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Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain

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Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2017 Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain Teresa Marie Lopez University of Tennessee, Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons, and the Medieval History Commons Recommended Citation Lopez, Teresa Marie, "Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2017. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4478 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Teresa Marie Lopez entitled "Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in English. Thomas Heffernan, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Laura Howes, R.M. Liuzza, Katherine Kong Accepted for the Council: Dixie L. Thompson Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Re-Writing English Identity: Medieval Historians of Anglo-Norman Britain A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Teresa Marie Lopez May 2017 ii Dedication To my husband, Eric Swanson, for all his tireless efforts in supporting my work. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my deep gratitude to Drs. Thomas Heffernan, Laura Howes, R.M. Liuzza, and Katherine Kong for their support and guidance throughout this dissertation process and my graduate experience. Their assistance made it possible for me to complete this project, and their expertise helped shape and sharpen the focus of my writing. Special thanks as well to the English Department’s Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Dawn Coleman, for providing continued support and advice throughout my studies. I would also like to thank all of my colleagues and friends for encouraging me to complete my writing, especially Tara Ralph and Eric Swanson. iv Abstract My dissertation uses post-colonial and narrative theories to examine the historiographic tradition of twelfth-century England. This investigation explores the idea of nationhood in pre-modern England and the relationship between history and romance in post-Conquest historical writings. I analyze how Geoffrey of Monmouth, Henry of Huntingdon Geffrei Gaimar, and Laʒamon imagine and narrate the explicit changes to the ruling elite in twelfth-century England, and how this process constructs their idea of “Englishness.” v Table of Contents Introduction: Conquest, History, and Romance in Twelfth-Century England ............................... 1 History as a Genre in the Twelfth Century ................................................................................. 4 Ethnicity and Political Identity ................................................................................................... 9 History and Romance ................................................................................................................ 14 Summary of Chapters ............................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 1: Geoffrey’s History and Historia: The Function of a Pseudo-History ................. 16 Chapter 2: Translating and Transforming Arthurian Historiography in Laʒamon’s Brut .... 17 Chapter 3: Henry of Huntingdon’s Historicizing of the Present........................................... 19 Chapter 4: Geffrei Gaimar’s Blending of History, Romance, and Cultural Identity ............ 20 Chapter 1 – Geoffrey’s History and Historia: The Function of a Pseudo-History ....................... 23 Geoffrey of Monmouth ............................................................................................................. 24 Geoffrey’s Motivation .............................................................................................................. 29 Civil War: The Context of the HRB ......................................................................................... 36 Geoffrey’s Sources.................................................................................................................... 41 Legitimacy and the Welsh ........................................................................................................ 42 Nationalism and King Arthur.................................................................................................... 47 Marked for Failure .................................................................................................................... 53 The Norman Future ................................................................................................................... 62 Conclusion: Establishing a Historical Voice ............................................................................ 67 Chapter 2 –Translating and Transforming Arthurian Historiography in Laʒamon’s Brut ........... 71 Laʒamon’s Sources ................................................................................................................... 73 Date of Composition ................................................................................................................. 80 Regional Context and the Language of the Brut ....................................................................... 87 Laʒamon .................................................................................................................................... 95 Richard and John....................................................................................................................... 99 Inscribing the Normans into English History ......................................................................... 104 Colonizing Albion ................................................................................................................... 106 King Arthur ............................................................................................................................. 111 Conclusion: Transforming England ........................................................................................ 118 Chapter 3 – Henry of Huntingdon’s Historicizing of the Present ............................................... 120 Henry of Huntingdon .............................................................................................................. 122 Henry as a Canon and Archdeacon ......................................................................................... 134 Historia Anglorum: The Manuscripts and Versions ............................................................... 137 vi The Structure of the HA .......................................................................................................... 140 HA Sources ............................................................................................................................. 141 Henry as a Historian................................................................................................................ 148 Moral Motivations .................................................................................................................. 150 Kingdoms of Order ................................................................................................................. 160 Saxons ..................................................................................................................................... 161 Normans .................................................................................................................................. 167 Conclusion – Nationalism ....................................................................................................... 177 Chapter 4 – Geffrei Gaimar’s Blending of History, Romance and Cultural Identity ................. 181 Geffrei Gaimar ........................................................................................................................ 183 Gaimar’s Patrons and Supporters............................................................................................ 186 Regional Context of Lincolnshire ........................................................................................... 194 The Text .................................................................................................................................. 198 Sources .................................................................................................................................... 199 The Date of Composition and Historical Context ................................................................... 203 A Vernacular History .............................................................................................................. 211 Anglo-Saxon History as Romance .........................................................................................
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