Gildas
Overview
Gildas, also known as St. Gildas, was a 6th-century British monk and historian who is known for his writings on the history of Britain during the early medieval period. His work, De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain), is one of the earliest surviving accounts of the period and provides valuable insights into the social, political, and religious developments of the time.
Biography
Gildas was likely born in Britain around the year 500 CE, during a time of great turmoil and upheaval. The Roman Empire had recently withdrawn from Britain, in 410, leaving the island vulnerable to invasion by various groups including the Saxons and the Picts. Gildas lived through the period of the Anglo-Saxon invasions and witnessed the destruction of many of the Roman cities and fortifications that had been built in Britain. He also lived through a time of great religious change, as Christianity was gradually replacing the older pagan religions that had been dominant in Britain.
Statue of St. Gildas
Gildas was a member of the Celtic Christian church, which had its own distinct traditions and practices that differed from those of the Roman Catholic Church. He was also a monk, and spent much of his life living in monasteries in Wales and other parts of Britain. It is also believed that Gildas may have lived for some time in Brittany, where he is said to have established a monastic community at Rhuys. According to tradition, Gildas died at Rhuys in the late 6th or early 7th century, and his tomb there became a site of pilgrimage.
On the Ruin of Britain
Gildas is most famous for his work, De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain), which is a scathing critique of the British rulers of his time. The work is a fascinating blend of history and theology, and it provides a vivid picture of the political and religious turmoil of sixth-century Britain.
In this work, Gildas describes a Britain that is in a state of chaos and decline. He blames the country’s rulers for their greed, corruption, and disregard for the needs of their people. He also criticizes the British church for its worldliness and laxity, and he implores the country’s leaders to repent and turn back to God.
Gildas’s work was highly influential in its time, and it has remained an important source of information for historians of early Britain. The work is notable for its vivid descriptions of sixth-century Britain and for its passionate call for repentance and renewal. However, it is not without its flaws. Some modern scholars have criticized Gildas for his lack of historical accuracy and for his tendency to exaggerate or embellish events for dramatic effect.
Despite these criticisms, it is clear that Gildas was an important figure in the development of British Christianity. His works provide a valuable glimpse into the religious and political climate of early Britain, and his call for repentance and renewal continues to resonate with Christians today.
Image: Illustrated folio from Harley MS. 624 in the British Library, concerning Gildas and Nennius
Illustrated folio from Harley MS. 624 in the British Library, concerning Gildas and Nennius
Ambrosius Aurelianus
Significane of Gildas
Gildas’s work, De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae, is an important historical source for the early medieval period in Britain. It provides valuable insights into the social, political, and religious developments of the time, and sheds light on the causes of the decline and fall of the British kingdom.
Gildas’s influence can also be seen in the works of later medieval writers, who drew on his account of the history of Britain and the deeds of its legendary heroes. Gildas’s work helped to shape the popular imagination of early medieval Britain and contributed to the development of the Arthurian legend and other literary and artistic traditions.
Gildas’s work is also significant because it reflects the perspective of the Celtic Christian church, which had its own distinct traditions and practices that differed from those of the Roman Catholic Church. The work provides insights into the beliefs and practices of this early Christian church, and sheds light on the development of Christianity in Britain during this time.
Related Topics
Further Research & Sources
On the Ruin of Britain – https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1949/pg1949.html
Gildas. De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae. Edited and Translated by Hugh Williams. Liverpool University Press, 1978.
Higham, N. J. An English Empire: Bede and the Early Anglo-Saxon Kings. Manchester University Press, 1995.
Lapidge, Michael. Gildas and the Ruin of Britain. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, 2009.
Sims-Williams, Patrick. “Gildas (fl. c. 540–570).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Korrel, Peter (1984), “Arthur, Modred, and Guinevere in the historical records and in the legendary Arthurian material in the early Welsh tradition”, An Arthurian Triangle: A Study of the Origin, Development, and Characterization of Arthur, Guinevere, and Modred., Brill Archive, ISBN 978-9004072725.
Photos:
Statue of Gildas
Romary, CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Harley MS 624
ThêtaBlackhole, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.