred's rebellion.

* EvilNephew: A lot of rulers have these. Cordelia, Arthur, and Constantine III (along with an unnamed uncle of Constantine III's nephew Aurelius) fall victim to this.
* TheEvilPrince: Used frequently. Constantine's nephew Aurelius Conan kills him, then imprisons an uncle who should have ruled after Constantine and kills their two sons.

* TheUsurper: Vortigern is an archetypal example.

* FounderOfTheKingdom: Brutus.

* LeftStuckAfterAttack: In the battle following the Romans' first invasion of Britain, King Cassivelaunus' younger brother Nennius comes face to face with UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar. Caesar gives Nennius a head wound but with his second blow his sword gets stuck in Nennius' shield, forcing him to leave it there as they are separated. Nennius pulls out Caesar's sword, which is superior to his own and is called the Yellow Death (Crocea Mors), and uses it to make a bloodbath of the Romans. The Britons win the battle, but since wounds by the Yellow Death never heal, Nennius dies fifteen days later from the wound Caesar gave him, as is buried with Caesar's sword at his side.

The most lasting legacy of Geoffrey's ''Historia'' is the invention of Myth/KingArthur and Myth/{{Merlin}} in the form that became {{canon}} throughout the MiddleAges and that we can still recognize today. Two other figures from the book that are still known today by way of Creator/{{Shakespeare}}'s dramas are Theatre/KingLear (Leir) and Theatre/{{Cymbeline}} (Kymbelinus).

* CanonWelding: OlderThanPrint example. The story weaves ''Literature/TheAeneid'', ''Literature/TheIliad'' and ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' into the Arthurian mythos by having Brutus sail to pre-Roman Britain and founded an empire there with New Troy (aka UsefulNotes/{{London}}) as the capital setting the stage for Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to exist.

''Historia Regum Britanniae'', or ''History of the Kings of Britain'', is a work by Geoffrey of Monmouth from around the 12th century. This work is notable for kickstarting British History, with some ArtisticLicense taken to fill in the blanks Geoffrey couldn't get from Bede or other sources. For a long time, it was considered a UniverseBible for British History in the MiddleAges, with some hints of propaganda. It can be considered a founding myth for several ethnic groups in Britain.

* EvilNephew: A lot of rulers have these. Cordelia, Arthur, and Constantine III (along with an unnamed uncle of Aurelius) fall victim to this.

''Historia Regum Britanniae'', or ''History of the Kings of Britain'', is a work by Geoffrey of Monmouth from around the 12th century. This work is notable for kickstarting British History, with some ArtisticLicense taken to fill in the blanks Geoffrey couldn't get from Bede or other sources. For a long time it was considered a UniverseBible for British History in the MiddleAges, with some hints of propaganda. Can be considered a founding myth for several ethnic groups in Britain.

!!This work provides examples of:

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: For the KingArthur mythos. There is no [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield Sword in the Stone]], no Round Table and no Lancelot (Guinevere hooks up with ''Mordred'' instead), Merlin doesn't actually serve or mentor Arthur, and no Morgan Le Fay, but Arthur has one sister named Anna. Morgan does appear in Geoffrey's related work ''Vita Merlini'' (Life of Merlin) where she lives in Avalon and uses her magic for healing instead of evil.

* KingArthur: TropeCodifier to an extent. Here first appears in a single narrative familiar Arthurian elements such as Arthur himself being King of Britain (for starters), Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, Arthur's mother Igerna (Igraine), and Arthur's conception through a BedTrick courtesy of Merlin. Also mentioned is the sword Caliburn ({{Excalibur}}), which was forged in Avalon where Arthur is finally taken to be healed after his final battle with Modred (Mordred).
* Myth/{{Merlin}}: TropeMaker.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Very much so. Even 40 years after Geoffrey's death William of Newburgh, who provides the page quote, extensively criticised Geoffrey for his history, and even went so far as to say his work "is a fiction, invented either by himself or by others".

* EvilNephew: A lot to rulers have these. Cordelia, Arthur, and Constantine III (along with an unnamed uncle of Aurelius) fall victim to this.

* TheEmperor: Arthur. As King of Britain he conquers the whole British isles, gains the allegiance of rulers of various tribes and lands including Iceland and Norway, and invades continental Europe and comes close to conquering the RomanEmpire itself but is sidetracked by Mordred's rebellion.

'''''Historia Regum Britanniae''''', or '''''History of the Kings of Britain''''', is a work by Geoffrey of Monmouth from around the 12th century. This work is notable for kickstarting British History, with some ArtisticLicense taken to fill in the blanks Geoffrey couldn't get from Bede or other sources. For a long time it was considered a UniverseBible for British History in the MiddleAges, with some hints of propaganda. Can be considered a founding myth for several ethnic groups in Britain.

After a brief introduction the history of the Britons starts around UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar after which [[FamousAncestor Brutus]], a great-grandson of [[Literature/TheAeneid Aeneas]], sets sail with a group of his people to found a new empire, which happens to be {{Britain}}.

----

* EvilNephew: A lot to rulers have these. Cordelia, Arthur, and Constantine III fall victim to this.

* ThePromisedLand: When Brutus finds Britain, as foretold by Diana, it is a paradisaical land that abounds of natural resources.

'''''Historia Regum Britanniae''''', or '''''History of the Kings of Britain''''', is a work by Creator/GeoffreyOfMonmouth from around the 12th century. This work is notable for kickstarting British History, with some ArtisticLicense taken to fill in the blanks Geoffrey couldn't get from Bede or other sources. For a long time it was considered a UniverseBible for British History in the MiddleAges, with some hints of propaganda. Can be considered a founding myth for several ethnic groups in Britain.