Ralph of Coggeshall

Ralph of Coggeshall

Ralph of Coggeshall (d. after 1227), English chronicler, was at first a monk and afterwards sixth abbot (1207-1218) of Coggeshall, an Essex foundation of the Cistercian order.

Ralph himself tells us these facts; and that his resignation of the abbacy was made against the wishes of the brethren, in consequence of his bad health. He took up and continued a "Chronicon Anglicanum" belonging to his house; the original work begins at 1066, his own share at 1187. He hoped to reach the year 1227, but his autograph copy breaks off three years earlier.

Ralph makes no pretensions to be a literary artist. Where he had a written authority before him he was content to reproduce even the phraseology of his original. At other times he strings together in chronological order, without any links of connection, the anecdotes which he gathered from chance visitors.

Unlike Benedictus Abbas and Roger of Hoveden, he makes little use of documents; only three letters are quoted in his work. On the other hand, the corrections and erasures of the autograph show that he took pains to verify his details; and his informants are sometimes worthy of exceptional confidence. Thus he vouches Richard's chaplain Anselm for the story of the king's capture by Leopold of Austria.

The tone of the chronicle is usually dispassionate; but the original text contained some personal strictures upon Prince John, which are reproduced in Roger of Wendover. The admiration with which Ralph regarded Henry II is attested by his edition of Ralph Niger's chronicle; here, under the year 1161, he replies to the intemperate criticisms of the original author. On Richard I the abbot passes a judicious verdict, admitting the great qualities of that king, but arguing that his character degenerated. Towards John alone Ralph is uniformly hostile; as a Cistercian and an adherent of the Mandeville family he could hardly be otherwise.

Ralph refers in the "Chronicon" (s.a. 1091) to a book of visions and miracles which he had compiled, but this is no longer extant. He also wrote a continuation of Niger's chronicle, extending from 1162 to 1178 (printed in R Anstruther's edition of Niger, London, 1851), and short annals from 1066 to 1223.

The autograph manuscript of the "Chronicon Anglicanum" is to be found in the British Museum (Cotton, "Vespasian D." X). The same volume contains the continuation of Ralph Niger. The "Chronicon Terrae Sanctae", formerly attributed to Ralph, is by another hand; it was among the sources on which he drew for the "Chronicon Anglicanum". The so-called "Libellus de motibus anglicanis sub rege Johanne" (printed by Martène and Durand, "Ampl. Collectio", v. pp. 871-882) is merely an excerpt from the "Chronicon Anglicanum". This latter work was edited for the Rolls series in 1875 by J. Stevenson.

References

*1911


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ralph Of Coggeshall — ▪ English historian born , Cambridgeshire, Eng. died after 1227       English chronicler of the late 12th and early 13th centuries.       Ralph was a monk of the Cistercian abbey at Coggeshall, Essex, and abbot there from 1207 until 1218, when he …   Universalium

  • Coggeshall Abbey — Klausurgebäude, 13. Jahrhundert Lage Vereinigtes Konigreich …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coggeshall — This article is about the town in England. For other uses, see Coggeshall (disambiguation). Coordinates: 51°52′18″N 0°41′29″E / 51.8717°N 0.6913°E …   Wikipedia

  • Raoul De Coggeshall — (mort vers 1227), connu en anglais sous le nom de Ralph of Coggeshall est un moine anglais, devenu abbé (1207 1218) de Coggeshall, établissement de l’ordre cistercien en Essex, et connu comme chroniqueur. On sait qu’il dut quitter sa fonction en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raoul de coggeshall — (mort vers 1227), connu en anglais sous le nom de Ralph of Coggeshall est un moine anglais, devenu abbé (1207 1218) de Coggeshall, établissement de l’ordre cistercien en Essex, et connu comme chroniqueur. On sait qu’il dut quitter sa fonction en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raoul de Coggeshall — (mort vers 1227), connu en anglais sous le nom de Ralph of Coggeshall est un moine anglais, devenu abbé (1207 1218) de Coggeshall, établissement de l’ordre cistercien en Essex, et connu comme chroniqueur. On sait qu’il dut quitter sa fonction en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Richard I of England — Richard I redirects here. For others of the same name, see Richard I (disambiguation). Richard the Lionheart King of England (more..) Reign 6 July 1189 – 6 April 1199 Coronation 3 September 1 …   Wikipedia

  • Gerard de Ridefort — Gerard of Ridefort (died October 1, 1189) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 until his death in 1189. Gerard of Ridefort is thought probably to have been of Flemish origin, although some nineteenth century writers… …   Wikipedia

  • Gerard de Ridefort — Großmeisterwappen des Gérard de Ridefort Gérard de Ridefort († 1. Oktober 1189) war Großmeister des Templerordens von 1184 bis zu seinem Tod. Leben Er war der jüngere Sohn eines flandrischen Adligen, der – wie viele Nachgeborene dieser Zeit –… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gérard de Ridefort — Großmeisterwappen des Gérard de Ridefort Gérard de Ridefort († 1. Oktober 1189 vor Akkon) war Großmeister des Templerordens von 1184 bis zu seinem Tod. Leben Er war der jüngere Sohn eines flandrischen Adli …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”