William of Jumièges
Encyclopedia
William of Jumièges was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of our earliest writers on the subject of the Norman Conquest. He is himself a "shadowy figure", only known by his dedicatory letter to King William
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...

 as a monk of Jumièges. "Since he also mentions that he was an eyewitness of some events from the reign of Richard III (1026-7), it seems reasonable to assume that he was born some time about the year 1000. He probably entered the monastery during the first quarter of the eleventh century and received his education from Thierry de Mathonville." According to Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...

, William's nickname was "Calculus". The meaning behind this nickname is unknown. His death, post 1070, is unrecorded. He was a Norman writing from a Norman point of view. Although only a monk with evidently no military training, he wrote with pride in the accomplishments of his people.

William of Jumièges was the original compiler of the history known as The Gesta Normannorum Ducum
Gesta Normannorum Ducum
Gesta Normannorum Ducum is a chronicle originally created by the monk William of Jumièges just before 1060. In 1070 William I had William of Jumièges extend the work to detail his rights to the throne of England. In later times, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni Gesta Normannorum Ducum (Deeds...

 ("Deeds of the Dukes of the Normans"), written in about 1070. This was built upon the framework of an earlier history compiled by Dudo of Saint-Quentin
Dudo of Saint-Quentin
Dudo, or Dudon was a Norman historian, and dean of Saint-Quentin, where he was born about 965. Sent in 986 by Albert I, Count of Vermandois, on an errand to Richard I, Duke of Normandy, he succeeded in his mission, and, having made a very favorable impression at the Norman court, spent some years...

, De moribus et actis primorum Normannorum ducum, between c. 996 and c. 1015. This work was commissioned by Duke Richard I
Richard I of Normandy
Richard I of Normandy , also known as Richard the Fearless , was the Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to have held that title.-Birth:He was born to William I of Normandy, ruler of Normandy, and Sprota...

, and "was renewed by his half-brother, Count Rodulf of Ivry
Rodulf of Ivry
Rodulf of Ivry was a Norman noble, half-brother of Richard I of Normandy.- Regent in Normandy :Duke Richard I died in 996...

, and his son Duke Richard II (996 - 1026)... Dudo's work was taken up by William of Jumièges in the 1050's, who revised, abbreviated and updated his De moribus and added an account of the reigns of Dukes Richard II, Richard III (1026-7), Robert I (1027-35), and William II." He finished this by 1060, but added to it later when William the Conqueror had become king of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, bringing events up to 1070. The Gesta Normannorum Ducum was later expanded by the 12th century monkish chroniclers, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni
Robert of Torigni
Robert of Torigni was a Norman monk and chronicler. He was born at Torigni-sur-Vire in central Normandy, at an unknown date. He entered the monastery of Le Bec in 1128 and became prior there about 1149. He was elected abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel in 1154, and served there until his death.Robert was...

.

Sources

  • The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni, edited and translated by Elisabeth M. C. Van Houts, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995.
  • The Battle of Hastings, Interpretations and Sources, edited by Stephen Morillo, The Boydell Press, 1996.
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