Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 1.djvu/600

Rh ANNALS 534 ANNALS or Irisli), of uncertain origin, bvit written out in its present shape about I60O by the Irisii antiquary DuaKl Macl'irbis, was edited and translated for the Rolls Series by W. M. Hennessy (London, 1S66). The "Annals of Clonniacnoise" from a very early date to IKI.s were written originally in Irish, but are now known only in an Knglish translation made in 1627. They were recently edited by Rev. Denis Murphy, S.J. (Dublin, 1896). It was only after the Norman Conquest that exclusively Latin annals were written in Ireland. Probably the most ancient of them are the " -Vnnals of Multifarnan", from the beginning of the Christian era to 1224, edited by Aquilla Smith for the Irish Arclijeological Society (Dublin, 1849). The same society pubhshed also the Latin annals of John Clyn (a Kilkenny Francis- can) and Thady Dowling, from the birth of Christ to 1348, "mere entries of names and facts". The "Annates Hiberniie" of Christopher Pembridge, from 1162 to 1370, are said to be for that period "the chief authority on the affairs of the English settlement in Ireland" (ed. J. T. Gilbert, Rolls Series, London, 1884). MoN.sTic Ann.ls. — The annals of the Carlovin- gian period, the Reichsannalen, and their continua- tions are to be found all through the Middle Ages. In the eleventh century, however, there appeared a new class of annals, which it is of importance to describe, for they sprang from new social conditions. By this time the feudal system had succeeded the former unity of the Carlovingian kingdom. Each estate (fief), both lay and ecclesiastical, had become a little world apart, having full charge of its own life. The political sense and the sjinpathy of com- mon interests disappeared, and churches and mon- asteries busied themselves chiefly with their saints, their relics, and their local interests. The conse- quences soon appeared in the province of historiog- raphy. There could now be no question of general or universal history. Local history prevailed, and with the exception of Germany, where the great universal concept of the Roman Empire had per- sisted, and where the great Chronicles suffer no de- fault during this period, other lands giA-e us chiefly monastic annals and local histories. The most im- portant of these are the episcopal annals or chroni- cles, which review the history of the diocese or me- tropolis. They are generally arranged after the plan of the "Liber Pontificalis", and relate in connection with each bishop or abbot the chief events and achievements of liis administration in chronological order. .Attempts had been made along the same line previous to the eleventh century; arriong the most remarkable annals of this earlier period we inay numtion the "Gesta abbatum Fontanellen- sium'* (834-845), the "Gesta episcoporum Metten- sium" of Paul the Deacon (eighth century), the "Acta Vetusta Abbatum Fuldensium" (ninth cen- tury), the "Gesta episcoporum Virdunensium" (917), the "Gesta episcoporum Antissiodorensium" (ninth century), the "Gesta episcoporum Tungrensium" of Herigerns of Lobbes (980), the "Acta episcoporum Ccnomanonsium" (850-856), the "Gesta episcopo- rum Xea])olitanorum" (ninth century), the "Gesta episcoporum Halbcrstadensium" (968-994). Already there arc genuine Chronicles, written by a single author after a jireconceived plan, with an informing idea which dominates the narratie, giving it a per- sonal character. The form alone still recalls eariier annals. During the eleventh centuiy examples of this cla,ss were produced in Belgivun: at Cambrai the "Gesta episcoporum Cameracensium ", written by a clerk of the cathedral; at Li^ge the "Gesta episcoporum Lcodicnsimn". by the Canon An.selni, a work directly connected with the chronicle of Herigenm of Lobhos. Tlierc are, even at this early period, great annals, real chronicles, cinbodving di- plomas and acts of donation, with the subject-matter well synthesized. From this time on it is hard to distinguish between annals and chronicles. In ad- dition we come across manuscripts, like the "An- nates" of Lambert of Hersfeld (1077-80), which are in reality personal memoirs. By the side of these episcopal chronicles there appear an immense num- ber of local monastic annals, which record with minute fidelity things of interest to the monastery — donations, misfortunes, floods, storms, transfers of relics, etc. — a miscellany reminding us of the various items of our daily papere. Some of these annals still recall the far-off origin of this class of literature by their titles; thus, for example, the "Chronicon Sti. Dionysii ad cyclos paschales" (ele'enth and twelfth centuries). Every monasteiy of any importance possessed these collections of notes, the total number of which is extremely large. This movement is closely connected with the monastic revival, which began in the eleventh centurj' owing to the Reforms of Cluny. With this religious awakening are con- nected two movements, one internal, the other ex- ternal, which contributed not a little to the devel- opment of medieval historiography. On the one hand we have the Quarrel of Investitures and on the other the Crusades. P^or the Quarrel of In'estitures, mention should be made above all of Lambert of Hersfeld, already named, and the celebrated chron- icler Otto of Freisingen, or Bamberg (d. 1158). Son of St. Leopold of Austria, and related through his mother to the line of emperors, Otto was invited by Frederick Barbarossa, personally, to write the history of his times. It was for Frederick that he composed his "Chronicon", a universal history in eight books, filled with philosophical ideas, and imitating "De Civitate Dei" by St. Augustine. Otto reached the history of his own time (1100-46) in the seventh volume. The work was interrupted by his death, and was continued by Ragewin, Provost of Freis- ingen, who added four volumes (1155-60). The whole is remarkable for the maimer in which events are linked together. Anglo-Norm. Chronicles. — To this period be- long the great Anglo-Norman chronicles, which came into existence with the conquest of William of Nor- mandy. The principal. glo-Norinan chronicles were written by foreigners, the Normans of France: William of Jumieges, who in lus " Historia Nor- mannorum" gives a r^sum^ of the chronicle of Dudan of Saint-Quentin (860-1002) and continues it up to 1135; Odericus Vitalis, the most important of all, who wrote a general history of the Normans in France, England, and Sicily, under the title " His- toria Ecclesiastica", covering the period from the beginning of the Christian era to 1142. Lastly we have William of Malmesbury (d. 1148), who wrote the history of England, beginning with its Saxon origins, under the title " De Gestis Anglorum " in five books (449-1126), with a Supplement, "Historia Novella" (1126-46). At this time also there ap- peared two great chronicles, the "Chrcnica" of Roger Hoveden (732-1201) and the "Chronica major" of Matthew of Paris, beginning with the creation and continuing up to 12.59. During the same period the Crusades gave the impulse for a new sort of literature, very important from an ecclesiastical point of view. The chief liistorian of this school, the author who furnishes vis the true tyj')o of this class of literature, is William of Tyre, historian of the Latin kingtlom of Jerusalem. Although based in part on the chronicle of Albert of .ix (1121), his history becomes entirely original on reaching the Second Crusade (1147-48). The author is extra- ordinarily learned, having a knowledge of classic literature and an acquaintance with the works of Ara'i historians. He was skilled in the art of narra- tion, showed exceptional talent in arrangement of