Geoffrey of Monmouth publishes History of the Kings of Britain
1136
An Oxford cleric of Breton or Welsh extraction released a Latin history claiming descent from Trojan refugees and giving Europe the earliest full narrative of King Arthur, Merlin, and Guinevere. It was dismissed as fantasy by sober chroniclers and devoured by everyone else. Geoffrey's inventions proved irresistible to poets and romancers across Europe, who adapted his stories into French, German, and eventually English vernacular traditions.
In context
Also in 1136 (4 other events on record)
- Suger begins rebuilding Saint-Denis · Europe · Culture
- Neo-Confucian revival takes root in Song academies · East Asia · Culture
- Welsh revolt sweeps Gower and Deheubarth · Europe · War
- Roger II conquers Naples · Europe · War
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Culture
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.