Illuminated copy of William of Malmesbury’s Deeds of the Kings of the English

A page from an illuminated copy of the Deeds of the Kings of the English by William of Malmesbury, showing a large decorated initial in gold.

Description

The Deeds of the Kings of the English is an early 12th-century account of the kings of England. Composed by the Anglo-Norman historian and writer William of Malmesbury (b. c. 1095, d. c. 1143), the work was widely read in the Middle Ages in both England and France. This manuscript copy was produced in England in the 12th-century and decorated by the Continental illuminator known as the ‘Simon Master’. He was active on both sides of the Channel and decorated books for Abbot Simon of St Albans (d. 1183). This copy was later owned by Jean Lebègue (b. 1368, d. 1457), a notary and secretary to King Charles VI (r. 1380–1422), before joining the French royal library in the 16th century.

This manuscript was digitised with the support of The Polonsky Foundation.

Full title:: William of Malmesbury, Deeds of the Kings of the English
Created:: 4th quarter of the 12th century, England
Format:: Manuscript
Language:: Latin
Creator:: William of Malmesbury
Usage terms: Public Domain
Held by: Bibliothèque nationale de France
Shelfmark:: Latin 6047

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