Bede
(673–735)

Much of what the world knows about England before A.D. 700 is based on history written in Latin by the Benedictine monk Bede, who is often called the father of English history. Bede was the most learned scholar of his day not only in England but in all of Western Europe. Although he wrote 40 books on a variety of subjects, his reputation would be secure on the basis of a single book—his History Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, or, in English, A History of the English Church and People.

Bede was born in Wearmouth (now the city of Sunderland) on the northeast coast of England. As a child of seven, he entered the nearby monastic school of Jarrow on the river Tyne. A diligent student, he took full advantage of the library at Jarrow, in time becoming a priest, teacher, and scholar at the monastery. He remained at Jarrow for the rest of his life.

A contemporary of the unknown author of Beowulf, Bede was fascinated by a broad range of ideas. His writings summarize much of the thoughts and learning of his time. As the earliest important English prose writer, he concentrated on the Bible but did not neglect science and history. One of his innovations was the dating of events from the birth of Christ, a system that other scholars began to follow. It was through Bede's work that the Christian chronology in use today became common throughout Europe.

Bede had a deep love for his native island and its people, which led him to write his History of the English Church and People. In working on his history, Bede gathered information from many kinds of documents, interviewed knowledgeable monks, and, in general, proceeded very much like a modern historian, although he accepted as fact some miracles and supernatural events that a modern historian would not.

In the century after his death, King Alfred translated Bede's history from Latin into English. In the same century, the word Venerable was first applied to his name to honor his wisdom and achievements. The honor was well deserved. The Venerable Bede was largely responsible for what is sometimes called the Christian renaissance in eighth-century England.

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