Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 026: Matthew Paris OSB, Chronica maiora I
purl.stanford.edu/rf352tc5448
- Title:
- Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 026: Matthew Paris OSB, Chronica maiora I
- Alternate Title:
- Matthaei Paris Chronica Maiora I
- Language:
- Latin and French, Middle (ca. 1400-1600)
- Extent:
- ff. 2 + 6 + 140 + 2 + 1
- Dimensions:
- 260 Height (mm) and 195 Width (mm)
- Approximate Date:
- [ca. 1200 - 1299]
- Provenance:
- Written at St Albans, and presented to the convent by Matthew Paris. and It belonged to Edward Aglionby of Balsall Temple, who lent it to Parker.
- Table of contents:
-
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- Chronica maiora I (preliminary matter)
- Chronica maiora I
- Description:
- Matthew Paris OSB (c. 1200-59), a Benedictine monk of St Albans Abbey, was their official chronicler who wrote chronicles covering both world history and British history. These two volumes are of his most important work, the Chronica maiora, covering world history, but with a particular emphasis on that of Britain - vol I is CCCC MS 26 and vol II is CCCC MS 16, their production dating to the period c. 1240-55. Matthew was also a talented artist who was both scribe and illustrator of his own chronicles. These volumes have coloured marginal drawings, and also signs and heraldic shields in the borders signifying the persons and incidents in their lives, and also signifying their deaths, set beside the text passages mentioning these events. Recently, in 2003, the prefatory section to MS 16 (ff. i recto - v verso), containing lists and genealogies of kings, a diagram of the winds, itineraries, maps, and the picture of the elephant given by Louis IX to Henry III, has been bound separately as MS 16I. The part containing the chronicle text itself, ff. 1v-282r, has been rebound as MS 16II.