Historia Regum Britanniae
pseudohistorical account of British history (c.1136)
De gestis Britonum (On the Deeds of the Britons), commonly known as Historia regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain), is a fictitious account of British history written around 1136 by the Welsh cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons over the course of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation and continuing until the Anglo-Saxons assumed control of much of Britain around the 7th century. It is one of the central pieces of the Matter of Britain.
Although taken as historical truth until the 16th century, it is now considered to have no value as history. When events described, such as Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain, can be corroborated from contemporary histories, Geoffrey's account can be seen to be wildly inaccurate. It remains, however, a valuable piece of medieval literature, which contains the earliest known version of the story of King Lear and his three daughters, and helped popularise the legend of King Arthur.
Contents
Geoffrey starts the book with a short dedication. He claims that he was given a source for the time period by Archdeacon Walter of Oxford, who presented him with a "certain very ancient book written in the British language" from which he has translated his history.
Books 1–3
The Historia begins with the Trojan hero Aeneas, who, according to the Aeneid, settled in Italy after the Trojan War. His great-grandson Brutus is banished for accidental patricide, and, after a period of wandering, is directed by the goddess Diana to settle on an island in the western ocean.
The public source identifies “Historia Regum Britanniae” as pseudohistorical account of British history (c.1136). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Historia, Regum and Britanniae.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Historia Regum Britanniae”, the useful work is to connect “pseudohistorical account of British history (c.1136)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q238693. VIAF identifies the subject as 105642044. The Library of Congress control number is n83160992. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1136.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Historia Regum Britanniae”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Historia Regum Britanniae primary sources, Historia Regum Britanniae archive and Historia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Historia Regum Britanniae”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Historia Regum Britanniae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.