Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Uncommon card · No. 94108

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also ASC and the Chronicle) is the term used by historians to describe a set of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The lost first version of the Chronicle was created in the late ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of King Alfred the Great (r. 871–899). Its content, which incorporated sources now otherwise lost dating from as early as the seventh century, is known as the "Common Stock" of the Chronicle. Multiple copies were made of that one original and then distributed to monasteries across England, where they were updated, partly independently. These manuscripts collectively are known as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Almost all of the material in the Chronicle is in the form of annals, by year. The earliest is dated at 60 BC, the annals' date for Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain. In one case, the Chronicle was still being actively updated in 1154. Nine manuscripts of the Chronicle, none of which is the original...

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